JEDDAH - Trendsetter West L.A. is known to be a hugely popular fashion concept store in Dubai. More so, because of its individuality and interest in carrying forth a determined fashioned attitude. Founder, Alia Korayem, spoke to Saudi Gazette about the fun L.A. culture and love affair with fashion. Born in Egypt, Korayem grew up in Saudi Arabia. “I moved to Los Angeles after high school to continue my studies and 8 years later, I decided to move to Dubai to be closer to my family. As a child I was always surrounded by the women in my family who always looked super glamorous from day to night. I was fascinated by their fashion sense and from then on, I knew that the fashion industry was where I belonged.” She said she has always loved fashion, which has been a huge passion over time. “To watch it evolve over time in different cities around the world is just amazing.” After moving to Dubai, Korayem struggled to find the same excitement in fashion, rather the free-spirited and popular L.A. shopping experience. “Hence, the WEST L.A. concept was created. The WEST L.A. brand is all about bringing people together where they can let loose and have fun with fashion. It's a place where you can experience a sense of freedom to dress the way you feel whilst not being judged. We're all unique individuals so the pieces we have to offer are really underground and hard to find around the world.” Their designers handpicked and carefully selected from countries across the world including Australia, UK,Turkey, Hungry and USA. “We have lots of really cool and special items both for women and men that are exclusive and hard to find outside of WEST L.A. We have acrylic snapbacks that can't be found anywhere in the region yet have been worn by some A-list celebrities such as Will.I.Am and Missy Elliot. We also have some awesome statement distressed tank tops to structured skirts, floral coats and of course, our popular Jeffrey Campbell shoes that are a major hit,” said Korayem Korayem discussed the career path of a young fashion buyer and retailer and said she would not have it any other way. “It is definitely something I absolutely love to do! Although it can be very busy and even stressful at times, I wouldn't have it any other way. Discovering new international brands is always exciting and to see just how much our customers love the brands we have is something that always makes my day and never gets old. I love seeing underground brands from around the world get really popular in the Middle East and to see our customers wearing our pieces is exhilarating.” She said it is amazing how Arab women are taking the world by storm. “They are extremely talented and it's refreshing to see the world take notice to the amount of hidden talent these strong women carry. My advice for all Arab women is to follow your gut instinct and never give up – you too can achieve your dreams!” When asked about her inspiration, she said, “As for my inspiration, that's very simple – my mother. I have never known a woman to be so strong, independent, passionate, loving and as beautiful as her. If I can be half the woman she is, I would be eternally grateful.” Talking about the contrasting fashion scene in the Middle East, she said Dubai is growing as a city, with a vision to broaden the fashion scene. “People are becoming more comfortable to try new looks, which is a great thing as with fashion, the sky is the limit. Personally, I feel that both the UAE. and L.A. have so many similarities in terms of fashion – You have the casual cool bohemian style as well as the polished glamorous looks. The only difference would be that in L.A., people are more willing to take a risk with fashion but I slowly see it coming around here,” she said. Korayem said the newly stocked November Alpha brand features some beautiful rosary, inspired necklaces with edgy centerpieces. “I am also a huge fan of Madiyah Al Sharqi, a local designer that creates beautiful silhouettes with luxurious fabrics.” She said her dream would be to see WEST L.A. extremely successful, not just locally but globally, on a larger scale. After their website launch, www.westlaboutique.com this year, she plans to launch the first WEST L.A. RTW collection which will feature a mix of classic, retro-grunge pieces. “WEST L.A. plans to spread our love and support for underground brands across the world with our e-commerce website. By having an amazing team who are just as passionate as I am about the brand, I have no doubt we will get there. Here at WEST L.A., we're all about spreading the love around the world through fashion.” WEST L.A. is also popular with the artsy scene in the UAE. She said, “We love supporting the local music and art scene, so we are always happy to collaborate and sponsor them. Some of our collaborations include a local band called Juliana Down, as well as an online gallery called Kobo Art.” For SS14 at WEST L.A., it's all about prints and sports luxe. Her must-have items are the ethnic printed cutout dresses, graphic t-shirts and sports inspired asymmetric tops. The new season includes lots of new brands to WEST L.A. with striking artistic prints, metallic hues and lots of sports-luxe inspired pieces.
