Nature, elegant women sources of inspiration

Every woman can feel like a star

Adiba Al-Mahboub is one of the most reputed haute couture fashion designers in the Gulf region. She designs evening and wedding dresses which appear to have much stronger ties with the occidental than the oriental traditional garments. Luxurious fabrics in glorious colors are the identification mark of her creations. These materials are often decorated with large floral patterns of woven-in pearls and beads or pearl embroidery.
A native of Kuwait, Al-Mahboub has had a love and talent for fashion and design since her early childhood. Her beautifully crafted designs are inspired by nature and the perfection of the universe interpreted through her boundless imagination. She studied fashion design in Beirut and then Paris before returning to Kuwait and establishing her own couture atelier.
The designer is known for her skilful combinations of luxurious and contrasting fabrics, textures and embellishments. Both her exquisite evening and bridal designs often feature both Western and Middle Eastern elements coming together in unique and harmonious ensembles.
Al-Mahboub has presented her collections at many prestigious fashion events throughout the world in cities like Paris, Beirut, Rome, Dubai, Stuttgart, Berlin and Bern as well as in many appearances throughout the Gulf States of Qatar, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and of course, Kuwait. She has also designed costumes for the Middle Eastern television program “Al Aseel”, as well as for the film “24 Hours in Morocco.”
Her clientele includes an array of Saudi Arabian and Qatari princesses as well as prestigious dignitaries, socialites and VIPs throughout the Middle East. Her creations are breathtaking combinations of the finest satins, silks, taffeta, chiffon, organza, tulle and lace with rich beading and jeweled embellishments.
Along with her staff and talented and skilled employees, Al-Mahboub prides herself on creating not just beautiful fashions, but also “Art from the Heart” – designs that transcend fabric and thread and touch the wearer’s inner spirit.
Al-Mahboub spoke to the Arab Times on her fashion work. Read on.
Q: Being a fashion designer in Kuwait must be challenging on many fronts. How does it feel to work as a fashion designer in Kuwait? Do you get due support from the society; especially from your family?
A: I belong to a family from the Arabian Peninsula. My family is well-known for its nobility of descent and modern outlook. This family background gave me an upbringing that awakened my senses for the finer things in life, for its intricate details.
As I grew up, I realized that I was artistically inclined with talents in poetry and art, and I also grew up to be very sensitive person. I love the tenderness of emotions.
My pursuits in life developed my faculties rather shaprly. My life was full of scents and fragrances. This also helped a great deal in the making of Adiba Al-Mahboub into what I am now. I find it easy to lose myself in the wonderful sights of nature. I love the dainty butterflies and the soft fragrant flowers.
These helped me a great deal in becoming a fashion designer.
Q: How do you define yourself as a designer? What are some of the basic elements you look for while designing?
A: Being a Kuwaiti designer, I put forward my designs that are distinguished for Bedouin Kuwaiti characteristics mixed between Eastern and Western styles. In all my fashion, you find comfort, enjoyment, excitement, challenge and courage.
Q: Designing like all forms of art is very subjective. Moreover, it involves clothes which directly affect the personalities of people. So, how do you choose your subjects for design? How do you prepare yourself for the task at hand?
A: My designs are a way of making all the people feel as if they were standing before a picture or a musical instrument that takes them to a world of charm and beauty. I want my designs to be a unique experience for not only those who wear my clothes but also to the beholders. However, I lay great store by the need to be quaint without being too loud or garish. I want my designs to reflect the beauty of colors in a harmonious way. In a manner that is adorable and pleasing. I am very particular about the elegance of design. I believe that it is these qualities that will make one a distinguished fashion designer.
I try to express the desire of every woman through my fashions that adhere to the latest trends and the rules in the world of fashion. I focus on making my design appeal to the sensibilities of the international community, be they Kuwaitis, people of the Gulf, Arabs at large or other nationalities.
Since my childhood, I have been interested in the world of colors and the beauty of nature. From the beginning of my life, I converted my dream into reality by decorating my house with the most unique and sophisticated designs.
So, having finished my studies, I seized the opportunity and knocked on fashion doors by attending some fashion design courses in Lebanon and France for the purpose of studying fashion more professionally.
I was keen on registering my name in the world of fashion after 15 years of continuous hard work. I used to work more than 12 hours a day. Nature and elegant women were the main sources of my inspiration.
Q: We are living in times when women’s issues, especially her clothes, have been the centre of much attention and discussion. The cultural integration of societies, advanced communication technologies that allow everyone to be updated on the latest trends and other factors have thrown the women’s issues in this region into sharp relief. How do you see fashion in these contexts?
A: The demand for a fashion that tenders to the needs, culture and personality of an Arab woman has of late prompted the proliferation of both Arab fashion designers and profitable businesses. For a woman to feel beautiful she needs to wear a gown that suits her personality, she feels comfortable in a dress designed by someone who understands her culture.
Supporting Eastern women by providing them with fashion designed especially for them is one of the core issues that I think of when I start designing every new collection of mine.
My fashion is a great opportunity of giving access to Arab women who want to feel beautiful. Arab women now don’t need to go all the way to Europe to buy an evening dress.
Every woman can feel like a star. I continue to support and build the self-esteem of Arab women, and believe that every woman can feel beautiful, special, unique and full of possibilities and potentials.
Working on a fashion collection is a unique and special experience. When thinking about a fashion show I don’t just present a group of nice dresses. I am always keen on presenting something new, different and outstanding. I love presenting dresses with strange but simple ideas that represent my identity and personality, so people would know that these are my designs.
Q: Fashion designing is a highly competitive field. It is very important to keep evolving to create your individual mark. Do you try to be different, and how do you accomplish that feat if yes? What is unique about your style as a fashion designer?
A: As a designer I mix different materials and textures in my designs. For example, I mix diaphanous fabrics and silk, both offer an exciting combination for evening dresses and wedding dresses. These models have wide, low necklines, skirts of different lengths with swinging hemlines, transparent veils and slits allowing ‘deep insights’.
While many of my designs appear Western, others are modeled on traditional Arab garments like the Jellabah, the caftan or the fanciful ensembles of belly-dancers.
The contradictions between the Orient and the Occident, international fashion and traditional Arab dress noticeable in my designs become obvious when you see me in black and with a headscarf surrounded by my models at the end of my shows.
My design approach is also visible in a city like Kuwait which is in the process of finding its place between international modernism and Arab culture.
The fashion industry is in fierce competition, especially from Paris and Rome. Our goal has always been to provide designs of Haute Couture for women, designing fashion for all occasions, in particular for weddings and formal occasions.
We also design dresses for evening wear and parties, as well as exclusive casual dresses. We are continually developing new styles to suit our customer’s requirements. Discussing with our clients their needs and tastes, to make our designs match the exclusive individuality of our clients. We also provide our own ready made label designs, exclusively for our customers.
We pride ourselves on our procedures that maintain a quality, by using the best trained, experienced and qualified staff. Ensuring at all times that the customer receives the best quality products, competitively priced time and quick delivery time. Quality and satisfaction for our customer is our policy.
Q: How do you inspire yourself to work? Do you focus on women’s issues or do you just allow yourself to wander through a maze of imagination to get a spark?
A: As a native of Kuwait I loved and had potential in fashion designing. I was aware of this from my childhood. My crafted designs are inspired by nature and the perfection of the universe interpreted through boundless imagination. I studied fashion design in Beirut and then Paris before returning to Kuwait and establishing my own couture atelier.
I am mostly known for my combinations of luxurious and contrasting fabrics, textures and embellishments. Both my exquisite evening and bridal designs often feature both Western and Middle Eastern elements coming together in unique and harmonious ensembles.
I have presented my collections at many prestigious fashion events throughout the world in such cities as Paris, Beirut, Rome, Dubai, Stuttgart, Berlin and Bern as well as in many appearances throughout the Gulf in countries like Qatar, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and of course, Kuwait. I have also designed costumes for the Middle Eastern television program “Al Aseel”, as well as for the film “24 Hours in Morocco.”
I have attended Couture Fashion Week which is a many-day event showcasing couture and luxury fashion. It also includes exhibits of luxury brands and fine art as well as world-class entertainment and receptions.
The event was held at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City and is occasionally held in other selected cities and is attended by upscale consumers, invited VIPs, the press and high-end store buyers. Couture Fashion Week offers unique branding opportunities for luxury products and services.

