Sheikhahub Mac/Apr 2016 by SHEIKHAHUB MAGAZINE

SHEIKHAHUB MODEST FASHION + LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

Mac/Apr 16

HOW TO START YOUR CLOTHING LABEL

Think You Know The Abaya? Liam takes an in-depth study on the abaya and why it is getting trendier

PLUS Getting To Know

Editor's Note

From understanding abaya to learning to create your clothing labels, this issue celebrates the fashionpreneurs, and their relentless need to learn..

Alhamdulillah, we have had many encouraging comments for our inaugural issue. Thank to all your responses and the many ideas which we will try to implement for the issues to come. This second issue is again a reminder of our objectives of many years since we started this adventure in fashion, one of which is to support and encourage entrepreneurship in modest fashion and lifestyle. For that purpose too this 48 purpose. magazine was created, which is meant to be a tool in promoting such This time, we begin by introducing Liamman Mahamadzade from Azerbaijan, an aspiring abaya designer who shares with us, her uderstanding on the abaya. Next, we would like to show readers, the seven steps in creating a clothing label. We then go on to share with you, what we believe to be the fashion trending through 2017! In this issue, we will also be launching another important initiative yet, which is the SH entrepreneur 1-2-3 segment 'Getting to Know' — Where we will be featuring some well known and 'up and coming' labels and entrepreneurs of fashion. Hopefully their stories will inspire the entrepreneurs in us! Happy reading!

Editor-in-Chief NORZIHAN AHMAD @DNALATT

Send us an email if if you would like to contribute articles, information or be featured in our future issues, sheikhahubmag@gmail.com

10 How to start your fashion label 11 17 Getting To Know 20 22 Jewellery 26 30 Events & Lifestyle : KL Wedding 2016 & Kuwait National day

Disclaimer: Some articles and images are taken from the internet of which are mostly from open sources, and some that we are unaware of their copyrights status. We apologise should there be any infringements, do contact us and we'll address to it with the necessary

4 7 T H I N K

Y O U K N O W A B A Y A

T H E

C O N T R I B U T O R Liamann Mahammadzade or Liam who contributes the article on abaya hails from Azerbaijan but now resides in Turkey. This talented 25 year old fashion designer who co-founded the label Liam and Jaila has won many accolades. Among them industry award in Azerbaijan, featured in Russian TV and magazine and Elle Turkey.

SHMAG: THE ABAYA

THINK YOU KNOW THE ABAYA? BY LIAMANN MAHAMMADZADE DESIGNER OF LIAM & JEILA

The abaya may once have been a plain, drab garment meant only to conceal; however, today, the abaya has become a “stylish, personalised coat” that many women enjoy wearing, an expression of individuality within the template of a physically modest robe (al-Mukhtar 37). from the islamic context, Some experts describes the abaya's ascendance in Saudi culture as a relatively new trend, emerging only in the twentieth century. Leila al-Bassam, a professor of traditional clothing and textiles at Riyadh University, explains that the black abaya “came to Saudi Arabia from Iraq or Syria more than 75 years ago, as did most textiles and goods at the time” (qtd. in Ambah). Abayas became popular when King Abdul-Aziz al-Saud distributed them as gifts to tribal leaders around the kingdom in the early 1930's, when the country was first united under the al-Saud monarchy. Gradually, the abaya supplanted regional costumes as the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Vice began to enforce a strict interpretation of the Islamic dress code across Saudi Arabia (Ambah). Al-Bassam is not the only woman to describe these events. Her account of the abaya's rise is echoed in interviews with elderly Saudi women in Rima Al-Mukhtar's Sayidaty article, “Saudi Women are Expressing it Through an Abaya Evolution.” The black abayas “came from Turkey, Iraq, or Syria 80 years ago,” the article explains. Nazeera Sadek relates that women never wore the abaya when she was a child, but they also rarely left home (qtd. in al-Mukhtar 37). When they did, “they used to wear a special cloth designed especially for men which we call meshlah” (37).

