Hard to ignore, yet still holding on to their anonymous identity, OTT (Over The Top) is an Emirati fashion brand that holds the key to cultural diversity. Established by two Emirati friends during a rendezvous at Starbucks in 2005, OTT has now developed into a progressive contemporary fashion brand synonymous with couture in UAE. OTT caftans, blouses and dresses are typically playful; depict bold colors, always address Arab culture using traditional printed motifs but are for the most part, exceptionally eccentric. One of the designers spoke to Saudi Gazette about the trending personality of the brand and future plans. “We are proud of the niche OTT has carved as a fun loving luxury fashion label; however we really believe our range of designs cater to women of all ages, fashion sensibilities and geographic locations. OTT is designed for those funky fabulous women who know about fashion and want to have fun with it.” Born in Dubai, he said he spent his childhood moving back and forth between the Gulf and Europe. “Like a gypsy. This unique upbringing, combined with eastern heritage blended with personal expression and eccentricity, has resulted in my passion to create clothes defined by sophisticated luxury.” He said the most challenging job as a designer is to find the balance between being creative and creating commercially successful pieces. “Sometimes I have a vision of a really fantastic design, and it does not make it through the product development process. And sometimes a great design does not sell. First things first, as a male designer, does he feel the need to venture out into men's fashion in the future? “Not necessary, having said that OTT men's wear will happen one day.” Talking about his latest collection “Disco Queen” For Spring/Summer collection 2015, he said it all began with a dream. “One night I dreamt of Farrah Fawcette. The following day I decided to base the summer 2015 collection on the glamour of the 70's disco era. The OTT girl has a glamorous disco 70's thing going on, ‘hippie princess meets disco queen'. Age of the Aquarius, gypsy, and bohemian hippie free spirited prints that spark wanderlust.” He said the theme is relevant to the biggest trends in the international fashion scene for SS2015 bringing back the 70's with bohemian influences. “More is more, White and yellow. Fortunately our collection is in sync with all the above and got so many trend boxes ticked for next season.” For Summer 2015 the OTT designer has played with fabric, embroidery and an old school theme by introducing bold but softer prints for a change. “We were inspired by retro embroidery of the 70's and hippie cashmere motifs. We combined all these references and gave them an OTT twist. We have used a lot of white with a touch of bright colors to give a fresher summer feel. 70's with all its color and exotic glamour.” The fashion industry has grown exponentially over the past decade with the increase of local designers in the UAE, retail space and tourism. “From a somewhat conservative fashion scene of brand names and high fashion tailoring we see that there has been a noticeable shift in customer demand for a wider range of original fashion.” He said OTT's biggest achievement is the fact that they are currently stocked in 25 cities around the globe and its aim is to spread happiness and love through prints, color and clothes defined by sophisticated luxury.
