Daniel Hechter Promises New Trendy Collections at the Re-Launch Event

DH Cookie! 

Yet another event to attend at Cairo Festival City. It seems that lately I am always at CFC for one reason or the other. "It's weird how we keep coming back to the mall lately..." fellow blogger Radwa El Ziki exclaimed as we bumped into each other at the mall.

This time I was going to check out the private re-launch of Daniel Hechter; a brand I long thought of as a ghost in the industry. It shocks every time you see that it's still around! For many years the brand has clung to old fashioned trends and catered to a an ever-decreasing target of clients. You would imagine my surprise when I heard the brand was "re-launching" and I had to check it out myself. I knew either this will be like witnessing the tragic ending of Titanic that we all know of or a delightful alternate ending where rose actually moves her butt to the side and allow jack on the floating door!

With Ahmed Nabil of Nob Designs

As I walked into the store with all the fashionable crowd just waiting to see what happens (and a little too shy to grab one of the white & blue cake pops) I noticed something different - the store looked colourful. Not just that but the colours seemed to suit the recent trends.

After a little bit of chit-chat and taking a couple of pictures... A man walked to the center to give a speech. He looked like a cross breed between Hussein Fahmy & Frank Sinatra. Turns out this man was Paul Antaki, one of the early influencers in the fashion industry. The man behind Max Mara, OR, Converse and Daniel Hechter of course. Not to mention that he was the one who brought Benetton to Egypt back in 1996. His speech included a truthful admission, "Some people may say: is Daniel Hechter STILL around?!" he said as he looked around the store. He went on to complete his speech on the re-launch of the brand and announced a new designer for DH that is expected to bring youthful life to the brand. It was quite refreshing to see that Paul Antaki was not one of those people who clung desperately to the past but instead had an evolving vision. One that includes keeping up with worldwide trends and catering to a youthful audience. As I recall he also mentioned that in an interview with Cairo Scene. 

Fashion Fact: When Daniel Hechter opened in Egypt, it sold only men's clothes. Later on, they added a collection for the ladies.

The in-store fashion show started which thankfully didn't take long. It did achieve the purpose though. The items worn by the models had all the classic lines but with a modern take. The personification of DH started to shift in my mind to late 30s, early 40s. The designs looked far more interesting than anything I have seen at the store since ages. Normally, I would never go shopping at Daniel Hechter but after I saw the new designs, it's no longer out of the question. Few of the items were actually nice for a smart casual outfit.

Layering light items is great for this weird weather. 

For a re-launch, this seems good. There is a long way to go though. Some of the items still use old-fashioned fabrics and school-like badges. But then again, I am not exactly the target audience. I mean look at me acting all silly at DH... tut tut tut!