32 July 2014 www.womanthismonth.com This mother-daughter duo is the designing team behind renowned brand Dar Naseem AlAndalos. We get an insider’s view on their haute couture line. A Fine Line PEOPLE | cover story by ELMA BARTHOLOMEW Twenty-two-year-old Bahraini designer Hayaa AlFadhel and her mother Nabila AlAissaoui has shaped a new breed of luxurious kaftans by blending Khaleeji and Moroccan design elements together. Dar Naseem AlAndalos is the result of practising attention to detail, embracing traditional handwork and creating modern designs. The brand, which is an established name in the Arab fashion industry, debuted in 2010 at the first Al-Abaa Exhibition. Their first haute couture collection was launched at The Bride Show at Abu Dhabi in 2012. Although it is a young name in the market, Dar Naseem AlAndalos has a lot to be proud of, including a show at London’s prestigious multi-brand store — Harrods. The unique designs have been preferred by regional celebrities like Mayssa Maghrabi, Lojain Omran, Nada Fadel, Sabrin Burshaid and Balqees Fathi. We speak to Hayaa AlFadhel about her latest collections and how they came about creating the brand. Woman This Month (WTM): Tell us about your new collection. Hayaa AlFadhel (HF): We did a lot of pieces during the whole year, particularly inspired by the royalty of Andalusia. This line is an exclusive collection of those luxurious pieces. The beauty of our designs is that they never go out of style. We’re focusing on creating just one haute couture line in a year. We’ve thus consciously delayed the promotion of our latest works. WTM: We hear there’s a story behind the photo shoot for the line. Can you tell us more? HF: We wanted a regal setting for our shoot; something that fits as the backdrop for our collection. We’ve been relying on fashion show shots; we wanted to do something editorial. Since we were going to Dubai for an interview, we chose to do our first haute couture shoot at Atlantis. The PR team took us on a tour of the venue. We saw a lot of locations, especially since we wanted to do something outdoor. My mother is inspired by the sea, which is evident in our turquoise pieces. She loves shades of blue; so we decided to have the sea as the backdrop. But then when they took us to the Royal Suite, we fell in love and we didn’t want to leave. We knew this was it. WTM: What’s it like working with your mother? HF: It’s fun! Yes it gets difficult sometimes. It’s not just my mom that I work with; there’s my dad too. He takes care of the management end of things; my mother handles the design part. I’m the creative side of the brand. We really depend on each other. Sometimes people ask us which piece is mine and which one was designed by my mother. The truth is there’s no such piece. We can’t design a garment unless we both decide on what we want to do with it. We fight a lot; it happens. (laughs) L to R: Hind Boumchamar, Nabila, Hayaa and Mayssa Maghrabi
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