Luxurious Style
Houston designer gains international attention for bold wedding gowns & more: Bollywood glamour goes West
Renowned nationally and with a growing international audience for her extraordinary wedding gowns for South Asian brides, Houston-based designer Sameera Faridi is poised for an even greater profile.
In early February, the young native of Pakistan, who started in the retail clothing trade 10 years ago with Poshak Fashion & Style, opened an adjacent boutique for her custom bridal gowns and her first couture collection, Sameera Faridi Design Studio. Approving guests poured in for the opening party that gave many a first look at the fine craftsmanship, detailing and design that goes into Faridi's creations.
Think Bollywood meets the West in luxurious style. Think hints of Naeem Khan without the stratospheric price tags.
Faridi's beautifully beaded and embroidered designs captivated the audience at last fall's Fashion Houston. Since that time she has grown like gangbusters with her spring/summer collection. A walk through her boutique on the Southwest Freeway at Hillcroft is indeed a fashion romp on a magic carpet. Gowns, tunics and caftans in lush velvets, silk charmeuse and chiffon come in brilliant jewel tones. Gilded embroidery and beading add exotic touches.
"It's all one of a kind. That's it. I don't make a design again. I get bored really quickly."
Of the collection of 100 pieces, Faridi says, "It's all one of a kind. That's it. I don't make a design again. I get bored really quickly."
With studies at Houston Community College and the Art Institute and a fine talent, Faridi has easily found an approving audience for her work. Her bridal clients come from as far away as Beirut and Bangladesh. They come from Boston, New York and Los Angeles. Each client is handled personally with Faridi meeting with them for two to three hours, sketching for the brides as she visits with them.
"I like to connect to my clients and they feel more secure when talking to me," she said.
Her designs are made in Dubai, where she lived before moving with her family to Houston, and in Pakistan with fabrics from Nepal, Sri Lanka, India and Pakistan.
With prices points ranging from $500 to $6,000, Faridi presents an affordable alternative to heady designer labels. And she will custom make "any design in any color."