We, at The Modern East, love introducing local talents to you all and for today’s feature, we have none other than UAE-based Egyptian Fashion Model, 20-year-old, Nadine Raed. Nadine is currently a student at Middlesex University Dubai working towards her BA in marketing, but she can’t help but gravitate towards her love for fashion – streetwear in particular! Nadine was a quite simple person when it came to her sense of style up until two years ago when working for a runner for Sole DXB and having her eyes open to a whole world of clothing. “I remember looking at people’s outfits and thinking to myself, “wow, I would love to have a closet full of these looks and be able to pull them off”,” she tells us. Since Nadine has done just that as well as booked herself several gigs modeling for prominent fashion brands in the region. Keep reading to learn all about the young UAE-Based talent.

Inspirations and Motives

Credits: Instagram (@nadineraed_)

Nadine does not classify her fashion sense and inspirations through a particular niche. The fashionista describes herself as an observant person who likes to explore, hence, she finds inspiration from anywhere. “Although, my biggest fashion inspiration would be street style fashion,” she tells us, “I love getting inspired by my surroundings, from picking up on elements people have in their outfits to the vibe of a place I’m going, and even sometimes just getting inspired by looking through my closet and thinking of how I can create different looks using the pieces I have.”

Gravitating mostly towards casual and urban street style, Nadine still loves to venture out into different categories. “I don’t like to confine myself into one style,” she says, “because what if I can pull other styles off.” The young style-icon is always developing her style through her growth, but she always finds comfort in a good, oversized shirt and a pair of trendy sneakers.

Modeling and Growth Within the Industry

Credits: Instagram (@nadineraed_)

Social media can work wonders in today’s world, from getting exposure to booking gigs, the platforms hold a world of possibilities through the right connections. “When I first started to get into modeling, a lot of the gigs I booked were solely through my social media,” Nadine tells us, “The way I dressed matched the vibe the brand was looking for and they wanted someone who would be comfortable styling and wearing similar types of pieces.”

Other than booking gigs through social media and making a name for herself in the industry, Nadine also took it upon herself to widen her path of opportunities as well as her interest in fashion and has planned to take personal styling courses after her graduation simply because of her passion and love for styling people and putting clothing pieces together like puzzle pieces!

It is no secret that fashion is used as a means for self-expression, and Nadine is no stranger to that. “I have always claimed to be a creative person but throughout my years I’ve tried different ways of expressing my creativity,” Nadine says, “At some point, it was drawing and another point it was writing poetry, but what really made me express my creativity was fashion. So, I think fashion has given me a way to express my creativity and given me the confidence to think outside of the box and always challenge myself like putting on an outfit I would never think of wearing. This outlet taught me to push my limits and that’s why I love fashion.”

Accolades and Looking Ahead

Credits: Instagram (@nadineraed_)

Looking ahead, Nadine has large aspirations to grow within the industry. “I aspire to create my own fashion line using just inspiration from my own style and fashion sense. I don’t want to have someone manufacture my clothes I would like to be the person who creates everything from packing to the piece itself,” She tells us, “I would love to become a personal shopper and stylist to spread my own fashion sense everywhere.”

Giving advice to anyone who wants to venture into the modeling world, or for anyone who simply has a passion for the art of self-expression through fashion, Nadine says, “One thing I always say is anyone can be anything in this era if they’re passionate enough. There are no restrictions or terms and conditions to be a model or to be considered fashionable. Diversity and creativity are valued so much these days, so, my advice would be that if you want to be a model or go into fashion just go for it. Anyone can be a model or be fashionable in this era it’s just a matter of how you will stand out in the crowd”.

Don’t forget to follow Nadine Raed on Instagram to keep up with her looks and her journey into the world of fashion!