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.