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Diaa Designs opens in new location in Warren
Photo
From left, Diaa Mzehem, models Nicole Moldovan and Kylie Arnett, and Diaa’s wife, Ellie, stand in one of the showcase rooms at the new Diaa Designs Couture Fashion House at 1216 East Market St. in Warren. Diaa Designs has moved to a larger building from its former location on Elm Road. Diaa, president and head designer, is also painter of the artwork at the store.
By Ed Runyan
WARREN
High fashion can thrive in out-of-the-way places such as Warren, says 1990 Harding High School graduate Ellie Mzehem.
From the Tolios family’s start in 1972 in a house across from Harding High School on Elm Road as Niki’s Boutique, to Ellie’s business, Bridal Creat-ions, from 1994 through 1999, the Tolios family has helped Warren cultivate a sophisticated look for decades.
Ellie met her future husband, Diaa Mzehem, in the late 1990s while Diaa was designing clothing in Michigan, and they got married in 1999. The couple came back to Ellie’s hometown after Ellie’s father, Louis, died in 2002 to be closer to family, Ellie said.
The couple opened Diaa Designs at the Elm Road location in 2004 and has expanded into a retail and wholesale success story.
In addition to providing local women and girls with bridal, evening, pageant and prom dresses, the store has customers around the world.
On Thursday, the family had an open house for its new store at 1216 East Market St. near Forum Health Trumbull Memorial Hospital.
The building has three times the parking and three times the floor space for display of the gowns as at the old location, as well as space upstairs for clothing design. Diaa does most of the designing and makes one copy of each dress himself. Manufacture of additional dresses is done elsewhere.
Though most people wouldn’t think of Warren as a good place for fashion, Diaa said the location is “a perfect place. It’s a great city. We just need to believe in it.”
Karen Swain of Cortland said she and her daughter, Kaitlyn, have been buying dresses at Diaa Designs for years.
“I would say with Diaa’s artistic flair, he could be in New York or California, but he decided to be loyal to Warren and keep his business here,” she said.
“My daughter looks forward each year to seeing what’s new and getting her dress because his designs are so unique.”