Maha Al Qattan is an Emirati fashion designer who has, over the past few years, been working towards the evolution of the abaya as a form of couture. The Dubai-based young woman, founder and creative director of the brand Roselle, creates “delicate luxury pieces that define the liberated woman” and “offer the perfect blend of traditional abaya design, with feminine western silhouettes — making them very wearable for the modern woman”. Her ensembles — her latest Spring-Summer 2013 collection was crea-ted with an eye on the Eid celebrations — blends embroidered silk and lace with elegant chiffon to create a feminine fresh mélange of colour and design in mystic hues of blues, romantic rosy pinks and pure ivory whites.
Maha’s couture value system stems from her belief that “abayas will never go out of fashion”. All you need are innovations along the line. “There’s so much you can do… Just like saris are no longer classified for Indian women, abayas too have come of age. The black fabric looks so elegant, it’s like already red carpet-ready!”
She’s been “impulsive” about many decisions in her life — like when she wanted to go to the US to do a Master’s from Cornell. “It took me all of 20 days to figure that one out,” she laughs. Branching out into couture was, likewise, a somewhat sudden decision. She always had a knack for design so, one fine day, she got cracking after undergoing a three-month course on launching a label. Her first batch came out in March 2012.
Why did she name her brand ‘Roselle’? It wasn’t an impulsive decision that time, she laughs. Her sister-in-law had licensed a brand with the name, but once she closed her store, Roselle was still floating around. “‘Just take my brand name,’ she told me,” Maha smiles. It helps that Roselle concocts up imageries of soft femininity — something that Maha feels is her mainstay.
Maha has a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a Master’s in Industrial Labour Relations. She has a day job with the corporate sector. But once work as head of HR draws to an end every evening, she heads off to her studio where abayas are being customised by her handpicked team of tailors. Her personal touch is the most important thing for her brand. Everything — from the choice of fabrics to the stitching and embellishments to getting the most compelling photography for her look-books — is supervised by her. Each abaya, according to her, “is crafted to the finest detail to create an exclusive piece that combines the simplicity and heritage of Emirati culture”. While Roselle mirrors the modern-day Emirati woman, sophisticated yet an individualistic ambassador of cultural identity, the doors have been open for any anyone who wishes to bask in the elegance traditional Middle Eastern wear.
via Identity Couture.
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