 There has always been an unfair stereotype that models are merely clothes horses, men and women who are there to look good but who have little to say.
But for Kamil al Hinai, a 31-year-old model from Oman and ex-journalist with Radio Sultanate of Oman, who now resides in the UK and has just taken part in his fourth season at London Fashion Week, modelling is a passion that he feels strongly about.
Kamil started working as a model in 1998/1999 after a colleague put forward his name to take part in a show in Muscat where top Indian designers and models were brought here to collaborate with Omani designers.
Initially there were no Omani models in the show, so Kamil was chosen to participate and the rest, as they say, is history. After a successful turn on the runway, Kamil, who says his family often describes him as the black sheep of the family given his outspoken views on life, moved to Germany to learn the language and about the European fashion industry.
Kamil said, “I was always into fashion from a young age; I remember my mum used to keep copies of Vogue in the guest bathroom and I used to flick through them. I was amazed at the beautiful images there, not just the models and the clothing but the scenery, too. The nice thing about fashion is that it always tells a story, even through a time of war. For example, when 9/11 happened, a lot of designers picked up on it, as they use the catwalk as a platform to express themselves whether they are for or against a war – there were a lot of military-style clothes shown at the time.
“Fashion creates this vision and imaginary world that it tries to capture so someone else can see it.” He also thinks that the European fashion industry is waking up to the needs of the Middle Eastern market and adapting clothes from its main collections to be more appropriate.
An example of this is the way Christian Dior has approached the market here by taking a skirt that in Europe may be above the knee, and cutting it below the knee for sale in the Middle East.
When Kamil initially started out in fashion he found it hard given that the trend in Europe was for Caucasian models with blonde hair. But now it is his quirky looks that are getting him high-profile editorial shoots that he previously thought were beyond his reach.
Kamil thinks that men are becoming more confident in themselves, which is one of the reasons it is becoming more acceptable for them to care about their looks. He said, “A few years ago men wouldn’t even consider wearing the colour pink because they thought it emasculated them, but now psychologically they are realising that is just in their mind. It takes a real man to be confident enough to carry a colour such as pink.
“But they are also becoming more aware that if they look after their skin they will look better themselves and their wives or girlfriends will really appreciate it as well.” One of Kamil’s favourite designers to work for is Gavin Pierre Medford, whose work Kamil describes as being eccentric but wearable. Kamil has even been named by Gavin as a type of muse for his work, giving him inspiration for designs. Another favourite show was with Jean-Paul Gaultier in Paris, which had a very theatrical feel.
Currently alongside his catwalk and editorial work, Kamil is busy styling and art directing certain shoots. He has also been teaching at the London School of Modelling, which was opened last year by British television presenter and model Debbie King.
In the future, Kamil would like to continue styling and teaching. “A lot of people have this misconception that models get given lots of free clothes, which just isn’t true. Designers only tend to give clothes to those they think have style because they know that the person seen wearing their items is free publicity if done well. I get that quite a lot so I think people do like my style.”
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A la mode Al Mumayez modelling workshop
While in Oman, Kamil will be taking part in a workshop for aspiring models. The workshop is run in conjunction with Fatin al Maawali, director of Al Mumayez Training Services, photographer Bruce Boyd, MAC cosmetics and Cynthia Benoit of Cynthia Benoit Model Agency, who will all be on hand to offer advice and words of wisdom.
The aim of the course is to teach people about the modelling industry and how it works while including practical lessons – posing and skin care, for example, and how to find an agency.
The workshop will be held on March 11 from 9am to 1pm at Boutique Muscat in Madinat Qaboos. |
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