Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
Fashion designer Ebtisam Mohammed Salman and artist Thajba Najeeb have teamed up to create traditional abayas with colourful painted twists to be worn and adored by the Arabian woman of today.
An abaya, which resembles a long black cloak and is worn over everyday attire, is an essential fashion staple in the Middle East and a symbol of Muslim women’s cultural heritage. However, over the years, the simple and elegant black robes have transformed into bold and vibrant designs to cater to a wider demographic.
Designers around the world are always looking for the next trend and Ebtisam’s latest painted looks by Thajba are already proving popular especially in Bahrain and Dubai.
The mother-of-two, who is a financial resources specialist at the Ministry of Transportation, has a boutique in Al Aali Shopping Complex and one in Dubai as well. Ebtisam, 33, from Budaiya, said: “While fashion is always changing in the Middle East, abayas will always remain timeless, with different designs here and there.
“I wanted to offer women abayas in a new fashionable way to keep up with the bright and colourful trends of today – something modern for the woman on-the-go.
“I wanted a new and innovative concept which is why I decided to team up with Thajba, who is a brilliant artist with beautiful designs to create something customised and unique. Each piece has its own signature style and my customers love the looks. They can’t get enough and keep asking for more!”
Ebtisam has always loved fashion and design, creating her own clothes and abayas since 2011. Her creations got noticed by family and friends and soon there was such a demand for her designs that she opened a small shop in Isa Town called Guin, which in literary Arabic means ‘luxury black’. The boutique still displays clothing for daily use.
Abayat Guin Couture was launched three years ago in Seef and has attracted clientele from across the region. She has two factories in Bahrain to produce her line and one in Dubai for her store there too.
The idea of painting on abayas came about after visiting a textile fair in Paris. She met many international fabric designers and their work inspired her to be the first in the Gulf to use paint on abayas.
“I wanted to learn more about it so I attended a short course for fabric and fashion design in London,” said Ebtisam. “I tried the idea first with a British artist based in Liverpool called Billie. We started adding English rose touches with handwork and embroidery.”
The small amount of pieces was quickly snapped up. “Each abaya takes a long time to create by hand,” explained Ebtisam. “There is a process of embroidery and painting, sketching and a high standard of finishing. I wanted to expand this concept by collaborating with other artists.
“I met Thajba at the Bahrain Financial Harbour and fell in love with her building structure paintings. That inspired me to do something different and to paint the city of fashion on abayas. Thajba is an extremely positive person who loves to create and paint. She is brilliant and motivates me with her paintings of faces, details and colours.”
Thajba, the 36-year-old founder of Artology Studio, was thrilled with the idea and began painting architecture and bold floral designs to offer playful and dramatic looks that were both stylish but still conservative.
Thajba, who uses fabric paints on French chiffon, taffeta, dentelle and pure Italian silk, said: “I have always wanted to integrate my work on fabric. Ebtisam asked me if I could paint buildings on her abayas and I was ‘like yes’ that is my forte!
“I worked on a series of architectural designs based on Venice. I used a whole load of reference images to create a skyline that could extend along the width of the abaya which I love.
“Obviously the medium is challenging to work with, the lines and application is different from primed canvas. However, what I realised on the abayas is that the buildings became fluid and I loved the way they move when worn.
“This opportunity has pushed me to challenge myself with new mediums and new styles. I have painted 20 so far and these pieces are works of art. I basically create the base with my painting and then Ebtisam ‘blings it up’ by adding beads, fabric and love!”
Thajbas collaboration with Ebtisam appears to be a match made in heaven as the abayas are being snapped up from BD80 to BD250 faster than they can make them.
To share the load, Thajba has suggested Ebtisam collaborate with other local artists to create signature collections. “In that way her designs will never become repetitive and boring and it will keep her customers asking for more,” she added.
Ebtisam is already planning a project after Eid offering a warm winter choice with colours painted on velvet and fur.
Ebtisam thanks Thajba for all her creative efforts and also made special mention of her mother, Shafeeka Al Shehabi, 50, and her husband Hassan Khamis, 39, a senior rehabilitation specialist at the Ministry of Labour and Social Development, for all their support with the venture.
Follow Ebtisam on Instagram @abayat_guin for details on her collection and follow Thajba @tnajeeb for her upcoming collaborations and art work.
