'De l’ombre à la lumière', which translates to ‘From the Darkness to the Light’, is a new haute couture collection that tells the story of Egyptian haute designer Ahmed Saedi’s fight to never give up. Pouring his heart into these designs, he considers this collection a personal one - a vow to forgive himself and others, focusing on the future following the end of a huge two-year project and a period of depression.

With a slogan that declares ‘Only forgiveness can take you from the darkness to the light’, the collection features an uplifting motif centred around wings and a flowy, superwoman vibe. “The designs included so many eyes and wings in each design that obviously translated my feelings towards looking to my future and escape from that frustrating period,” Saedi told CairoScene. He considers the red dress - the only red dress - his masterpiece. We love it too; it’s striking, it’s sexy and it’s powerful.

Launching two collections a year aside from his customized orders and the ready-to-wear everyday attire that is available on their online store, Saedi is known to put together his own material from scratch. Work on one design can take him up to three months at a time to complete.

Having been interested in fashion from a young age, 9-year-old Saedi once used his mother’s sewing machine behind her back to make his sister a dress for her doll and didn’t get in trouble when she found out because of how good it was. He then went on to become an engineer and work in the field for 12 years, only to leave it all behind and launch his fashion brand ‘Plush’ in 2012, eventually rebranding to 'Ahmed Saedi' in 2015.

You can find his collections at www.ahmedsaedi.com. Stay tuned for the upcoming bridal collection set to launch next February!

Art Direction & Styling: Ghufran El Katatney
Photography: Khaled Hamdy
Makeup: Diana Harby
Hair Styling: Kriss Beauty Salons
Jewellery: The Diamond Center Zamalek
Location: The Townhouse Gallery
Model: Zeina from UNN Model Management