40 December 2014 www.womanthismonth.com PEOPLE | cover story A CHIC ENCOUNTER Stepping into Amal Al Mulla’s four-monthold studio, you escape Riffa’s cacophonic grind and enter a sleek, uber-twee space with tactical translucent windows. “I want to be able to be in my own world here and don’t want the outside chaos to interfere with what I’m doing,” says a 23-year-old Amal. You forget the outside hive of activity until several cars grumble past all at once. Although I’m here to talk about her current fall/winter collection, her spring/summer collection for next year is neatly filed across two clothes stands. You can tell Amal is into her botanical chic; not only do her clothes have flowers spreading from sleeve to sleeve; the studio’s sofa is a fabric of flowers. “I want my clothes to have an organic feel. I’m very much inspired by nature and want it featured in my brand.” Amal’s designs are largely made out of a textile fabric called piña - pineapple fibre to us lay creatures. “Piña is a luxurious fabric, traditionally worn by the upper class at weddings in the Philippines. It comes in plain form, so I gave it a western twist with my embroidery for a contemporary feel. And I have dyed it too - piña comes in ecru (that colour between white and beige) but I wanted some black as well.” The studio is new and still evolving; besides the stands, Amal’s mood boards and mind maps are plastered on the walls. The concept of Amal’s brand is based on a trinity of thoughts: escapism, contrasts and nature. When Amal Al Mulla graduated from the Royal University for Women with a degree in fashion, she came out with her brand’s first collection. Just two years later, she's known in Paris. Georgie Bradley has tea and talks with the pint-sized fashion mogul.
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