The name Designer Shaik conjures up images of grandeur, opulence and timeless beauty rooted in the Arabian heritage and mystique of the desert sands. From fragrances to timepieces, everything Designer Shaik make carries their distinctive signature of timeless craftsmanship which in turn is reflected in the spectacular growth of this truly outstanding fashion house.
As one of the first Bahrain-based luxury brands that made a mark internationally, Life N Style was curious about the inspiration behind the House of Designer Shaik and the man who conjured it all up – CEO and Conceptualist Mohammad Al Asfoor. As Mr Asfoor opened his heart & the doors of his headquarters to us, the conversation flowed…here are some excerpts from the interview.
Each piece that Designer Shaik has launched has created a distinct identity for itself in the international luxury market. With its unique Arabian charm and modern presentation, what was the inspiration behind the brand?
Mohammad Al Asfoor: As an Arab, a Bahraini, who has lived in the region for a long time, I have seen the colourful history of Arabia – that was the inspiration for the desert prince – the Designer Shaik. This creative Shaik represents the rich, romantic and opulent Arabia of the past. We developed our products around his personality as the main theme of the brand. The mystique of the desert prince created an old-world Arabian charm that is embodied in our products and our customers across the world enjoy it. It combines the romantic vision of the Orient and the style and practicality of the West, an emotional and intellectual bridge between the East and the West.
What is unique about Designer Shaik is that you do everything in-house and everything in Bahrain. As one of the first luxury brands from Bahrain, what challenges did you face in doing something that had not been done before?
Mohammad Al Asfoor: The struggle was only initial and it’s all about the idea. You take the idea, start sketching, designing, and developing and then start the arduous process of bringing it to life and that takes years. Slowly, from one room we expanded to this three-storey building. But it takes ages before you get it right – the theme, the experimentation with the product, and everything that comes with building a big brand.
We have to talk about your iconic fragrance bottle designs, what inspired you to create something of such beauty and elegance?
Mohammad Al Asfoor: The design is similar to the ‘Khanjar’ which is a weapon used by men in the Arab world. There is nothing similar for the women, so we designed the bottle like a Khanjar serving a dual purpose in empowering women, she could use it to protect herself (symbolically, with the Khanjar), and use the perfume to attract the men she liked. The cap is like the eye of the falcon. The falcon is a prominent status symbol in the Arab world so we thought we will incorporate all these elements to make a beautiful bottle that embodies the message of love and empowerment from the desert prince.
These are excerpts from our video interview with Mohammad Al Asfoor at Designer Shaik’s headquarters in Bahrain, while we have presented to you the essence of our conversation here, however, only a video can bring alive the colourful personality of Mr Asfoor as he takes us on a tour of his design facility and is interrupted by his playful dog who wanted to be the video as well and well we acquiesced! You can watch the full interview here:
