RIYADH: Brussels designer Carine Gilson presented her delicate lace designs in a trunk show hosted by the Belgian Embassy in Riyadh on Saturday.
“We are really honored to promote Belgian know-how and Belgian design and we definitely hope she is going to come back here to Saudi Arabia,” Belgian Ambassador Dominique Mineur told Arab News.
The luxury lingerie brand, which specializes in artisanal lace and silk making, started 30 years ago and has stores in London and Paris.
Carine Gilson presents her delicate lace designs in a trunk show hosted by the Belgian Embassy in Riyadh on Saturday. (Basheer Saleh)
“The brand was created in a small workshop that I bought when I was 23 years old and since then we excel in our know-how and we want to develop here in Riyadh and Saudi Arabia,” Gilson explains.
“It is no secret that I am very excited for this little trunk show workshop to be able to continue to share its work and this collection here in Saudi Arabia,” designer Carine Gilson said.
She said each kimono makes an individual statement when worn by the client. The lace for each of the designs from the Blossom collection on show here was especially created in terms of color and inlay.
Every piece in Gilson’s collection is handcrafted and takes hours to complete due to the intricate lace designs.
Carine Gilson presents her delicate lace designs in a trunk show hosted by the Belgian Embassy in Riyadh on Saturday. (Basheer Saleh)
“Making a kimono needs more or less 15 hours of work between cutting, assembling, inlaying the lace, positioning the lace on the kimono, cutting the lace, and then assembling the whole piece together,” the designer said.
Gilson explained why she chose such a niche field in fashion design.
“I created my first collection in lingerie because it is the realm of dreams and I can express precisely this dream through the materials, namely silk and lace,” she said.
Carine Gilson presents her delicate lace designs in a trunk show hosted by the Belgian Embassy in Riyadh on Saturday. (Basheer Saleh)
She said that the trunk show in the Kingdom marks a major milestone for her brand and its growth in the Saudi market, not only in terms of fashion but as sharing a very niche design style in the region.
“We are happy to be here so as to be able to explore new horizons in your beautiful country,” Gilson said.
The event concluded with some closing remarks from the designer as she took guests on a walk-through of her latest designs.
She said that she had many private appointments with clients in the region and was looking forward to developing many more designs in response to special requests.