By Sami Zaptia.
London, 5 January 2018:
Bahrain-based Libyan designer Arwa Saleh Alarbah is a simple and humble woman proud of her Libyan identity. She was born in Hungary and raised in Tripoli. She finished her BSc. Degree in Pharmacy at the university of Tripoli.
As she grew up she used to watch her mum design and sew different kinds of outfits and as she watched her mum, the love for designing and fabrics grew in her, she explained.
A few years ago, Arwa decided to follow her childhood dream of becoming a designer and her dream came true only last year when she launched her first ever line Casa Luminosa.
What makes Arwa’s designs unique is the Libyan twist each outfit carries. Each piece she creates is a mix of modern design with a Libyan identity. She uses the distinctive striped patterns used in traditional Libyan handwoven holies.
Casa Luminosa has been operating from Bahrain commercially for more than a year. Designs are marketed online with the option of worldwide shipment. Arwa also participated in most of the exhibitions held in Bahrain took part in her first Bahrain Red Carpet fashion show at the Sheraton Hotel earlier this year.
Arwa is mother to 3 boys, Yousif 7, Yahya 5 and Saleh 4 years old. After getting married she moved to Bahrain with her husband who was already working in Bahrain.
Explaining her passion for designing she explained to Libya Herald that “Fashion design for me is not a job, it’s a way of living! It’s like colouring a black and white picture with perfect colours!”.
“There are no boundaries or rules in fashion design and it suits me because I’m limitless. For me you can never go wrong if you design with passion” Looking forward, she added “Someday I will be the first Libyan designer at the international fashion week worldwide”.