Another woman, Fatima, 82, of Mecca, said that “women used to wear conservative colored local costumes and covered their hair with a veil” (37). Regardless of the origins, it is useful to understand how the abaya is understood by many of the women who wear it in the Arab Gulf states: For them, the abaya is a timeless piece of history and culture, passed through the ages. Injunctions for female veiling in Islamic law are derived from two main sources, the Qur'an and the hadith. There are two suras in the Qur'an that refer to female veiling. Verse 53 of Sura 33, “The Joint Forces,” reads, “When you ask [the Prophet's] wives for something, do so from behind a screen: this is purer for your hearts and for theirs.” Later in the same sura, it says “Prophet, tell your wives, our daughters, and women believers to make their outer garments hang low over them so as to be recognized and not insulted” (33:73). 33:53 is ambiguous in its applicability to veiling; the word translated as “screen” from the original Arabic is “hijab.” Sura 24:31 (“Light”) reads, “And tell believing women that they should lower their glances, guard their private parts, and not display their charms beyond what [it is acceptable] to reveal; they should let their headscarves fall to cover their necklines and not revel their charms except to their husbands, their fathers, their husbands' fathers, their sons, their husbands' sons, their brothers, their brothers' n sons, their sisters’ sons... or children who are not yet aware of women's nakedness.” These verses provides the greatest justification for veiling in Islam; it describes proper modest behavior and mentions the wearing of headscarves. It is ambiguous about how women should dress otherwise, leaving the verse open to either liberal or conservative interpretations, based on what jurists feel is “acceptable to reveal.” Combining 33:73 and 24:31, jurists in the Arab Gulf states (and around the world) feel that loose, cloaking robes and headscarves are required for Muslim women.

Although other interpretations are popular even in the Gulf region. abaya serves a religious purpose, wearing the abaya defines women in the region as a symbol of religious integrity and national identity. Yet women in this incredibly wealthy, rapidly changing region cannot themselves avoid the influence of globalization. The abaya owes its rise as the female dress of choice in part as a defense against the effects of globalization, but it too is changing in response to global trends in fashion. In the last twenty years, a new trend has emerged: the abaya-as-fashion, an adaptation of the traditional, plain black abaya into fashionable, individualize garments tailored to suit the tastes of the wearer. The abaya-as-fashion's individualized, sometimes flamboyant form retains the physical requirements for modesty, i.e. covering all skin but the hands and feet, but flaunts religious prescriptions against drawing attention to oneself with adornments (al-Qasimi 56). Wearing the abaya gives women in the Arab Gulf states a particular status and attributes a particular identity to them, but the abaya-as-fashion is able to adapt that status, giving women more personal freedom while appearing to maintain the status quo. Before the “abaya-as-fashion” there was and is main abaya, the “judical” abaya or the abaya as considered appropriate by typical Islamic jurists in the Gulf, which should fit six specifications: 1. It should be thick and non-clinging. 2. It should be 'all-covering,' that is, of the entire body and loose such that it does not describe the contours of the body. 3. It should be open only in front, while the sleeve opening should be small. 4. It should not contain adornment, which may attract the eyes, and therefore should be free from drawings, decorations, writings, and symbols. 5. It should not be similar to the clothing of infidel women or men. 6. It should be placed on the top of the head. The abaya-as-fashion with its multitude of cuts, colours, and adornments, does not fit much of this definition by design. However, the many proponents ofthe abaya-as-fashion feel that, since the garment is generally “all covering” just like the judicial abaya, there is no harm in embellishing the garment itself. The abaya is symbolic of national and religious identity for the Arab Gulf states, but the abaya-as-fashion moves beyond “Arab,” “Gulf,” and “Islamic” identity paradigms to identify with a larger, transnational global culture. It participates in global fashion trends, drawing inspiration from other cultures, creating a new cosmopolitan identity coveted by the wealthy citizens of the Arab Gulf states. The abaya-as fashion not only changes the relationship women and conservative religious clerics in the Arab Gulf states, but also the relationship between women and their own national cultures though the influence of globalization.

