A painting can evoke a sense of beauty or sadness, a sculpture can inspire awe or fear, and a piece of music can stir the soul. Visual art has the power to move people in ways that words simply cannot.
In recent times, one of Bahrain’s most prolific woman fashion designers & entrepreneurs, Nada Alawi, has found a way to help us not just acquire and gaze at art from afar but to experience its ethereal beauty in a more personal manner, giving us a creative outlet to explore our inner selves, to connect with others, and to express ourselves in a myriad of ways.
In 2011, Nada founded ‘ANNADA’, a luxury lifestyle brand that transforms art into fashion accessories and apparel, with her sister Noor Alawi. Through ANNADA, she works with local artists to create unique and eye-catching designs often inspired by the natural world, and feature bold colours and patterns. Through these pieces, Nada believes that art can make them more beautiful, more meaningful, and more personal.
Speaking to Life N Style, Nada Alawi talks about her work, her passion for art, and her hope that her pieces will bring joy to others.
Art is unquestionably one of the purest and highest elements in human happiness. It trains the mind through the eye, and the eye through the mind. As the sun colours flowers, so does art colour life. Through your label, your synergy with artists – your wearable art has created a movement of joy. As someone who isn’t, traditionally speaking, an artist – what sparked the inspiration for this entrepreneurial venture?
Nada Alawi: I consider myself an artist and dabble in painting and while I am not a professional, I consider my keen eye for art and art curation my strongest suit. I have realised that my calling is to share art and the happiness which it brings to the world.
The statement you made in the question is very true. It’s because most art, while not all, does bring us joy. And I’ve made this my personal mission.
Through the curation process that we do at ANNADA, we find art that speaks to us, tells us stories, tugs at our hearts and makes us feel alive!
It was this feeling that evolved into an idea. At first, it was a straightforward transition from a painting to a scarf, and now it has evolved into a vast interpretation of many artworks into many pieces, whether it’s fashion, accessories, or lifestyle pieces.
Your label has grown many fold since it began and is now quite impressively stocked at Saks Fifth Avenue in the Middle East, The Louvre Abu Dhabi, the Presidential Palace Museum, and the Dahesh Museum of Arts in New York City apart from your flagship store in Bahrain. For aspiring designers, can you share a few leaves from your playbook?
Success is not really a straight line that moves forward constantly. It’s a series of activities that require a lot of planning, a lot of patience, and a step forward in the right direction every day.
It could be as simple as that but it isn’t really! Because it is also about constant hustle and trial and error, ups and downs. And above all, designers need to ask themselves if they are doing the best they can to create a world-class product that will allow them actually experience true success and fame.
From a high-flying oil executive in the US, to the board of several institutions in Bahrain, to a renowned designer, and winner of several awards for entrepreneurship there have been several milestones in your life, which would you say has been the most memorable one for you?
Every award that I have received is, and has been a very important achievement and milestone for us. It feels so great to be appreciated and honoured but I would say that I appreciate them all equally, including the wonderful words from my customers that sometimes they share with us personally and over social media. The reality is every award, and every beautiful word is a continuous validation of our work, and we love that.
Your collections are full of life and vibrant colours – what factors influence you when you are building your new collection? What is your design philosophy?
There are several elements that influence us. Firstly, we gauge the trending colours, and moods, according to the season that will be prevalent when the collection hits the market. Based on that, we build a collection and choose artworks that talk to us, that we feel would also resonate with our clientele.
In every collection, we invite a new artist to collaborate with us and bring to life a magical interpretation that we know would work beautifully in harmony. We also keep in mind to create something unique for people with different personalities, creations that stand out and are yet symphonic.
Above all else, when designing our collection, one of the most important factors we take into account is falling in love! We fall in love with certain artworks, and certain stories, and that’s how build the collection – one step at a time.
Honestly, it is really a very lengthy and very elaborate curation process from choosing the artworks to the final product.
What are your favourite trends for the upcoming season?
Personally, I am a fan of the classic style. Trend-wise I feel the classic is the way ahead. And of course, I love to accessorize.
What is your favourite piece of clothing in your wardrobe?
That’s a very tough question because I cannot narrow it down to one single thing. But I love my scarves. They’re a very important accessory simply because there is so much that can be done with a scarf.
Who are your fashion icons?
I like how Queen Rania and Shaikha Moza dress. They’re beautiful. It mirrors my own style – it’s elegant and modest.
I also love Jackie Kennedy, Grace Kelly, and all the fifties and sixties style icons. I like how Oprah and Michelle Obama dress as it is closer to my personal style but it doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate showstopping pieces. It’s really about visual pleasure and comfort.
So when I choose, I like to go for beauty, comfort, and elegance.
What is your advice for aspiring fashion designers from Bahrain and the Middle East?
I think it’s about finding the right formula for yourself and your company and being true to what you like. And personally, I can’t give advice, but I can share my personal experience. I design it to be good enough for me, and if it’s good enough for me, I love to share it. So I guess I would be my best critic and my best client.
