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Fashion TV reality star Ebtisam Mohammed Salman’s customised artistic abayas may soon be wowing audiences during New York Fashion Week later this year.
The mother-of-two recently launched a limited-edition Ramadan collection featuring modern and edgy work created by artist Thajba Najeeb. The designing duo has transformed every day long black cloaks into vibrant pieces of fashion attire.
“The new collection features a different concept with bold, geometric artwork implemented with neon colours to pop on the black abaya,” said Ebtisam, 33, a senior financial resources specialist, who also runs boutiques in Bahrain’s Al Aali Shopping Complex and in Dubai.
“These stylish pieces can definitely compete on any international runway, in my opinion. We hope after Ramadan, we can join New York Fashion Week in December.”
The artistic collaboration started in 2017 after she ‘fell in love with Thajaba’s art’ and the customised cloak creations are being snapped up by women across the region.
“Every woman likes to be dressed differently than the other and, of course, elegantly. We wanted to provide different options for women,” explained Ebtisam, who became a familiar face on the small screen after participating in the popular TV reality show Fashion Star Arabia.
“Thajba is very smart with paint and she knows how to create elegant art on abayas while I can cut and embroider the fabrics to change them into fabulous fashion pieces,”
Ebtisam was the first Bahraini woman to participate and lasted eight rounds of the 10-episode show.
The new 10-piece collection, with price tags of between BD75 to BD376, features faces, mirrors and more, taking inspiration from architecture, nature and culture.
Thajba, 38, founder of Artology Studio, has painted on more than 150 abayas, giving each garment around five to six hours of focus and attention each day. She uses acryclic, outliners, chalk and gold enamel to complete the looks and it takes anything between four days to a week to complete a single abaya.
“Ebtisam will give me the idea and theme and together we grow from there,” said Thajba, from Saar. “For example, adding mirrors to an abaya or working on painting faces, or wings as well as feathers. She usually gives me the idea and I explore ways of interpreting it, taking into consideration that it is a piece that includes a lot of movement; something that flows as you walk.
“This collection is based on mirrors, reflections, broken shards and angular lines. We were very influenced by Picasso’s cubic faces such as the Weeping Woman. Ebtisam also combines fabrics such as leather and chiffon to create something cool.
“We are also working on floral designs. Basically, I create the base with my painting and then Ebtisam ‘blings it up’ by adding beads, fabric and love!”
Fabrics used include chiffon, velvet, silk and metallic crepe sourced from the UK and Italy and now the aim is to showcase the creations at fashion shows around the globe.
Ebtisam has worked with other artists too such as Filipino painter and teacher Carlo Rico, 54, who recently won the Celebrating Art event staged at The Ritz-Carlton, Bahrain’s Masaya octagon-shaped pavilion, as highlighted in GulfWeekly.
For more details check out Instagram @abayat_guin and Thajba @tnajeeb.