Two of Gulf's famous designer are UAE designers, Effa and Badr Al Budoor. Effa studied fashion in college and worked as a buyer and brand manager in Dubai for some of the top names in the business – Christian Lacroix, Valentino, John Galliano, and more. Building on this experience with top fashion houses and her own cultural heritage, Effa struck out on her own and started her business, Effa Abaya Couture in Dubai. In an interview with Arabian Woman magazine, Effa describes her mentality in starting Effa Abaya Couture: “Our customer wants to dress fashionably but in a way that suits her lifestyle – it needed to be international, trendy, and stylish... I knew EFFA would be the perfect platform to get it right” (“Arabian Woman” 79). Effa's designs have become so popular that they have become known colloquially as the “Little Black Dress of the Middle East,” drawing a striking comparison between the once-plain abaya and a symbol of female beauty and sexuality in the West. Effa isn't the only designer who has incredibly good affect in abaya fashion, Badr al Budoor, of Abaya Couture, describes her customers and her creations in cosmopolitan terms. Like Effa, al-Budoor takes Western experiences and integrates them into her Gulf style, merging cultures to create some of the most popular abaya designs in the world. I am so inspired reading about the two designers that I am now working on my abaya collection. My inspiration for my abaya collection is 'the women behind the black fabric'. My inspiration story is as follows: “We all know that that the nature of human is curious. We find the mysterious things most interesting and we crave to know the truth behind this mystery. And the ladies in abayas are a mystery to us. That inspires me most. Because the things behind this black fabric is your imagination. I want to design the most gorgeous abaya and I know that the abaya conceals very beautiful, pure, elegant, gracious, feminine and the delicate woman. And when I design abaya, I imagine this woman”.

QUOTE

TRAVELING WILL LEAVE YOU SPEECHLESS, BUT WILL TURN YOU INTO A STORYTELLER Ibn Batutta

dnalatt city guide: Singapore @

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ARAB STREET for gifts, indie designers, excellent spa and food! Fika Swedish & Bistro for coffee Mustafa Centre insomnia shopping!

Grand Hyatt Singapore - the buffet is halal!

Wayan Spa friendly owner!

Mamanda the best nasi ambeng I have eaten! Singapore ladies (bonus!)

ARAB STREET

I simply adore the Lion City. Since Singapore is less than an hour's flight from Kuala Lumpur, it has become one of my favourite weekend escape destinations. The people, the culture, the cleanliness and the fact that everything works like clockwork here, will impress any tourist and attract all kinds of fashion entrepreneurs. Here's my very own off the beaten track city travel guide (of course Orchard Road not included).

HOW TO START YOUR CLOTHING LABEL? You can start a clothing label by this seven steps by Tania Anis; source MARIE CLAIRE

COME UP WITH A GOTTA-HAVE-IT ITEM

Dianne Von Fursenberg came up with wrap dress , What's yours? DEVELOP THE DESIGN

Sketch your ideas on paper as best as you can, or go to your favourite tailor with your sample MAKE YOUR PROTOTYPE

Prototypes aren't cheap; but this you must do!

SOURCE YOUR MATERIAL

Find something that meets your budget and creative needs.. FIND A FACTORY

How else will you mass produce ?

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FUND YOUR BUSINESS

Try crowd funding- or MOM! SELL, SELL, SELL

Be well posted in the social media channels. In this digital era, the whole world is already your market. Check out the website How To Start A Clothing Company (HTSACC). This website has one of the largest resources for people looking to create a fashion brand.

SH ENTREPRENEUR 1-2-3

GETTING TO KNOW Entrepreneurship is the capacity and willingness to develop, organise and manage a business venture along with any of its risk in order to make a profit. By @dnalatt

Every business has to start with an idea, Some ideas are original, but most good ideas are already taken! So the goal is about doing something better or more efficiently than what is already in the market. The main challenge is to turn an idea into a business startup, and most importantly, to stay relevant and sustain in your industry. According to businessdictionary.com, entrepreneurship is the capacity and willingness to develop, organise and manage a business venture along with any of its risk in order to make a profit. The most obvious example of entrepreneurship is the starting of new businesses. SH entrepreneur 1-2-3 segment 'Getting to Know' is our latest initiative to inspire the entrepreneurship in us. We will be featuring some well known and 'up and coming' brands and entrepreneurs of fashion. The idea is simple 1- to to get to know the individual and if their story excites you 2- to learn from them and 3- to generate ideas to start your business! Here it goes...

