Algiers Fashion Night
The fourth edition of Algiers Fashion Night that took place on Sunday 31st March has created an international buzz. Produced by Index Communication, this time in association with the Algerian Ministry of Culture, the event was created to protect and showcase Algeria’s rich and vast textile and musical heritage.
Until now, Algerian fashions and traditions have been unknown to much of the world (as Rym Menaifi also recounts to me for The Africa Report).
L’Ecole Supérieur d’Hôtellerie et de Restauration d’Alger (ESHRA), a converted sports complex gracefully perched over the beach, was transformed into an entertainment venue with reception hall and runway with the event artistically directed by Sidali Benmerabet (aka Dali), no stranger to the industry, working also with Paris fashion events, who maintained international standard production values and casting of talent. The charming cultural reporter Malik Slimani played the role of MC.
While the event was strictly VIP (diplomats, fashionistas, ‘people’, artists, press and entrepreneurs), the public has been showered with photos, articles and videos of the sublime traditionally inspired (and some contemporary Prêt-à-Porter) creations, the various regions reacting with great pride of their representations.
The Fashion Designers in this fourth edition were Nacéra Bouzar (Alger) with jewellery by Assia Boulahbal (Annaba), Sabrina Lafer (Alger),Sam ia Hennous (Tizi Ouzou), Selma Hamrelaine (Constantine), Amina Benyamina (Blida)- contemporary Prêt-à-Porter and the ‘Young Talent’ section presented the ensembles of Nihad Bellabas (Blida) – Prêt-à-Porter with Traditional Touch, Yacine Yanni (Alger) and Raouf Aliane- Traditional (Alger). Hadia Dali (Diartist) was the hair stylist and L’instant Make Up were on the brushes.
Not only was fashion on the catwalk but Dali and the team at Index punctuated the fashion parade with dynamic artistic performance by a beautiful kaleidoscope of Algerian artists: Chafik Baho, Islam Youssef, Tarek Bentaleb, the Gnawa group Wlad Bambra, Manel Hadli and Adjrad Yuba (Contemporary RaÏ).
Oh and Ruby Boukabou (Australian/Algerian/Parisian). Oui oui c’est moi and it was an honour to participate, dressed by Nacéra Bouzar with jewellery by Assia Boulahbal. I chose the music of Cheb Khaled (Wahda B Wahda)to celebrate Algeria, hope and life and La Blaze (Territory) to interpret the importance of returning to the mother (or in my case father) land to reconnect to the earth and regenerate through the healing, awakening and transformational rhythms and vibrations of our ancestors.
Instead of a catwalk I chose, bien sur, a CatTap 🙂 representing Paris Tap Crew and Le Shuffle Project.
The audience and press were adorable. And while it was backstage only, a highlight was a magical impromptu pre-performance Gnawa tap (watch this space) that cleared the energies and jet-lag.
With the success of this fourth event, no doubt the 5th edition of Algiers Fashion Night, set for November will be another sensation and the team at Index Communication are also working on Algeria’s first official Fashion Week to launch in 2019, opening it up for international talent from Paris to Shanghai to…. Australia. And I’ll be there to tap and introduce an Australian label INCHALLAH 😉
Photos Rob Schreuder
For the francophiles, here are just a couple of the local press articles: El Watan & Le Chodalgerie.
