Channeling Her Passion Into Fashion

Lots of fashion designers once made their living in other professions, and one of the latest crossover acts is ex-underage French prostitute Zahia Dehar. According to fashionista.com and several other sites, Zahia Dehar has gone on to launch a successful lingerie line, and counts Karl Lagerfeld as an admirer and collaborator. It’s not clear if she is moonlighting or doing part-time work in addition to the “oldest profession”

In case you’re not familiar Zahia, now 20 years old, was involved with European footballers in an underage prostitution scandal when she was 16. The case is still progressing, and you can read more here.

Dehar was never charged with a crime, and is ”reinventing” herself as a designer, and it’s working. Lagerfeld and apparently a few others in the fashion world have embraced her. The designer has already had two fashions shows in Paris, and according to fashionista.com, Zahia Dehar will soon be bringing her brand to the United States.

The site posts that according to her reps, there will be pop-up shops in Paris, London, and Tokyo, and will make her U.S. debut to present her fall 2013 collection “mid-2013.″ The line will be sold at Liberty of London in the U.K. and Colette in Paris, so her line should “show up at some fancy retailers here.”

I could not resist checking out the line, and although over the top is an understatement, I actually like it. I have a weakness for ultra-feminine, almost whimsical fashions and accessories. I think she is quite clever in spinning her skills. She may not have a huge mass appeal for the everyday woman or man, but she obviously has a customer base, and her background is probably perfect for her product. The line reminds me a bit of Victoria’s Secret.

I do wish she had used models that looked a bit more mature. Older versions of her would work, since she appears to already be “the face” of her line. I think it would make the line less controversial, but that’s just me. I have a feeling this gal knows what she is doing.

Some of her designs are actually quite pretty, and could be worn as street wear alone or mixed in with other garments. I didn’t see any mention of shoes, but I noticed the models that were not barefoot had interesting shoes on. I would be curious to see more or learn if she has an actual shoe line.