The Egyptian artist deconstructing social norms through his designs
“Can we distinguish bad from good taste?” It is on this theoretical question that our conversation began with the young Egyptian designer Ahmed Serour.
Colonialism, revolution, freedom of expression, non-binary identity, stereotypes and religion; Serour evokes these social themes through his various collections while exploring different artistic disciplines.
Serour’s strong interest in the history of male belly dancers in Egypt allowed him to deconstruct the principle of masculinity in the Arab world through his diverse collections. Bulky costumes, corsets, gold jewelry, opulence and extravagance are masters of this social deconstruction through the art of design.
In order to further nourish his visual identity, Ahmed Serour draws much of his inspiration from the daily life of the middle and lower class in Egypt and especially in Cairo, the city in which he is currently based. Flashy colors such as electric blue and tangy yellow combined with gold and incorporated into very kitsch patterns and textures allow the young designer to redefine the concept of orientalism historically imposed by the West through his collections.
Graduated from the prestigious London College of Fashion with a Masters of Art in Menswear Design, this artist possess a strong desire to take up challenges and enrich his expertise in different artistic disciplines: from architecture to interior design, to contemporary art and finally styling and fashion design.
Serour underlines the support of his professors during his studies at London College of Fashion: he was dealing with students with years of expertise in fashion design while he only had notions of fashion design. His strong vision and motivation led him to develop his very first collection combining Egyptian kitsch, male oriental dance spirit, and sensuality through 13 looks, each comprising three to four accessories including men’s heels, crowns and gold jewelry.
We let you discover his work through the photos below.
NonEGYBoi featured on @nataalmedia Shot by @eliskasky Styled by me & @katharine_nixon Camera @harrynelder Model @moon.vision @__itsmesamir & Ahmed Elmasry Jewelry by @fforfarah. Special thanks to the amazing @salwainternational
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