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Annada, a luxury-lifestyle Bahraini brand, opened its flagship boutique at Seef Mall with an array of ballet dancers and VIPs and a store full of shoppers and supporters.
It is amongst the first of a series of shops and its founders Nada and Noor Alawi have global ambitions.
To add to its uniqueness, the brand has launched a sensational collection of scarves and accessories labelled ‘Volume R’, which represents the personal art collection of Shaikh Rashid bin Khalifa Al Khalifa.
Dance and the flow of soft silk was very much the theme at Wednesday’s opening spectacular. Creative director Nada said: “We have exclusive rights to print them. Today we have demonstrated the spirit of his collection - which is movement - using performances by guest ballerinas.”
The store’s brochure also features ballet-style poses of the collection modelled by teenage British expat Immy Szecowka, a former St Christopher’s School pupil who now attends a leading performing arts college in London.
Additional collections reflect the work of established and emerging Bahraini artists such as Abbas Almosawi, Abdul Elah Al Arab, Ebrahim BuSaad, Faika Al Hassan, Hassan Haider, Ghassan Mohsin, Jamal Abdul Rahim, Khalil Al Hashimi, Mariam Fakhro, Nabeela Al Khayer, Omar Al Rashid and Sabine Al Gosaibi.
The opening event was held under the patronage of Tamkeen’s chairman Shaikh Mohammed bin Essa Al Khalifa. He said: “Annada is a wonderful example of a Bahraini brand and business that continues to achieve its potential and demonstrate steady growth.
“They began their journey at Riyadat Mall’s incubator, gained a proper foundation, achieved market exposure and expanded to a larger boutique space as a result of their constant effort and diligence.
“Going forward, they have plans to grow and develop across Bahrain’s borders with the ambition of becoming an international brand.”
The new store has a bright, modern, open concept that displays the beautiful pieces well. A large frame situated in the middle of the outlet eloquently highlights its offerings with bright spotlights focusing on the scarves.
At the very back of the store customers will be delighted to find a very unique collection of motor-cross jackets. They come in a variety of colours cleverly lined with the artistic scarves. The texture from the silk and the leather in the jackets makes for a cool contrast.
Nada added: “Annada is about finding joy in beauty and celebrating it with others and with the opening of this store we’ll be able to share this message with everyone across the kingdom.
“We would like to thank all our partners, our colleagues and friends, the passionate artists we work with, and Tamkeen, as the launch of our first full-fledged boutique would not have been possible without them.
“We also want to give our customers a certain experience when they shop while sharing our love of art.”
In addition to its retail outlet, Annada shares its collections with art collectors, enthusiasts and fashion-lovers through several other outlets, including an online e-commerce portal (www.annadaonline.com), plus wholesalers who help in getting the work of Bahraini artists to local and international locations that include department stores and gift-shops.
Annada also participates in art, luxury and lifestyle-related exhibitions to showcase its collections across GCC countries, as well as in the US, Italy, China and France. The team also actively engages with a large following of art enthusiasts on all its social media channels using the tag @annadaonline.
