I first came across Samah Sulyman’s designs at a commercial shoot for the telecommunications company, Ooredoo Qatar. Set in a futuristic world, its fashion had to push the boundaries–and it did. I was blown away by one coat with elegant folds of patchwork, mesmerising 3D elements dangling from the seams. It was dramatic and sharp in structure. Unmistakably couture, yet grounded in reality through its fabric.
Later, I discovered the piece was from designer Samah Sulyman’s collection Jeu de Denim. Sulyman is a designer of Palestinian-Lebanese heritage, currently based in the Qatari capital of Doha.
Sitting across from her in a coffee shop she frequents, listening to her reminisce, she is incredibly humble and genuine. Sulyman explains where her love of fashion and design originated. She recalls her older sister coming home with sheets of croquis and being completely fascinated by them. “She was more exposed to drawings and stuff like that so her coming back home with croquis when I was in the fifth grade, made me question ‘What is that? This is interesting.’ I started exploring fashion since that age and I fell in love with it.”
A recent graduate from Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts Qatar (VCUQ), she studied fashion design and merchandising. “I’ve experienced a lot during my university years”, she tells me. “I didn’t stop. I was studying and I had a lot of jobs in between, a lot of volunteering, a lot of internships. I wanted to explore everything in between so that I could actually create something that would be interesting and it didn’t work until my senior year.”
After studying denim and its origins during university, an obsession emerged. As a student, she realised that the misunderstood fabric was taken for granted despite its durability and versatility. She ignored the status quo and reframed the casual wardrobe staple as something historic that deserved to be celebrated as luxury. “We wear it every day, [but] we rarely see it in evening wear or in couture. That made me fall in love with denim…I’ve used denim every time that I’ve worked on a project [since], so I [decided] denim is my thing.”
Another key aesthetic in her designs is oversized silhouettes. As a part of her culture, Sulyman dresses modestly and mostly opts for baggier clothing. Through her work, she realised that she wanted these garments to be appreciated beyond modesty: to be valued for their beauty, just as much as figure-hugging alternatives. She explains to me “It’s not just oversized and you cover up, it’s also a lifestyle.”
Now, at just 22 years old, she has been announced as one of the designers who will make their debut on the Doha Fashion Show stage in January 2026, where renowned and emerging international designers alike are celebrated as “the future of style”. While an incredible achievement, such success is not new to Sulyman.
She was also the recipient of the Golden Needle Award for her graduate collection – Jeu de Denim – which she presented for VCUQ’s end of year fashion show ‘Till Further Notice’. The six-look collection of reimagined couture was predominantly created with scraps of denim, and was inspired by the strategy and intention of a game of chess. An ingenious concept that captures the essence of what fashion design is: just as chess is a combination of moves that lead to victory, a garment is an amalgamation of stitches, drapes and materials sewn together to create something magnificent.
In the process of designing collections, Sulyman remains motivated through envisioning the final looks on the runway. She laughs as she says “The start of making a collection is literally the worst thing ever for me. So, it takes a lot of time for me to start and actually create something because I want to do something beautiful”.
Attempting to coax the designer into telling me more about her upcoming collection, set to hit the runway early next year, I ask her what we can expect. Are the rumours true that there will be menswear? “It won’t be as different. It will be part of the collection that I have already but I have to work on four extra outfits.” She teases, “The upcoming collection is going to be menswear and it will have a lot of what we’ve [already] seen – oversized – and it’s going to have a lot of denim.”
When talking to Sulyman, I can feel her determination. Her eyes light up when describing her designs. You can hear the passion in her voice, but also a hint of nervousness. “The fact that people are literally waiting for this (her next collection) to happen…it’s pressure. But I’m excited for it.”