My name is Saleha Riaz. I acquired my love for designing from my mother who used to design for us and family. My sister and I hardly went to designers for shopping. So I used to put things together to make designs with her playing with fabric and materials. I think that’s how I got the design bug.

Everything about bees was an endlessly rewarding inspiration for my thesis collection “The Royal Bee”. The queen bee is a fascinating creature. In her world she is royalty. She is the leader of the hive, the mother of the most, and one whom her dedicated worker bees care for.

Female empowerment, control, secrecy, precision of form, sex and nature are the main codes of my theme. The queen bee and her hive were the starting points for my collection which was tempting as honey but with a deadly sting. Thinking about the honey based color palette, plus the patterning possibilities of honeycomb and frisson of bee sting equals a collection as conceptual and precise. Organza and lace suits were embellished with hexagons and honeybees. Dresses in nectar sweet colors were dotted with applique flowers caught between there silk layers.