Andraya Farrag jets between Dubai and London for her contemporary brand, Bedouin. The easy-to-wear designs stand the test of time and the young Central St. Martin’s graduate conveys style without borders. We caught up with the designer in the July issue of MOJEH magazine.
Tell us about why you started the brand.
What I always saw as a problem was that I would buy something amazing and not get enough wear out of it. I wanted to style things in different ways and it was really difficult.
How’s your line different?
We believe in quality so we try and make pieces that you can wear season after season - a timeless design.
Describe the Bedouin woman?
The Bedouin woman is spontaneous, confident - she has a mix of femininity and androgyny - and likes very contemporary items. Bedouin is the go-to brand for pieces you can just throw on and not worry about your figure.
Anyone in mind?
I imagine Emma Stone would wear a peice or Alexa Chung would team a dress with a leather jacket.
We take a look around the Bedouin design space^
Fashion week is around the corner, do you attend?
I go to fashion weeks a lot. I love Copenhagen - it’s so contemporary - over there they’re really good at styling modern pieces, layering, cool cuts, lots of volume. It’s very different than what you see from regional designers here.
How is the Dubai woman different?
I find the women in Dubai travel a lot more than Europeans and their wardrobes are more mixed - surprisingly they have a lot of winter pieces.
Where do you find inspiration for new collections?
London is my design zone. I find the design process is much more successful there - with diverse art and museums - I spend a lot of time researching, whereas here I don’t get as much access. I’m also inspired by travel a lot, so when I’m travelling I try and pick up things from my surroundings.
Is there a key to choosing materials?
They have to withstand the test of time, so we go to fabric fairs and have suppliers in Italy and China - we’re about to go to one in Turkey. Everything’s ordered from abroad.