biography

Adiba Al Mahboub is a Kuwaiti fashion designer. Her first fashion show was held in February, 2002 at the Phoenicia Hotel, Beirut, Lebanon, under the name of “Al-Dazza.”
In 2002, she also participated in a show that took place in Doha Sheraton, Qatar, under the name of “Shefon Garden.”
In 2003, she participated in a show in Beirut, Lebanon, at Phoenicia Hotel, under the title “Desert Oasis.”
She, as honorary guest, took part in the show that took place in Kuwait in 2003 in Radisson SAS Hotel. This show was attended by some stars, including the prominent Lebanese star Al -Shaharoura Sabah.
As a Kuwait courtier who aspires for international participation and reaching Rome, the capital of fashions and fine arts, she took part in “Deserts and Coasts,” a show that took place in May, 2003.
She was chosen to represent Kuwait in the festival of “The First Arab Women Fashions” a show that took place in Dubai in 2004.
She presented special fashion show in Beirut at the Royal Hall in March, 2004.
She participated in the Fashion Lux World show in September 2004 with a group of designers from the Arab world.
She presented a show titled “Green Garden Group” in 2004. She was a charitable fashion show that took place in April. The proceeds of the show were given away for the cause of children in Lebanon.
She has also done charity shows for Kuwaiti Women Cultural Society in Kuwait Sheraton Hotel in 2004.
She participated in a show with foreign and Arab designers in Stuttgrat, Germany from April 15 to May 15.
She took part in a show with a group of foreign and Arab designers in Berlin, Germany in August 2005.
She was the dress designer for “Al-Aseel” a popular TV serial.

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