New York Fashion Week brought an international mix of designers to Sony Hall this September, with Runway 7 presenting 138 designers and brands across six days of shows. The activities shifted its attention from the runway to the people behind the collections for the inaugural Runway 7 Fashion Awards.
Among the evening’s honorees were Filipino couturier Michael Cinco, named Designer of the Year, and Malan Breton, who received the Excellence in Design Award. Omani designer Sahar Al Aufi joined them on the winners’ roster when her label, Melis Bridal, received Best Bridal Collection.
For Al Aufi, Sony Hall was familiar territory. In September 2023, she presented Melis’s Spring/Summer 2024 collection there during Runway 7’s New York Fashion Week programming. Three years later, she returned to accept an award for her bridal designs.
Al Aufi’s fashion career began in 1998 in Muscat, Oman, where she established the house that would grow into Melis. Today, she works between ateliers in Oman and Italy, combining Omani textile traditions with Italian tailoring. Her designs frequently incorporate custom-developed fabrics and hand embroidery, with individual garments made to a client’s measurements and preferences.
“Bridal couture is very personal,” Al Aufi said following the recognition. “I believe a gown should express the woman wearing it, her individuality, her story and the way she wants to feel on one of the most important days of her life.”
The designer’s work extends beyond bridalwear. Under the wider Melis fashion house, she creates evening and red-carpet couture, ceremonial attire and custom menswear. Her interest in fabric development is particularly notable, with Al Aufi personally involved in creating embroidered textiles rather than treating embellishment as a final decorative step.
The ceremony reflected Runway 7’s expanding international reach. Its awards recognized 29 winners across fashion design, modeling, media, hair and makeup, and special recognition categories, bringing established names together with designers building their presence in New York.
For Al Aufi, the bridal award arrives as she continues introducing her work to American fashion audiences. Her return to Sony Hall offers a fitting connection between her earlier runway presentation and the recognition her designs received this September.
*Photo Credits: Dillon Wright, Taylor Fenner, Antoine Delerme / Publik, and Runway 7 Fashion Awards (@runway7awards).
