For the last 60 years, models across the Middle East have been muses to artists and pioneers for generations of talent. Now, they’re fearlessly shaping tomorrow’s runways. Three rising faces take delight in FW23’s fantastical couture collections, against a backdrop of Disneyland magic.
In the black of night, 75 models marched along an illuminated runway in front of the Pyramids of Giza for the Dior men’s show in December 2022. It was the first fashion display staged in front of the oldest of the world’s Seven Wonders, and a first for a few of the Egyptian models, such as Youssef Sharaf and Omar Zaabalawi, who the brand cast for the event. But the show atop the sands was certainly not the debut runway event or headline-making showcase of models in the Arab world. In the late 1960s, Christian Dior staged a couture show in Beirut featuring both international and local models, as did monsieur Dior’s contemporary, Yves Saint Laurent.
Myriem wears top, skirt, gloves, headpiece, Georges Hobeika Haute Couture; shoes, Elie Saab. Farnoush wears dress, shoes, Dior Haute Couture. Aouatif wears cape, top, skirt, Georges Hobeika Haute Couture; shoes, Zuhair Murad. Photo: Desiree Mattsson
The history of modeling in the Middle East and North Africa has experienced growth in what might be described as sporadic intervals. And the industry’s evolution in the region has not come without challenges: for many the global center of modeling remains in Europe and the US, where it may be difficult for Middle Eastern models to obtain work visas or clear cultural hurdles. At home, professional agencies have recently sprung up to service the local fashion market.
Over the last 60 years, modeling in the region has evolved from beauty pageants and commercial advertising to become a real industry where homegrown talent can work and appear in magazines, on runways, and across social media. But it all began with the Golden Age. It feels impossible not to romanticize…
