The “abaya”, that long outer garment with long sleeves, is worn over clothes when a woman leaves her home. It is loose and flowing to conceal the shape of the body. Wearing an abaya is a sign of modesty and respect in the local culture, but it has also become a fashion statement, thanks to a new generation of enterprising and creative abaya designers and fashionistas who combine both style and tradition.
Over the past years, an abaya revolution has been quietly under way. When top European fashion labels, including Dior, Nina Ricci, Jean Claude Jitrois, Blumarine and Alberta Ferretti tried their hand at making over the abaya, this underlined a growing demand for designer abayas. Since then, a number of Saudi based designers have successfully launched their own exclusive brand of abayas.
This is the case with Rawan Azhar, a wife and mother of two children. She graduated from King Abdul Aziz University with a degree in management information systems and set up an exclusive brand of abayas, “Ta Marbota” in 2010.
Azhar acknowledges that women wear different abayas depending on the occasions, so there is a need for a wide range of styles and designs.
Women have now reached a point where they want to feel good about wearing an abaya. In many cases, an abaya even defines a woman’s style and status, therefore a lot of care and money is put into buying the right abaya with a unique twist.
Ta Marbota’s Patterns Mania Collection 2013 is all about black and white handmade embroidery. “Wear an abaya in style!” says Rawan who has even designed an exclusive matching headband to go along with each abaya.
“Fabrics and colors always inspire me. I go to fabric shops and buy whatever catches my eyes. Then I begin the creation process, I keep on doing this until I fall in love with one of the style’s I have designed. This is the first step, after that the ideas keep coming by, one by one until I am able to finish the whole collection. This process takes me four months and this explains why I only have two collections per year.”
Azhar believes she is successful because she works very hard. Her work is a constant source of learning.
“I learn a new lesson every day... That is what increases my love and dedication and gives me the motivation to keep on working hard! My secret is to work very hard to achieve my ambitions and a passion for a business I really love. The fashion retail market in Saudi Arabia is not an easy ride but it’s very open for women to start their own business.”
Ta Marbota: Wear an abaya in style
Ta Marbota: Wear an abaya in style