GETTING TO KNOW

BAYOU BATIK

aslina is the founder of Bayou Batik. She studied economics and international relations in university and worked at the Securities Commission of Malaysia. After a few years working as a Security Market Analyst, she took the brave giant leap into the world of fashion entrepreneurship. The rest is as they say, history. Bayou Batik has showcased at the Melbourne Spring Fashion Week World Runway in Australia in 2014.

BAYOU BATIK

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO START THIS BUSINESS Despite not having any basic knowledge in fashion or running a business, I was inspired by the ladies from the East Coast of Malaysia, whom are known to be business savvy. A brief visit to the state of Kelantan and you can tell that the economy is in the hands of women traders. Looking at these ladies run their businesses, it teaches me the importance of being independent and to strive hard no matter how small the venture is. HOW AND WHERE DID YOU GET THE IDEA TO START Having visited a local handicraft fair in search of batik clothing, I was dissapointed to find that most of the designs on offer were rather old-fashioned and limited in design and sizing. This made me realise that there was an opportunity to explore the batik industry and modernize the designs, as well as tap into the growing plus size market. And so, Bayou Batik was born. HOW DID YOU FINANCE THE BUSINESS Starting off small by selling batik pieces to friends and acquaintances, this allowed me to build a business that was solely self-financed. Building on that, all source of funding is generated from within the business which helps to ensure that any growth and expansion is sustainable in the long term.

GETTING TO KNOW

NUR ZAHRA

he brand behind our cover look for this issue is Nur Zahra from Indonesia , which is founded by Windri Dhari (picture above). Nur Zahra is one of Indonesiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading designers of womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s apparel. They often present a confident fashion statement, while adhering to the conventions for Muslim female dressing. The label is known for its batik which uses a combination of the traditional Javanese and ancient Japanese Shibori techniques. This creates an unusual, layered signature pattern; creating a unique Japanese batik if you will. To keep the whole production close to nature, Nur Zahra is committed in using dyes from natural resources as a form of aligning and flowing with nature.

NUR ZAHRA

WHAT IS THE BIGGEST LESSON THAT YOU HAVE LEARNED SINCE YOU'VE STARTED THE BUSINESS Running the business with patience and consistency. We need to have a strong brand Identity with unique selling points. Also, we should have a vision in building a successful company with aim to help others. The quote I like is ... "Through patience, great things are accomplished" WHAT IS YOUR LATEST FASHION PROJECT Nur Zahra was recently invited to the prestigious Liberty Open Call in London last month. Sanjeev Davidson from London Fashion Consultancy was Nur Zahra's mentor. We received very good feed back indeed. We also launched the a book entitled "NUR ZAHRA: A Grateful Ode to Nature and Culture" by Victoria Tunggono at the Frankfurt Book Fair in October last year. It will be released next April in Indonesia. This book explores the origins and philosophical significance of the distinctive geometric designs that give the garments elegance and flair.

DR RAZANA GETTING TO KNOW

r Razana Zakaria is a Physician. She graduated from the University of Malaya in 1993 and obtained her Master of Medicine (MMed) in Family Medicine in 2000. Dr Razana has vast clinical experience in dealing with womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sexual health problems. Dr Razana is the founder of lingerie by DrKatty. WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO GO INTO LINGERIE SELLING BUSINESS? I have encountered many women with low self-confidence throughout my career. I found that most women lack the knowledge and do not know about women's wellness care. I introduce Drkatty lingeries which aim to promote Kegel exercise and correct body posture in order to boost self-confidence. By correcting body posture, they will get not just a sexy and alluring body shape but also a healthier back.

