We had the opportunity to interview Deana Shaaban, the Egyptian fashion designer who has told us about her career, designs and the way she started in the fashion world. She made her brand and her shiny name with her bold ideas, creative designs and her unbelievable dresses.

So let’s see what she has shared with us.

Can you tell us about your childhood and your education?! Simply tell us who is Deana Shaaban?

I was born in 1985 in New Jersey, USA. I lived there with my family till I turned 18 years old, then. I came back to Cairo because of my parent’s desire to study business administration and marketing in the American University in Egypt. After that I headed to London to take an intensive training of a fashion design for a year and half at Marangoni institute in London. Then I came back to Cairo to start my career as a fashion designer and my first show was in 2010.

Tell us how did you start your career? And why did you choose specifically to be fashion designer?

When I was six, my mother used to design my clothes and make them using her sewing machine, despite my anger of that. And then when I entered the university, it turned quickly to love and passion for this field. I started to sit and use the sewing machine and try to invent something new. The mere idea that I can transform worthless cloth to something beautiful dazzles the eye; this was the motto that encouraged me to enter this field. Also during my studying at the university I started to wear clothes designed by myself and design some for my friends, who supported and accepted that strongly. So I decided to hen this talent by studying.

Any way to the success certainly isn’t easy, what are the difficulties that faced you?

Of course there were a lot of difficulties encountered me in the beginning of my career, but my conviction and my faith and my confidence was the initial steps of my success; one of these difficulties was to be independent and has my own financial support. So I started to implement all the designs by myself in the first fashion show of my own, they were about 600 design, in addition to the selection of types of fabrics and that was also another difficult thing, and sometimes you resort to change the design to suit the types of fabrics.

Your first fashion show was in 2010 and you have proved yourself and your designs strongly, what distinguishes Deana’s designs?

Yes, my first fashion show was in 2010 and I remember that it took a lot of time for preparations and implementation of all aspects by my own self, but I've benefited from it what I can’t learn in all the universities of the world and I am very glad with all I have done especially in that show.

I also think that the most important thing that distinguishes my designs is daring to choose the colors and incorporate them in an unconventional way, which is what makes my designs are very different.

From where do you get your inspiration?

Fashion design is an art and is linked to everything in our world, and a source of the inspiration for me is not limited, for example I can see a building and then get inspired to design specific thing.

Do you like to stick to the international fashion lines or you prefer to have your own style?

Of course, I follow the international fashion lines, but I don’t stick to them in my designs as I prefer to have my own style.

Who is the designer who you consider him/her as your role models in the fashion world?

Every designer has something that attracts me to his designs and makes me develop myself and learn something new, but there was one of the pioneers designer who fascinated me with the way of her thinking and designs, she’s the French designer "Madeleine Dunit".

During the hard competition locally and internationally, what the qualities and specifications that the successful designer should have?!

I think that the fashion designer must create his own world from his designs and shouldn’t go with the traditions completely. Because people always need something different and new, in addition to that he has to be fully aware of how to market his products properly because this is a part of success.

Where can we find your designs?

You can find them at "ABn’G" it’s a special place and I love it.

What are your tips for freesia readers for the selection of their costumes?

I advise them to wear what they like and do not pay attention to the words of the people, because fashion is like a mirror to the personality, in other words, “just be yourself”.

What are your dreams? And how do you see yourself in the future?

I guess in the upcoming period there will be more than a step for me. Also within 6 months there will be the opening of the management special place in addition to the opening of wedding design brand, and you will find us more in the United States and Europe.

Thank you, we were pleased to have you with us and we wish you more success.