The First Underwater Fashion Show in Egypt
Designed by Amani Yahya, photography by Bishoy Fayez, Model: Mona Farid
An innovative way that is the first of its kind in Egypt, Egyptian fashion designer Amani Yehia managed to present an exceptional fashion show in the depths of the Red Sea in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.
Diving in the Red Sea is a passion for Amani Yahya, so she came up with the idea of combining her passion for diving and fashion design together, i.e. holding an underwater fashion show, in preparation for the opening of her atelier.
Amani called her friend Bishoy Fayez, a diver and undersea photographer, and discussed with him the idea and he welcomed, and they had to search for “Who will you wear the dresses?” Bishoy and Amani presented the idea to their friend Mona Farid, a diving instructor, who was surprised at first, but, according to Amani described, “she liked the idea and was excited about it.” The trio headed to Sharm El-Sheikh, to set up the first fashion show in Egypt under the sea. Amani chose the designs of models and colors in coordination with Bishoy, because he knew the most appropriate colors for taking pictures underwater.
Bishoy says that this was the first time that he filmed an underwater fashion show, which included a number of dresses, stressing that the project was not without challenges, and required a lot of time and effort.
One of the biggest challenges Mona faced was being able to breathe, so she underwent training without a wetsuit days before the show.
At first, it was difficult for Mona to deal with the dress she was wearing. For her part, Amani began to think about how to coordinate dresses for a fashion show, as she had to choose types of lightweight fabrics to match the model’s movement under water, which made her exclude embroidered designs and additional layers.
Both Amani and Bishoy cooperated in choosing the colors of the most appropriate designs that reflect the color of sea water for underwater photography.
Bishoy notes that the shoot took more than five hours, as the model had to go out to exchange a total of 12 dresses at a time, while Amani gave directions on how each design should look.
Despite the challenges that the project faced, Bishoy was able to produce “impressive” results, as he described it, praising Mona’s professionalism.
Bishoy believes that this project is an opportunity that should be used to promote tourism in Egypt, as well as an invitation to discover the depths of the Red Sea and its coral reefs.
