THE DESIGNER: ZINAIDA A.R

Born to be creative and bold, the fashion designer Zinaïda A.R is arguably the most prominent designer of lingerie & accessories in Mauritius.

Zinaïda is an explorer in the field of contemporary women’s wear & accessories, and her modern designs make women feel unique, sensual and attractive.

She previously served as Technical Designer at ‘Clothing Technology Centre­-Enterprise Mauritius’, and then as head designer of the British haute couture house ‘Janet Reger International’.

Now hugely popular, she is the heart, soul and brains of her own brand Sublime Séduction™.

Synopsis

Zinaïda A. R, one of the most well-known fashion designers in her country. Born in the little paradise island of Mauritius. Known for her passion for designing, hard work and dedication to achieve her goal in life and her special sensibility for stylish, refined fashion clothes & accessories, she launched her career since her childhood.

Traveling to different parts of the world since childhood has given Zinaïda a broader understanding of different cultures which, combined with fluent French, English and Creole gives her an advantage in today’s market. Zinaïda worked for Janet Reger Couture International and Naughty Janet Range for 6 years eventually becoming Head Designer.

She designed her own wedding dress, and then launched her own signature fashion jewelry collection. In December 2012, she launched her exclusive fashion lingerie label, Sublime Séduction™.

Now with more than 20 years in the world of art, fashion and design, Zinaida’s experience ranges from Fine Arts and Creative Pattern-drafting to Technical designer, Designer, Head designer, Project manager and Director.

Early Career

As a little girl growing up among 5 big brothers, few would have guessed that Zinaïda would one day be designing luxurious and glamorous Lingerie couture and high fashion jewelry. Nevertheless she found herself sketching page after page of beautiful dresses and envisioning her target audience, who would wear them.

As a child, Zinaida was taught to sew by her mother, a skill she would strengthen constructing clothes of her own and her friends, sharpening talents that would later become vital to her career.

As a student she was already thinking of creating a famous luxury brand, as she always had a special sensibility for stylish, refined fashion clothes. At the age of 13, she designed and tailored the wedding dresses of her two sister-in-laws with the help of her mother who was a famous ‘couturière’ of her locality.

During her high school years, she used to make school uniforms for her classmates, and during school holidays she provided fine art, professional creative pattern-drafting and tailoring courses to people of all age groups.

Years later, having expanded her world view with trips abroad to places such as England and France, she started working on numerous diplomas in Art and designs, such as, Computer Art & Design from ‘Cambridge Information Technology’, Fine Arts, Advertising Arts, Products Designs, Advanced Art & design and Handicrafts among others.

She then boldly threw herself into her life’s passion and enrolled at the Fashion and Design Institute Mauritius/James Watt College Scotland, whilst also completing the intensive course in ‘Modelisme’ from ‘Academie Internationale de coupe de Paris- AICP’ at the same time. During her studies she worked as a fashion and technical Designer at ‘Clothing Technology Centre­-Enterprise Mauritius’.

After graduating, she took a design position at the world-renowned brand ‘Janet Reger Couture International’, a job that would invigorate her passion for Lingerie and accessories.

Professional Career

Working at ‘Janet Reger Couture International’, Zinaïda has seen thousands of her lingerie and accessories designs sold in some of the most prestigious cities of the world such as, Paris, London, LA, Cape town, New York, and Dusseldorf…and in some famous and high fashion stores such as Figleaves and Debenhams.

The time spent honing her skills at ‘Janet Reger Couture International’ coupled with whirlwind tours of Europe for sourcing, trends research, and visiting huge international shows such as, “Interfillière Show”, inspired Zinaïda to one day launch her own label.

Later on, she designed and tailored her own wedding dress, then launched her ‘Maison de Couture’ where she was offering tailor made order services. In 2006, she launched her own signature fashion jewelry & accessories collection under the label “Zinaida A Ramjan Designs®” which is now hugely popular.

She also participated in prestigious International Fashion Shows such as ITMF- International Textile Manufacturing Federation, Gala Fashion Show 2008, where she showcased her first Swimwear/Beachwear collection. In 2011, she participated in the IIFT/Mauritius Fashion Week with world renowned designers such as Manish Malhotra, James Ferarri, Nadia Mistry, Haroun Hansrot, Adnan Khan and Wajiha Akram among others.

In 2012, she finally launched her own brand of luxurious lingerie, with the idea that the ultimate sophistication of a woman’s style is the lingerie that she wears. Zinaida created from the beginning not only “functional” lingerie pieces, but luxurious and very special lingerie designs, for the women with a deep understanding of what a modern and stylish lifestyle means today.

Awards

2002- Achieved first class graduation in Fashion/Textile design.

2007- Winner of the National Women Entrepreneurs Council Award 2007 for the categories of Fashion Jewelry, and Precious & Semi Precious Jewelry.

2008- Her works have been selected among the best jewelry designs during the “Festival de la Mode 2008″ professional category.

2014- Awarded Best Woman Entrepreneurs in Textile Sector and won the overall winner Awards.

2014- Overall Winner of NWEC AWARD 2014 among 257 companies which have participated.

2015- Official Participant of the African women entrepreneurship program AWEP & International Visitor Leadership Program IVLP in United States, July – August 2015. (Chicago,Los Angeles,New York,Washington DC).

2016 – Selected by Trade+Impact for Women-led Social Enterprises as one of the leading social businesses in Africa! Her brands have been selected by a panel of experts to be a Featured Participant to showcase at the Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane, Morocco.

Through this unconventional path in the world of Lingerie couture & accessories, Zinaida is now the founder, director and head designer for “ “Sublime Séduction™”.  She has infused the classic, feminine Lingerie aesthetic with her own distinctive, refreshing and contemporary point of view, breathing modern romance into the collections. Her creative insights bridge the gap between sexy and sweet, creating Lingerie that is the perfect balance of timeless elegance and effortless chic.

Now, she is leading a very professional creative team, she has earned a great reputation as a Fashion designer in the Indian Ocean and among her prestigious customers from around the world.