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To those who know the stylish, international designer’s work well, this rebirth is a return to the Farah they first met in 1999 when she made her debut in London…a return to haute couture and high-end eveningwear for women. To those who are aware of Farah through the daring and elegant menswear she had been creating in the years since she moved to Paris in 2000, it’s a next logical step. To Farah herself it represents the opportunity to go back to what originally inspired her to become a designer – the thrill of blending fantasy and reality together to make women beautiful and glamorous
Fashion was a part of Farah since she was a young girl flipping through magazines and stopping on pages that featured the timelessly glamorous work of designers. She began designing her mother’s and sister’s wardrobes before she even had the basic skills of sketching or draping. She would bring her vision to the local dressmaker and, through detailed descriptions, guide her to make a sketch and select the fabrics. How the dress looked, how it felt, how it draped on a woman’s body, how it moved when she walked…these were the things she was already considering as she ushered her creations through stages of approval that were clear indicators of a future in haute couture.
Farah took up the formal study of the elements of fashion design and haute couture technique at the Central School of Fashion in London, from which she graduated in 1992. There, while studying draping techniques she learned about the luminaries’ work of couture, like Madame Grès, who dressed royalty and Hollywood’s most glamorous stars and whose obsession with elegance once led her to use over 100 meters of cloth in a single dress! Farah was also able to learn more about the techniques used by her hero Valentino and his mentor, the famed Jean Desses.
Before long Farah was bringing her passion to the market, launching her own line of cocktail eveningwear for beautiful women and had the good fortune to find an immediately receptive clientele. For two years she filled a constant flow of orders. Believing that the logical next step was to bring her designs to Paris, Farah became the first and only Indonesian born (she was raised in Singapore, Los Angeles and London) designer to present her collection in Paris.
Bringing new cultural and ethnic qualities to haute couture she attracted a flurry of attention, and soon found herself amidst advisors who helped guide her career for the next 6 years. Though well intentioned, their guidance led her into designing sportswear and menswear and, despite critical acclaim, Farah did not see her orders growing. With only her own determination and vision to rely on, Farah came to a momentous decision. “I prefer to swim than to sink.”
Farah began to look at what had worked for her originally and started sketching eveningwear and couture designs for women once again. Taking the reins of her company back into her own hands she created a line of 28 pieces, showed them at the Ritz –Paris during Paris Fashion Week and caused such a stir from some international buyers. Between the press and the orders, the excitement and demand building for her spring 2008 collection, which show in NY last September, and gained much great press and reviews. Best of all Farah, a one-woman business who now splits her time between Paris, Zurich, Italy and around the world, has found success exactly where she always wanted to be – where fantasy and reality come together in creations that make women look elegant and beautiful.
