Hibr

From the fields of 'maramiya' to the catwalk

Dr. Asma al Diqs has always seen herself as a Bedouin Palestinian with a Lebanese woman’s sense of high fashion. This young Palestinian-Lebanese is a unique blend of medical doctor and eccentric fashion designer. She graduated as a doctor in dentistry from Charles University in the Czech Republic, and then received her second degree from the Ecole Superior de Mode (ESMOD) in Beirut as a fashion designer. This uniqueness in identity and in profession is reflected directly in her fashion designs.

“Since I was a little girl I drew very well, but to my father it was all about education,” explains Al Diqs. “He knew how important it was for me, as an Arab woman, to be educated, even though he knew that in my heart there was art. In my father’s opinion [though], the only field for me was medicine.”

After receiving her medical degree, she practiced medicine in the United Nations Red Crescent Society Hospital in Lebanon and later at the International Dental Implant Center in Jordan. However, she was unhappy and decided to follow her dream in fashion.

Al Diqs attended fashion and design school in Italy in 2005. There she fell in love again with this trade and excelled. As a compromise with her family, instead of completing a degree in fashion in Europe, she attended the Ecole Superior de Mode (ESMOD) in Beirut.

Al Diqs has been influenced by, and worked alongside and under, many high-end Lebanese fashion designers such as Georges Hobeika, Georges Chakra and Elie Saab. Today she is a chief designer at Aaron Lansing Garment Ltd in Hong Kong. “Fashion to me is a lifestyle; it reflects what the person feels … it is what mirrors my emotions,” she adds.

Talking about her fashion styles, she explains: “I love colors and fabrics. I mix things up ...I make dresses out of furniture.” Linking her profession to her identity, she says, “I love layering and creating a rich silhouette through abundant fabrics, and perhaps it is because Bedouins are known for their generosity.”

“I live in a dilemma,” she confesses. “I have never seen my home in Palestine but I think of maramiya [sage, a popular Palestinian herb] as my home.” Despite having lived in several countries, the smell of maramiya is the little Palestine that she carries with her. Living in so many places has helped her professional career. “I adapt with any client and with any culture,” she says. “This has led me to become eccentric. I think outside of the box, creating something different, not commercial, and definitely not for anyone. Something with a statement, and because of its creativity, hopefully it will be eternally stylish.”

Asma al Diqs hopes that she can “promote Palestinian fashion designers in Hong Kong... I would love to tell their story and personality through their designs.”