Farida Temraz '12 Empowers Women, Puts Egypt on Global Fashion Map

Farida Temraz ’12, founder and lead designer of Temraza, has become an internationally recognized name in the global fashion world. She is the first Egyptian to be awarded the Best Female Couture Designer at the 2017 New York Fashion Week, the first Egyptian to win first place among 15 international designers at Paris Fashion Week and the first Egyptian to successfully participate in London Fashion Week.

Temraz’s unique and powerful collection, titled The Xecutive, is made for women, by women, aiming to showcase designs particularly suited to the professional working woman. “I wanted to make sure that my collection was aligned with Egypt’s Year of Women, 2017,” said Temraz. “I created something for women who are busy executives, independent, successful and powerful. This collection is designed to celebrate women as the main pillar in any society.”

Developing an Academic Interest at AUC

Temraz graduated from AUC with a bachelor’s in integrated marketing communication and a double minor in business and psychology. She also recently earned her master’s in marketing communications from AUC, specializing specifically in fashion communication, which she analyzed in her final thesis.

Temraz aimed to combine what she learned from her time at AUC with her fashion and design aspirations. “My academic background has helped me in promoting my brand from a business perspective,” she explained. “It helped me manage the company and its different stakeholders, and taught me to be more organized and centered.”

Her academic experience instilled in Temraz a curiosity and drive that has remained with her throughout her career. She has made it a point to take different courses or workshops when traveling, constantly exposing herself to new topics that can help bolster her brand. She studied a range of topics, from fashion psychology and body shapes to financial reporting and leadership and motivation.

While at AUC, she was also engaged as a teacher assistant for Integrated Marketing Communications and Advertising Copy Writing. Temraz hopes to continue integrating her passion for fashion into academic fields that people don’t typically associate with fashion. She envisions helping to incorporate fashion education into universities, including AUC.

Establishing the Temraza Brand

After graduating, Temraz set off to work, concentrating on her designs and developing her brand, Temraza. “I started with a brand name and a logo, and then I started to build credibility in the eyes of people, offering a unique selling proposition,” she recalled.

“My passion for fashion made Temraza look unique and creative,” Temraz said.

When she creates designs, Temraz combines materials from places all around the world, but creates the pieces in Egypt. “I want to bring Egypt back onto the fashion map and trigger the fashion industry here in Egypt,” she explained. 

Most recently, she was presented with the Middle East Women's Icons Award for Fashion, presented by Nour Al Zeiney, at a reception celebrating the success of her line, The Xecutive.

Empowering Women Through Design

Temraz centers her designs on women, striving to use her background in fashion psychology to empower women through her collections. Her studies on body shapes have helped her design for a range of body types. “I believe that all women are beautiful. I often aim to highlight a woman’s figure, encouraging women to wear pieces that are in harmony with their bodies,” she said.

“Whatever a woman is doing, she should feel confident,” Temraz asserted.