Breaking the barriers of conventional artistry, Debbie Wingham has introduced to the world an entirely new perception of what art is. Wingham has experience in the world of Haute Couture, working for big fashion houses as a designer, her designs have been worn by celebrities like Kate Winslet. Wingham decided to take her talent to a new level by thinking out of the box- which led to what is dubbed as the world’s most expensive black diamond dress. It was the start of what would become Wingham’s signature in the art world; diamonds and lots of it.
Wingham has released an art collection around the theme of ‘Time’ that pays homage to Dubai and coincides with the UAE’s 50th anniversary. The oil-painted collection, named ‘Dubai Through the Years’ features Dubai’s architecture including, Dubai Frame, the Burj Khalifa, and the current contender for the world’s tallest building Dubai Creek Tower, representing Dubai’s past present, and future. She took the circular artwork one step further with the exquisite frame that is dubbed the most expensive picture frame in the world currently. Studded with more than 10,000 individual diamonds, the frame includes pointer diamonds, white diamonds, and sapphire, making the frame itself 1.5 Million pounds.
The British designer debuted her first creation, the stunning Black Diamond dress, in Monte Carlo, in 2012. The exceptionally designed dress broke records, hailed as the world’s most expensive dress at the time. At a price point of £3.5m or Dhs20M, the dress is adorned with 50 two-carat black diamonds on the peplum and the shoulder shrug, with centerpiece black diamonds used to decorate the upper front of the dress.
Wingham broke her own record later by designing a red diamond Abaya style dress that she was inspired to do so when she launched her black diamond dress in Dubai and saw Emirati women. The red diamond dress is currently said to be the world’s most expensive dress. In 2013, the $17m dress made its debut. It is a loose black gown, paying homage to Abaya that Arabic and North African women wear. One of Wingham’s clients suggested she work with red diamonds.
Wingham’s portfolio goes beyond dresses and expands to creating the world’s most expensive shoes in 2017, unveiled at Raffles Dubai. Worth Dhs55M, the diamonds used are quite rare. Wingham aims to take valuable pieces of jewelry and incorporate them into something that can be cherished regularly. Additionally, she has designed, what is dubbed to be the world’s most expensive Christmas tree, wedding cake, and so much more. She has proved to be a diverse artist who can make the ordinary into extraordinary while pushing the boundaries of conventional art.
