zayn initiative | Mr X Stitch

Last year I spend a lot of time travelling through Africa, looking at all the tribal textiles and crafts that influenced Ruth Carter when she designed the costumes for The Black Panther movie. Now that she has won the Oscar for Best Costumes, it is time to move on. In the next few months, I will spend time in the Middle East. It is an often misunderstood and misrepresented region and by sharing the wonderful textiles, craft and fashion from those cultures I hope to make a small contribution to educate, inform and dispelling misconceptions. In the first post on this topic, I'm looking at the traditional dress of the United Arab Emirates. The popular belief is that Arabian women only wear black, but the reality could not be any different. Rich fabrics, intricate embroidery, fabulous embellishments combined with opulent jewellery and elaborate henna decorations all contribute to make traditional Arabian dress some of the most opulent in the world. The discovery of oil in the 1960s brought international influences and changed many customs, and unfortunately, much of the rich textile history became unfashionable and redundant. But there are a few beacons of hope who not only kept their own heritage alive but are now working tirelessly to preserve this heritage for future generations. (more…)