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oised, warm and animated beyond description, Sheikha Hend Al-Qassemi is both an easy and a difficult person to quiz. Easy because she has an interesting answer to every question you pose; difficult because you don’t get an opportunity to ask too many as she segues from idea to idea, opinion to observation.

There is a story, an emotion and a skill behind everything she surrounds herself

with. The side tables made from carefully-selected vintage trays placed on candle holders from the store at the mall; tapestry hand-embroidered (by her); a collection of tea service that range from exquisite pieces from Versace and

designer oF dreaMs thebrainbehindtheQatarfashionweek(Qfw)worksatapacethatwillleaveyoubreathless,andtryingtogetyourheadaroundallherinterestsissuretomakeyoumorethanalittledizzy,writesVaniSaraswathi.

Hermes to quirky floral collector’s items.She takes us for a tour of her home. Ducks and

roosters are stomping around and there’s a stray cat in the corner recovering from a broken leg. “My husband is not a cat person, but I am,” she reveals as she dusts the leaves on the fledgling orange tree – “these leaves need to breathe” – before pointing to the fish pond by the gazebo with a glimmer in her eyes. There is a story to be told.

On Saturdays, people from various walks of life and affiliation congregate at her home for the Fish Pond meeting. The agenda? Every single person who comes for the meeting brings something to the table-a home-cooked dish and a story.

“No take-aways, please. And most definitely no gossip on the next door neighbor. What we want is an anecdote, an experience or an exchange of ideas.”

So what came first? The fish pond or the meeting?The meeting, says Hend. She set it up when she

came here first, to create her social circle in a new home. The moniker is drawn from an Arabic saying about everyone coming to a common pond to fish and take their share. Now she is giving the meetings a setting, by creating the actual fish pond.

FROM ARCHITECTURE TO FASHION WEEKHer degree in architecture – “the mother of all designs”– set the tone for what she would make of herself professionally. Though she earned diplomas in entrepreneurship and masters in project management, her core interest continues to be design, be it her boutiques in the Emirates, the small-scale fashion shows she helped organize or what she has embarked upon now.

“I’ve been toying with the idea of doing something big in fashion for a while. I wanted a design exhibition but realized I had to position Qatar first as a fashion destination. About two years ago I started to work on Qatar Fashion Week.”

There were naysayers when she first proposed QFW. “They said, no one would come. No one would be interested but I knew everyone would come. If I were an international designer, I would come to Qatar because of what the country is doing today, and if the designer knew what was good for him, he would definitely aim to launch himself here.”

She has been approached by a British agency to do an exclusive Arab Fashion Week event in England, as Arab tourists spend a substantial portion of the economy there. “I had to decline the offer, as I was focusing on QFW. I have to make this work, and make sure everything falls together. PR,

P

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marketing, designers – we are only going for designers who will suit the Qatari market. We would be selecting and inviting the best of international designers, to present their collection here.

“In the West they think it’s all about long robes-they are not aware of what sells here. Yesterday I had an event, and it was such a mix of tastes and fashion.”

Though she is not aspiring for any existing benchmark, Hend says QFW would probably evolve into being one of the more luxurious fashion extravaganzas in the world.

“I have attended fashion shows that are interesting, but what we are aspiring for is the ultimate in luxury. It is not going to be rows of sweaty, crunched up people on uncomfortable chairs – it’s going to be a party about the fashion on and off the ramp. There will be a lot of international celebrities attending.”

That it is going to be unique is unquestioned, as the venue will be Katara’s amphitheater. However, the event itself is bound to raise a few questions.

After all, every time something new is attempted, there is a discussion on cultural context and relevance, on respecting traditions. Is she worried about the debate that might ensue from an event such as this?

“I am ready for this – very much ready for the pressure as well. Fashion is in people’s blood here and they just love parties. I am just bringing it all together and taking it to another level. If you dare to dream, live the dream. In this culture, they would like something from the Western point of view, but they also want something that is tailor-made to suit their social fabric. I come from a very conservative family background so I understand where to draw a line and not offend anyone.”

AN EYE FOR THE BESTTrue enough that Khaleeji women are fashion conscious, but to make a career out of it is not quite the norm. So how did her family both in the Emirates and Qatar take to her choice?

“My career is not fashion, it is design,” she clarifies. “I did the interiors of my house, and am currently doing the architecture of my future house as well. I like to design what I own – there is a personal touch and comfort when you do that. Now I am the architect of my new interest [QFW] and I am not ashamed to go out and seek the best to put on the best show possible.”

Hend has always been interested in art, growing up in a family that had members of varying accomplishments.

“I regard my sister as my role model. She was the one who got me into drawing.

My father is a medical doctor but he enjoyed painting in his spare time and was into literature and the arts. My mother is an avid reader and she was a school principal for 20 years. We are a big family and each person is so different; there is never a dull moment in our family.”

Architecture, however, was quite by chance. “I applied as a business student but the architecture students seemed like they were having so much fun. They would draw from day to night and that would be their work., so I decided to transfer. However, I soon realized that this was just for some subjects and the second year was completely different. We were the first to come in and last to leave. It was hard work but we were always creating-working so hard on our models – it felt inspiring.”

Though that gave her a grounding, what helped her build on it is her training in project management and entrepreneurship. “There are so many examples of people starting small and making it big, simply because they believe in their dream. I also learn that the best way to achieve success is to find the right partners with the appropriate skills

“So I am not sorry I waited this long for my QFW idea to come to fruition.”

Hend hopes that QFW will be more than just about pretty dresses on the ramp. “There is going to be a lot of surprises. There will be a Young Designer award. We want to give young talent a lift; help them to eventually become a top designer. Or at least give them the opportunity to achieve this. It’s going to be an opportunity for them to showcase their work on such a large scale. Some of the biggest names we know today – Oscar de la Renta and Carolina Herrera – come from Latin American countries. See where they are now.”

There will be a charity auction and gala where each of the designers are donating a piece for the lot and the proceeds will go to ROTA.

STORIES OF HER LIFE...Hend plans on expanding her business interests to other arenas as well. “I have a vision. Not just to design clothes, but homes, furniture, shopping centers and even cutlery.

I enjoy creating; I have a variety of interests and I am trying to bring everything together.”

Her personal taste, like her business interests, is a potpourri. “I like quality. It is not always about the price. I treasure beautiful stuff, it doesn’t matter if it’s a bargain or a designer piece.” She does advise investing in classic pieces. “Quality is remembered when the price is forgotten,” she reminds us.

As we wrap up the evening, we ask her to surprise us, and with a little hesitantly she ventures into the story of a near fatal accident she suffered when she was just 19 years old.

“I broke or dislocated every other bone in my body. I broke my jaw, nose, broke a few teeth, had a cut across my face. I broke my hip in three different places. I woke up six months after my accident, as I was so heavily sedated and drugged at the time. I had to literally restart my university degree. I used to be on the Dean’s list and had a photographic memory before the accident,” she says, without a hint of self-pity. It’s just another incident, a story, a weave in the trellis that is her life.

Let me talk about something less gruesome, she says with a twinkle.

She speaks of her two sons - one an angel and one full of mischief; her husband is a highly erudite person, who has backed her in all her schemes – be they small, big, quirky or fancy. They have no trouble engaging in her never-ebbing energy. No surprise that she doesn’t enjoy her free time. “It’s brain numbing,” she exclaims. n

sketch�ready�nikki newman is a freelance artist originally from the uk and now living with her family in doha. she works mainly in acrylic or oil on canvas or mixed media on paper with subjects ranging from fashion to local scenes and people. she did a live sketch of sheikha hend, for exclusive use in t Qatar.