Evolving Influence: Evolution of Abaya

We were at The Evolution of Abaya event on Sunday 15 April, which took place at the Pullman Hotel, Mall of the Emirates. The Evolution of Abayas is part of the Evolving Influence series created by Grace & Garbo, aimed at promoting culture through fashion- we think it’s a fantastic idea!

The event kicked off with our video on Abaya Heritage, followed by
a panel discussion.

Among the panel was Persil Abaya Shampoo’s brand ambassador, Rabia Zargarpur, and our good friend and Arwa’a Abaya mentor Amal Murad (watch out for updates soon on Season 4!). Also joining the panel was Sarah Madani- founder of the very funky abaya design house Rouge Couture- and Debbie from the Sheikh Mohamed Centre of Cultural Understanding.

Over the years abaya design has evolved from a garment to a fashion statement, so it was really interesting to hear the views of the panel on the evolution of the abaya, as they all come from different backgrounds.

Debbie prefers to stay in the middle with her choice in abaya, as she believes it's a personal choice for women on what they wear and how they wear it.

Sara thinks the evolution is a good change: “A woman should feel beautiful no matter what she wears” but she also believes that “'the abaya is who we are [as locals] and that's how we express ourselves in a modest way”. We agree!

Amal Murad reminded us that “it's important to remember the objective of the abaya”. She believes we can derive inspiration from international trends and customize it for our identity, but not copy as it doesn’t always suit the khaleeji culture.

Rabia Z is glad drapery has been accepted by women as it distorts the silhouette (which is the point of the abaya), and make for a fashion statement too!

Sara found that it helps promote her brand, having designed abayas for celebrities visiting Dubai. We also found out that she is designing an abaya for Madonna, and is also going to release a 15-piece Madonna-inspired abaya line. We can’t wait to see it!

Amal Murad noticed that westerners who come to the UAE and wear the abaya choose pieces that have unique designs that show part of their identity too. Bridging cultures is what makes the abaya great!

Overall we loved the event and the lively discussions from the panel, and we agree with them when they said that it’s all about self-expression in a modest way.

How do you think abaya design should evolve from here? We would love to see abaya designer collaborations with retailers in the future, like we see with Haute Couture designers abroad- leave us your thoughts in the comments.