THIS ONE’S A KEEPA
There are so many bloggers-turned-fashion designers who manage to make a business out of their social celebrity status, that it makes you wonder if you actually need to study fashion these days, or intern with a fashion house before starting your own label.
Of course, having a sense of style is imperative to a fashion designer, but many of these bloggers turned designers seem to find initial success. After a while, though, they lose momentum — it seems that style really does have no meaning without substance. And that is something Dubai-based designer Mariam
Yehia, who debuts her label Mrs Keepa in May this year, knows. Mariam has become a regular on the regional best-dressed lists, and her personal Instagram page (@mrskeepa) has a cult following of around 60,000. With her sister being a well-known fashion designer too (Yasmine Yehia of Masion Yeya, whose workshop is based in Cairo) Mariam knew that launching a label was about a lot more than just dressing well.
With 12 years experience in the media business, Mariam decided to enroll at Esmod Dubai in order master the technical side of the fashion business. “I felt it was so unfair to be perceived as another influencer approaching fashion as a business. I wanted to genuinely learn everything about fashion,” she says.
This part Eyptian-part French designer credits her family very much for helping turn her passion into a reality. Her mother, a talented seamstress, made all of Mariam’s clothes herself when she was a child, and her father drummed into her the importance of social independence.
Mariam says, “My father was an entrepreneur, a very strong character whose main goal was to bring me up and my sister to be independent.” And it is her husband Bassel Komaty who she calls her “greatest inspiration”. In fact, her label’s name is inspired by him, as his nickname is Keepa, and so she calls herself Mrs Keepa.
Mrs Keepa has a cosmopolitan vibe, drawing from her own background, but is still very much a label that pays homage to Dubai. The first collection is an ode to the city’s architecture. Long, high-waisted trousers resemble Dubai’s skyscrapers with their slick endless lines. The bell-shaped sleeves of one of her blouses were inspired by the beautiful curves of the iconic Burj Al Arab. And there is a total feel of boho luxe, as the 70s is the decade that is constantly referred to throughout the collection. “Coming from an air sign (Aquarius), I have a very moody character, and sticking to one style wouldn’t suit me. I love the mix of cultural prints, embroidery, and clashing colours. What I love about this look is that it instantly gives me a feeling of laidback freedom, an escape from the stressful, fast paced lives we all live.”
The label reflects Mrs Keepa’s Instagram account perfectly. And on social media, you’ll also see that being a mother is a big part of Mariam’s life, and she credits the playful side to her debut collection to her daughter Isabelle. To start with, Mrs Keepa will be available online. She’s also already in talks with stores in Paris, and hopes to be stocking in boutiques there, and in Dubai soon, making this a label to keep an eye on.