Brazilian, but of Lebanese descent, Daniella Issa Helayel took a roundabout route into the fashion industry. Though under pressure from her family to study law, the young Helayel did not last the distance and ended up dropping out to pursue a course in fashion merchandising and buying. Upon graduating she took her first steps in the world of fashion, "I started working for Brazilian companies in New York as a consultant, doing research and a little buying. Then I got tired and I wanted more of a challenge, so I left my boyfriend of seven years, picked up and headed to Europe."
Initially Helayel designed pieces for her friends. Despite the fact that young women at the time were very much into the jeans and t-shirt look, her aim was to stress the female form, she wanted to move them away from a casual look and back into something a little more feminine. "I believe pretty girls should be in pretty dresses," she says.
Helayel stresses comfort throughout our time together; the theme is clearly a focal point for her label’s appeal as Issa London seeks to prove that you can be relaxed and comfortable without appearing too laid back. Allied to this sense of comfort is Helayel's wide range of choice and colours, and indeed her clothes come in all shapes and sizes, "I don’t make clothes for models only. I'm a woman and I'm so not perfect, I want to make women feel sexy. Issa clothes flatter the figure and hide all the parts that women want to hide." This desire to move away from aggressively cat-walk destined pieces and go back to a more feminine approach for the everyday woman has definitely set Issa London apart in recent years.
Certainly this modern approach to everyday, elegant clothing has found a universal appeal, calling out to shoppers and fashion buyers alike. After selling through a Brazilian boutique, Helayel's creations were to find their way to the US in 2004. From there on it seems that Issa London has been on a roll, with the exception of her third collection which she destroyed in a fit of artistic pique. Nevertheless, these days Helayel is in great demand. Celebrity endorsements have put her brand in the limelight, with the likes of Madonna and Kylie Minogue wearing her clothes, but Helayel takes a pragmatic view toward the attentions of the beautiful people, "Celebrity endorsements are an honest compliment, as they can have anything they want and are given a huge choice of designers and I have been quite fortunate as many celebrities have chosen to wear Issa …. People look up to celebrities and want to follow the trends they are into, its great but I find it a little overrated if you ask me." Helayel's is a refreshing take on celebrity given today's obsession with Hollywood.
2006 saw the brand selling through Boutique 1 in Dubai and Helayel's introduction to the Middle East. Nowadays her clothes are currently available in Kuwait, KSA and the UAE although she says that the bulk of her sales come from Dubai. Helayel's excitement at having ‘arrived’ in the region is infectious. A slight alteration in her designs seems to have made the difference with one of her first Middle Eastern clients, "Al Othman was the first client who came to us wanting longer dresses so of course we produced them for the Middle East and then I did the cap dresses which are similar to kaftans but are more glamorous and they are very popular in the region too. They give a woman presence and they trail behind her as she walks into a room, which makes all women feel and look beautiful."
The Middle East has embraced Helayel and she seems graciously blown away by her success here. Of course she remains focused and extremely enthusiastic about the future. It turns out that Issa London is one of the few places where the recession has not been too unkind with sales significantly up on her previous years and ironically the global recession has actually benefited the company in other ways too. The comparatively small fashion house used to have Italian fabric suppliers turn their nose up at them but now Issa is enjoying the same suppliers beating a path to its door. With the demise of a number of competitors, it's a buyers market, and one that Helayel is negotiating with optimism along with a healthy dose of caution.
In this era of fear and uncertainty Helayel is confident of her own ability and the appeal of her brand. She's never worked with big-name designers, nor does she intend to. Inspiration is one thing, collaboration another. Her pride is easy to sense and Issa is a small house that's making a big name for itself.
It's now that I ask her what the future holds for Issa, "The holiday collection consists of a swimwear line that is so cute and we are collaborating with Havaianas to make our own line of flip flops, which are so cute replete with patterns and all. Basically a holiday lifestyle collection for the family, like kaftans for babies and I'm looking to do something for the men to fit the feel. It will be a relaxed and comfortable holiday lifestyle for the family."
And what can we see hope to see in the Middle East, plenty of new ideas? "Yes for sure, we are doing more of those cape dresses, which come long." She pauses for a second, "In the Middle East, it's strange; what Europeans wear on holiday Middle Easterners wear everyday and for me its all about being on holiday, I love holidays so it's perfect because I can live on holiday." It's clear that Helayel has put a lot of herself into her latest creations.
The house of Issa is doing well where others are struggling and it seems that the Helayel effortless, loungey, relaxed yet wholeheartedly glamorous style has found a niche within the market. With her willingness to cater to a variety of sizes and markets, the brand has come out a winner. Helayel is genuine and likeable and someone you could talk to for hours. Her boundless energy and enthusiasm keep her jetting along over the world and she's certainly not averse to taking a risk whether in her personal or professional life. "I love being outdoors, I am going to Kenya and Tanzania to see the migration of the animals, it's so inspiring and fabulous and then I'm going diving in Tanzania."
And her favourite season? "For sure it’s the summer, I can live on holiday; I want to be in resorts, and on the beach. My life doesn’t have much winter, even when I design for winter it's light pieces, no coats, although we did furs for the first time this coming season and they are beautiful" This sophisticated, international woman has retained her care free attitude despite her success and her designs are clearly influenced by her personal tastes, likes and dislikes. Issa is a small house with big ambitions, I bet Helayel will achieve all of them.
CONTACT
Al Othman,
Mariam Complex.
Salem Al Murbarak Street.
Salmiya, Kuwait
Harvey Nichols,
Al Faisaliah Shopping Mall,
King Fahd Raod, Olaya,
Riyadh, KSA
Harvey Nichols,
Mall of the Emirates
Sheikh Zayed Rd.
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Boutique 1
Boulevard at Emirates Towers,
Sheikh Zayed Road,
Dubai, UAE
