Tuesday March 19th, 2024
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Imperfection by Nardine Samir Makes Art That's Wearable Off the Runway

Nardine Samir is a young arts student who aspires to become a global name in art and fashion by making products that are both - shoes with paintings on them.

Staff Writer

Imperfection by Nardine Samir Makes Art That's Wearable Off the Runway

What started as a project to revamp a pair of shoes by a high school student five years ago has blossomed into a full-fledged small business. For 23-year-old art student Nardine Samir, 'Imperfection' is her way expressing her love of painting through fashion.

“I’m trying to bring art into everyday pieces we wear," Samir told CairoScene. "We wear sneakers all the time, why not add history and art to them in our own Egyptian way? Instead of just seeing art represented in fashion on the runway in very impractical ways, I want to do it in a way people can actually wear.”

Her pieces showcase every aspect of Egyptian identity, from Bougie W Tam-tam, to rural village scenery, to ancient Egyptian motifs and Arabic calligraphy. And while she used to accept custom orders, she reassessed her strategy and adopted more of a fashion line structure, where she gets to hand-paint multiple copies of the same design for release.

Samir hopes to one day make a global name for herself through her art, following in the footsteps of role models like Azza Fahmy. “I ultimately want to get my work featured outside of Egypt and have a gallery to exhibit my work,” Samir said.