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Fashion designer Louisa Lamine Alahmed aims to revolutionise the way women wear the hijab to ensure the traditional headgear becomes stylishly cool in more ways than one.
The hijab is a veil which covers the head and is worn by many Muslim women beyond the age of puberty in the presence of non-related adult males. Most often, it is worn as a symbol of modesty, privacy and morality.
Traditionally, it has always been black, which is not an ideal colour for hot and humid places like the Middle East.
After her own personal experiences wearing the veil, the French mother-of-two who lives in Amwaj Islands, decided that there had to be a more fashionable and breathable hijab designed for both beauty and comfort.
Mrs Alahmed, 41, said: “I am a Muslim woman and I don’t wear the hijab now. Since my husband Tariq is Bahraini, I moved to the kingdom and have been living here for eight years.
“However, before that, I lived in Saudi Arabia for five years as he had a construction business there. During my time in Jeddah I had to wear the hijab because of its religious laws.
“I was feeling so uncomfortable, especially around my neck, because of the weather. It can get very hot with barely a breeze.
“I started thinking about the other women wearing the hijab, especially during the holy month of Ramadan when women go for umrah (minor pilgrimage) and Hajj. Women have to wear the hijab for hours during the pilgrimage and often do not get a chance to change it even if it gets sweaty and uncomfortable.
“That’s when I thought it would be sensible to have a ‘breathable’ hijab. I started searching at exhibitions for material that could provide that comfort and finally came across an innovative fabric that really fitted the bill.”
Mrs Alahmed uses different fabrics from Europe and Japan such as Dri-FIT, which is famous for creating climacool athletic wear. Its fabric helps keep sport enthusiasts comfortable and dry by moving perspiration from the skin to the outside for rapid evaporation.
The process happens by transferring perspiration through layers of fabric. As the body, produces moisture, these layers carry it through the garment and up to the outside layer where it is dispersed across the outer surface and released into the air.
Mrs Alahmed figured if athletes can use it, then why can’t Muslim women? She explained: “Our hijabs are now ‘sweat free’, which is great for countries like Bahrain that have hot and humid weather around eight months of the year.
“Its clever to use these fabrics because when the sun hits it, the fabric will not reject the humidity of the body, it will simply make it cooler.”
Mrs Alahmed then began to brainstorm ideas with her team of local designers to sketch 50 modern hijabs for a range of women to wear.
Keeping it quiet from all her girlfriends, she sought out to launch her very own hijab line in September of last year which she called Mimosa Arabia. In December the secret was out when she invited her friends and family to witness her stylish hijabs modelled on the catwalk at the Golden Tulip Hotel.
She said: “I called it Mimosa because I love the tree. It’s symbolic in Europe, in the south of France and grows at the end of winter, so in spring it delivers good news.
“My friends were pleasantly surprised and I immediately started receiving orders for my winter 2012 collection.
“I had to get all my sketches patented and registered the designs as we are the first. That’s why we made sure to patent it. There is no hijab like this in the world that I know of. It’s a small business with huge potential.”
On the catwalk the usual sea of black hijabs was replaced by waves of colourful neons and modern looks that would make any fashionista walk with her head held high.
Bahraini Reem Nouri, 39, a French teacher and entrepreneur, from Hidd, attended the show and said: “These hijabs are so innovative because the quality of the material used allows the head to breathe. I think it is needed and it is practical. I love the colours because I’m so used to seeing only black. It’s a great change.”
Majida Al Zeera, a Tunisian baker proudly starting her 50s, from Saar, added: “I like the idea of the material and there is a novelty in it. We need something cool and not itchy, especially in Bahrain.
“In my opinion I think it will be accepted in the community. Inshallah, I will be wearing it soon. I love the colours and I believe that is how it should be – wearing black is more a local cultural thing than Islamic. There is nothing mentioned in Islam about avoiding colours.
“If you go to Oman and Morocco often women can be seen wearing colourful hijabs and dresses. Coming from Tunisia, black is really only something I found in the Gulf. I was not acquainted with it before. At first it was weird to go into a majlis and see all black and everyone looking the same.”
Mimosa Arabia’s winter collection features three styles named after influential women in Mrs Alahmed’s life.
Hijab Fatima is named after her mother, Hijab Sarah after her nine-year-old daughter, Hijab Suzy represents her mother-in-law and Hijab Lulu after herself, as that is her nickname.
She said: “I dedicated my hijabs to the important women around me and I believe each hijab should be named after a woman.
“I selected bright colours because the winter shades for 2012 included hints of lemon and dark strawberry. My designers and I felt it would look really good with black abayas, for example.
“Also, if I left the hijabs black then it wouldn’t be anything different. It would just blend in with the abaya and women in the Gulf already wear too much black. Abayas are becoming more fashionable, so why not hijabs.”
Concerned women finding it difficult to get their heads around the concept of colourful hijabs will be surprised to know that countries all over the world – from Europe to Asia – are starting to adopt brighter colours, fabrics and looks, allowing more women to express their personal tastes and styles.
Although some critics have scoffed that the Islamic veil is a mark of female oppression a new generation of young Muslim women consider it as part of an emerging fashion statement that seeks to integrate European and Muslim identities.
Hijab styles also vary in different regions of the Islamic world.
Mrs Alahmed added: “My designs are so new, with new bold colours so I will see how it fares in the Bahraini market.
“I see so many women in Qatar and Dubai wearing the hijab and still looking fashionable but in Bahrain it’s mainly black. Also, why do women still wear the same material used for abayas on their heads? It’s not like I’m going to wear my denim as a hijab just because I’m wearing denim!
“At least with Mimosa’s hijabs women will feel more fashionable. During the show some said that my style was catering to a young demographic but in reality my four categories provide for kids between the ages of nine and 13, teens, middle-aged women and those attending formal evening events. I am planning to have silk breathable hijabs for functions and events-wear with accessories such as feather attachments or leather flowers.”
A more extensive formal wear range will be launched this month along with Mimosa Arabia’s first boutique in Bahrain located in the Diplomatic Area.
Mrs Alahmed added: “My goal for now is to break through in Bahrain, get the women to know who we are and appreciate our brand. As it is a local business I care that Bahraini women love our products and I will listen to their feedback. The second step is to open shops in Saudi Arabia and Dubai.”
*For the time being hijabs, costing from BD35 and above, can be purchased online at https://shop.mimosa-arabia.com
