A royal look for Miss Britain signed by Syrian designer Manal
Ajaj at Expo 2020
Emma Rose Collingridge, Miss UK, dazzled during her first visit
to the UAE in an iconic dress signed by Syrian fashion designer
Manal Ajaj at the British pavilion of Expo 2020 Dubai, in the
presence of Major General Duncan Capps and Commander of
the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. The design fascinated
visitors not because it is a royal dress that carries with it a
cultural and intellectual memory, but because it carried the
spirit of the place and showed the delicate details of its
manufacture that Manal accomplished in a royal dress made of
hand-embroidered, made of silk and gold threads, and studded
with Swarovski stones and precious stones, such as emeralds,
sapphires and rubies. It cost 180,000 dollars, and it took 675
hours to sew.
The inspiration from “Big Ben”
The clock tower widely known as “Big Ben” is one of the most
famous landmarks in the UK which can be found in London. Its
name was changed to Elizabeth Tower to honor Her Majesty
Queen Elizabeth II on her Diamond Jubilee. This historic
building is a national pride that survived World War II and with
its watch continues to strike to this day and is truly a
masterpiece.
The watch was the inspiration for this piece created by Manal
Ajaj, who chose gold as the primary colour, as a symbol of her
dazzling and majestic history. The architectural design is made
with authentic hand embroidery of silk and solid gold thread
and is highlighted in sequence, rhinestones, emeralds,
sapphires and Swarovski crystals. The piece comes with a wide,
long mantle that showcases the decorative shields of “Big Ben”,
and thistles, leeks, shamrocks, and Tudor roses, which are the
iconic emblems of “Big Ben” . The gold headdress was inspired
by the highly ornate lamppost that shone with a pale golden
shimmer at the delightful sunset of the London skyline.
Professionally embroidered design
A brilliant design with all the meanings and connotations of the
word, not because it is a royal dress that carries with it a living
cultural and intellectual memory, nor because it is well-made
and professionally embroidered; Rather, because it carried the
spirit of the place among the precise details of its manufacture,
which Manal summarized by saying: “The dress imitates the
history of the lighting columns in London, and its historical
walls, and its design includes Buckingham Palace in London,
which is one of the most luxurious historical buildings and the
official residence of the British kings. This design was inspired
by one of the most famous landmarks in the UK, the Clock
Tower, widely known as “Big Ben” , which was renamed the
Elizabeth Tower to honor Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on her
Diamond Jubilee.”
About her choice of gold, Ajaj continues: “I chose gold as the
main color that the sun reflects in the city of fog, and the idea
complemented the headdress made of gold and the wide cloak
that displays the decorative shields and the symbolic emblems
of the ““Big Ben” ” clock of thistles, leeks, shamrocks, and
Tudor roses.
