Young Arab Australian designers are wowing the international fashion world and becoming celebrities favourite choice.
In a sea of black and white, Yousef Akbar is a burst of colour dressed in couture. This young designer, born in Saudi Arabia and schooled in London, moved here in Australia 2003, to study logistics at Uni in Adelaide and then to Sydney. He was forced to ignore his real passions – arts and fashion – when the scholarship offered to him by the Saudi Arabian government limited a recipient’s academic choices to professions “in demand”, he said.
“Unfortunately in Saudi Arabia with fashion, they look at it as fun and games,” he said. “It’s very traditional, every parent wants their kid to be a doctor or a lawyer.”
Today, Yousef is taking the fashion world by storm with Australia as his first stop. The 30-year-old is already making a name for himself, designing outfits for both homegrown and international celebrities, such as Kelly Osbourne, Jessica Mauboy and Kimbra.
“I always wanted to be in fashion or arts,” he said, “I just loved art but fashion was the thing where I really expressed myself the most. I always designed my own clothes and got them made by someone. I always wanted pink pants or a silver jacket and I couldn’t find that.”