DR RAZANA

WHAT WERE THE CHALLENGES YOU FACED WHEN YOU FIRST STARTED Among the challenges that I faced when I first introduced the DrKatty line of products were to convince to women that they should look good starting from inside. And, get them to grasp the idea of doing exercises like Kegel exercise for post-delivery. Many Asian women still believe in taking traditional herbs and going through the traditional massage using hot stone during the confinement period. Also, many women do not think that having a correct body posture is important. To them, they can always wear a girdle which actually only provides a short term solution. It was quite a challenge to make women understand that having a correct body posture is important for the back muscles. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE PART ABOUT THIS BUSINESS The best part about being in this business is having the opportunity to deal with symptoms arising from incorrect body posture namely Forward head posture. These symptoms are prevalent especially in young women who spend long hours at the PC, as a result their neck may get strained and they feel tired easily. My venture into this business has also provided me with the chance to collaborate with the National Cancer Council Malaysia (MAKNA) by giving breast screening for cancer. I have also managed to reach out to my international clients through drkatty blog, capturing womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s attention with DrKatty lingeries thus further spreading the importance of having a good body posture.

TREND ALERT 2017

GRAPHICS & PRINTS

the flare pants Flare Pants are in trend now. We first saw the trend in November 2015 during HEYA Arabian Fashion Exhibition in Doha Qatar. Our designers Danz Design from Malaysia and LRUrbancouture from Italy for SWIFF 15, showcased this, while the audiences jaws dropped in amazement. We know this year the trend will still be going strong.

In Trend

JEWELLERY

Accessorise your look

Jewellery consists of small decorative items are worn for personal adornment, such as brooches, rings, necklaces, earrings, and bracelet. Jewellery may be attached to the body or the clothes, and the term is restricted to durable ornaments, excluding flowers. The basic forms of jewellery varies between cultures and they can be in many forms and on many materials. Even a plain outfit such as the black abaya despite their classical designs and cuts, can look stunning and elegant with the right accessories. Simple is best!

CATCH SOME WAVES IN

ACCESSORISE YOURÂ LOOK By Tania Anis

NOMADIC

JEWELLERY

TREND ALERT IMAGINE WEARING THIS AS A SUBSTITUTE TO HENNA

NOMADIC

MODESTY IS A QUALITY OF ELEGANCE @

DNALATT

AN INTRODUCTION TO

ISLAMIC ART By S ABDULLAH

Islamic art generally does not include images of people and animals which may lead to idols worshiping. Hence, over the centuries, Islamic artists have become true masters of intricate abstracts from natural and geometrical designs. The beauty of some of these artwork is simply mind blowing. Designers, do take inspiration from the Islamic geometrical patterns and turn them into digital prints for textiles. NOMADIC 24 The results will be truly amazing! |

EVENTS & LIFESTYLE

KL WEDDING 2016 The inaugural KL Wedding 2016 was recently held at the JW MARRIOT KL. This bridal and weddings exhibition was organised by Andrew Tan of Andrews Models. The evening of glitter and glamour showcased works from renowned Malaysian designers such as Azammoff, Rizman Ruzaini and Fiziwoo. Among the guests who attended were Datin Maram al Agha from Palestine, Sheikhahub's Datin Norzihan Latt and Datin Nursharmila, fashion influencer Che Zaihanim and celebrity Fiza Kadir.

Dawlat al-Kuwait's 55th National Day 2016 was celebrated at the JW Marriot Kuala Lumpur last 25th February hosted by its Ambassador H.E Saad Abdullah Al Sousi and his lovely wife Mona. It was an evening of overflowing goodwill, good speeches and good food; as distinguished guests include from Malaysian government, the corporate and the foreign missions such as H.E Essa Al Mannai, the Ambassador of Qatar, H.E Syed Hassan Raza, the Ambassador of Pakistan, Datin Maram al Agha, wife of the Palestinian Ambassador, Aicha Amaziane, wife to the Ambassador of Morocco and Alaa Babiker, wife of the Ambassador of Sudan.

Happy

55th Birthday Kuwait!!