Rula Galayini believes in affordable luxury

Rula Galayani, the Dubai-based bag designer who is in preparation mode for Paris Fashion Week and firmly believes that 'Made in the Middle East' is now at a turning point.

There is no question that when it comes to design, this region has a forte - and that is handbags. Nathalie Trad's success is well documented, her architectural clutches are sold at both London's Selfridges and New York's Intermix, Lebanon's Sarah's Bag is known not only for the beautiful handcrafted bags but also for the brand's social responsibility. Her bags are made by local artisans and she also employs incarcerated women, hoping to give them a means to start a new chapter in their lives. You can find Sarah's Bag in many countries and she is available on both matchesfashion.com and farfetch.com.
Soon, you can expect brand Rula Galayini to be a part of this list. Within the region, Galayani is a well-known and respected designer working with stores such The cARTel, Galeries Lafayette and Tryano and this summer, her label was part of a special pop-up at Galeries Lafayette in Paris. Galayani is a regular at Fashion Forward Dubai, and her bags have received positive reviews due to her design philosophy. Galayani has a very practical approach to design and yet injects a feel of glamour to every piece with attention to detail. Her cuff box bag within this region is now iconic. It is a bag that can be used as a piece of jewellery too, and the fact that you can wear it as a bangle means it leaves your hand free to hold your glass, or to greet someone properly. Accessories that have duality are what Galayani is now known for. She tends to use croco prints and not precious skins, as she believes in affordable luxury. She enjoys the use of brass hardware in her designs and a play on geometry is a constant.
To understand her label's design philosophy, you need to know more about Galayani's journey into fashion. She started in advertising, working at Leo Burnett and then moved to MTV Arabia. It was as creative director for MTV that she moved to Dubai from Lebanon. A trained graphic designer, she started feeling that the world she lived in was very flat. "I wanted to work with objects, with something that had function." And while she was at MTV, she started working on her own accessory line called Poupee Couture. She later changed the name of the label to make it eponymous. "It was all about dynamic accessories. I wanted people to know that fashion is intelligent as well as beautiful." When the Middle Eastern chapter of MTV closed shop, it forced Galayani to turn her hobby into her profession. Simultaneously, she applied to New York Rhode Island School of Design. "I never thought I had a chance to go to this school, and when I was accepted, I was in shock," she admits. For personal reasons she could not go, though she has done fashion courses at Esmod and School of Fashion and Design, London.
Galayani is proud to have a product offering 'Made in the Middle East'. While she lives in Dubai, the bags are crafted in Beirut. "Lebanon really is the centre of crafts for this region," she says. But she credits Dubai for giving her creative inspiration to start her brand. "No other city in the Middle East can give you the exposure that Dubai can give you."
In Dubai, Galayani is one half of a couple that is becoming a fashion powerhouse, as she is married to Ramzi Nakad, co-founder and COO of Fashion Forward Dubai. She met him while working at Leo Burnett. But they like to be low-key about their personal lives. "Most people have only just realised that we are married," she says. Both of them believe in letting their work speak for them. For now, Galayani is very focused on her Spring/Summer 2017 collection called, 'Dynamic Duality', and there is a new version of the cuff box in the collection. What is new is the clutches and bucket bags that have lattice details and come with inserts that allow you to change the colour of the visible inner of the bag, the shoulder bags have facades which can be changed with brass chains that are adjustable. The same bag can be strapped across the shoulder and also tucked under the arm for a more formal look. The clutches are in acrylic and the bucket and shoulder bags come in calf leather. Her designs are very much for today's woman and reflect the lifestyle of her clients. With everyone being a multi-tasker, people look for ways to be frill-free and yet want something different. These are bags that can see you from day to night, that can travel and match many outfits and that have a unique design approach.
Galayani is now taking these bags to Paris, and will show at trade shows during Paris Fashion Week. This is her fourth season in Paris and Galayani believes the Middle East position in international fashion is at a turning point. "There is interest in the Middle East and its homegrown label, and I really feel this is the time for labels from the region. As women in the Middle East become more proud of wearing indigenous design, it has helped spread the story of Made in the Middle East," and Galayani is very much a designer who has helped fashion from this region gain recognition.

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