LOCAL fashion designer Lulu Al Hadad may not have had formal training in the field, but the 26-year-old counts wives of dignitaries among her customers.

They come from as far as Africa and Europe.

Lulu, who set up an online business four years ago, specialises in Middle Eastern-inspired designs with modern cuts.

She is the younger sister of ex-TV host/MTV VJ Haney Hadad.

Haney, 34, now a housewife, lives in Australia with her husband, Mr Zane Yoshida, and their 2-year-old son. She is expecting her second child this month.

Lulu joked: 'I was disappointed when Haney told me she's having another boy. I wanted a niece to play dress-up with.'

Haney returned to Singapore to attend Lulu's debut fashion show in July at the Singapore Swimming Club.

Among the full-house crowd of 300 people were the wives of top Saudi Arabian and Kuwaiti diplomats, she said.

Lulu, who is of Arabic descent, said: 'I personally took invites to the embassies. They were interested because I'm one of the few jalabieya (a traditional Middle Eastern dress) designers in Asia. They actually asked if I had bought them from Egypt and were surprised I design everything on my own.'

All 100 pieces of her debut collection have been sold.

Taught by her seamstress mother, Lulu has been making dress patterns and sewing since she was little.

In secondary school, she peddled her wares to schoolmates, who ordered pieces like tube dresses and skirts laced with beads.

But when it came to her tertiary education, a practical Lulu chose to study accountancy at Temasek Polytechnic instead of enrolling in a design school because 'I already have the foundation'.

'I thought accountancy was more beneficial in the long run.'

Now she is her own bookkeeper.

In 2005, she quit her cushy job as an accountant after a year and plunged into the uncertain world of fashion design.

She went to a Jakarta kampung, where she spent a year learning beading and embroidery.

She recalled: 'I must have pricked all my fingers in the process. Competence comes with practice. Passion is not enough... one also needs patience to master the craft.'

The one-woman operation - she designs, sews, models and promotes her designs - now has the occasional aid of local design students who approach her for beading and embroidery lessons.

She does not charge them because she said she wants to spread the dying craft. In turn, these students help with her collection.

Having a sister in showbiz also helped.

'Since she was a TV personality and her wedding (in 2005) had media coverage, I grabbed the chance to show off my designs.'

She made Haney's off-shoulder ivory wedding dress with gold embroidery from scratch. Haney had given her free rein. It took six months to complete.

Lulu's efforts paid off. A Malay bridal shop bought the gown. She now supplies dresses to four local bridal stores.

This is in addition to her ready-to-wear collection, which is available on her website. There are three pieces per design, which is never repeated.

She customises her own material, which she buys from Dubai, Indonesia and India.

Her jalabieyas are priced at $150 to $2,000. Lulu says the traditional Middle Eastern dress averages US$400 ($570) on foreign websites.

She also makes bustiers ($70-$150) and kaftans ($80-$150).

Haney helps spread Lulu's name by selling her creations at weekend bazaars in Brisbane.

Lulu offers customisation too, with prices starting from $800.

The most expensive dress she has made cost $2,000. It was a Grecian chiffon dress with Middle-Eastern elements like mirror ornaments. She also made matching accessories for the customer, who wore the outfit to a dinner party in the US.

Lulu now plans to take her designs to the international stage and aspires to be Singapore's Elie Saab.

The renowned Lebanese couturier is famed for his romantic and feminine wedding and evening dresses. US R&B singer Beyonce is reportedly a fan.

Lulu also hopes to present her designs at the annual Arabian Fashion World design festival next year.

'No Singaporean designer has been there. I want to be the first,' she said.

This article was first published in The New Paper