Enny Zaini
It was just like any typical fashion show. The atmosphere backstage during the Muslim Fashion Festival (MUFFEST) at The Westin Jakarta in Indonesia was hectic and wild with models being chased by the make-up artists while everything was made to be perfect – down to the very last stitch and the very last button.
There is nothing more exhilarating than that very moment when the models first step out onto the runway, all lights and eyes upon them. The audience of buyers, fashionistas, other designers, photographers and stylists have come to see the new collection that no one has ever seen before. This is why everyone is so excited, the designer is nervous, the models are energetic and the crowd waits in anticipation.
As one of the designers invited to showcase their creations, he watched as each of the models sashayed down the runway wearing his Muslimah bridal designs to the delight of the crowd. It was then time for him to join the models on stage when the announcer called out his name. “From Brunei Darussalam, please give a round of applause to Fadzil Hadin.”
He beamed with pride upon seeing the Brunei flag displayed under his name on the big screen, knowing that he had stamped his mark, as a Bruneian, in the international fashion industry.
Fadzil grew up in Seria, studied at St Michael’s School and went to Anthony Abell College for his secondary education. He then furthered his studies in Singapore majoring in public relations. This was where he first became interested in fashion.
He worked hard to realise his dream and after years of learning and working his way in the fashion industry, Fadzil is now based in Dubai, striving to expand his fashion label by actively joining international fashion shows to promote his designs.
He has quite an impressive resume to begin with. Among his achievements include winning the Best Designer Award by the Islamic Design Fashion Council in Torino, Italy and being the first Bruneian to be featured at Milan Fashion Week 2018 as well as representing the Sultanate as a fashion ambassador during the ASEAN Fashion Designer Showcase.
Fadzil’s creations mostly cater to Muslimah designs. According to him, modesty doesn’t necessarily mean being covered from head to toe. Muslim women can still be stylish and elegant while staying modest in fashion.
His latest collection was unveiled recently during Muslim Fashion Festival (MUFFEST) in Jakarta promoting Muslim fashion and one of the programmes of the Indonesian Fashion Chamber (IFC) carried out consistently since 2016.
Standing out from the rest, the invited designer showcased a fleet of Muslimah bridal dresses in white, accentuating on ruffles and embellishments to give them a more classic yet elegant look. Conforming to the Muslimah dressing style, the wedding dresses come in long sleeves with white flowing veils to complete the look.
A man with a vision, Fadzil dreams of seeing his designed creations on par with other established fashion labels and recognised by the major fashion players all over the world.
“It has been quite a challenging journey to get to where I am now. For those who are interested in pursuing a career in fashion design, my advice is to be confident, be bold and just be yourself,” he said.
