MARHABAA!
Yuliya Safonova, of Ukrainian origin, is the owner of Zafirah Fashion, launched in 2011 in Dubai and worldwide. Zafirah Fashion, a brand featuring women’s clothing; abayas, jalabiyas, tops, blouses, coats, jackets, resort wears, beach tunics and evening dresses, with stunning embroideries have charmed the world.
Greetings Ms. Yuliya. It is a pleasure for me to have you with me to speak about fashion, your achievements and how your creativity inspires other women. How did you come up with such a lovely name ‘Zafirah’ for your creations? Why Zafirah? Lots of people ask me this, since they know that my name is Yuliya. It all began I went to Guangzhou to order packaging materials. I thought that I would come to a nice office, meet with graphic designer, we discuss my needs, and they come up with a list of ideas for the branding, logo, etc... In reality to my astonishment, that was a corner in a street market with hundreds of people passing by and pushing me, and I had a carton box instead of a chair! A roadside meeting! I was given one minute to come up with a logo and brand. I went to Google with my hands shaking and I found out that Zafirah as a female name carried the message of success. Bang! Zafirah was born on a street market in China. What are the courses you have followed before starting Zafirah Fashion? Only art school when I was a kid. I did not know anything about sewing or sketching or even marketing or business. Just recently I start learning, and now I feel the need to pursue my studies in fashion design academy in order to grow. Who has been your support all through since the start? I was lucky with my partner in business who showed me all secrets, from the factory owner who showed me all designs, to the sellers from fabric market who gave me the best unique pieces of fabrics which they did not even share with others; to tailors who allowed me to pay them only when I had the means to pay back, to the media people who promoted me and did not charge me anything, I am grateful to all... the list is long! What advice would you give to women and the next generation aspiring to be as successful as you? Number one advice- just do it, but minimize your risks. Prepare a few items, try to sell them online or in exhibitions, see the response of people, feel yourself doing this- how happy you are there. You can share the exhibition booth with someone, you don’t need any license for that. It’s much easier than you could think! 3 mistakes which you could avoid;
My catwalk collection got the theme the four elements to showcase my work. Along with that, I had to present eight black looks and eight white ones just like Yin and Yang. Therefore, I used Swarovski crystals for the element of fire, sequins and floating organza for water, feathers for air, and flowery 3D embroidery for the earth. I’ve got genuine Swarovski stones for a few thousand euros, and Lebanese couture workshop in Dubai Design District did the embroidery. It took around one month for four looks with crystals. Where do you see yourself in two years? Definitely in sustainable fashion. It’s a narrow niche, still, and I don’t want to leave a bad mark on our planet. I’m against overconsumption and fast fashion. How do you manage and spend your free time? I always learn something, that’s the biggest fun for me. I have about 10 courses in my head which I want to take, and 100 ideas which I want to implement. I want to have 8 hands and 4 heads to do everything I have in mind! I would like to thank Ms. Yuliya for her time and advices. To get in touch with her, here are the details: Website: https://taplink.cc/zafirah_fashion Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zafirah_fashion/
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AuthorWriting keeps me alive. After the success of my first work- "OBSTINACY: The Dauntless Chase", which was published in April 2013, I am currently working on my upcoming novel, "Bereft" to be released soon. Don't ever give up. Life is the best teacher." Archives
December 2023
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