If you thought abayas were strictly worn to cover and conceal, you were mistaken. The Haal Inc.’s 006 10-piece capsule collection redefines the traditional garment as an outerwear piece that can easily cross over from day to night. Imagined by Sotra (an online fashion label) founders Mariam Bin Mahfouz and Nouf Hakeem, the new collection was born out of a cloak concept and reinterpreted into an easy-to-wear overlay that plays on a mix of materials and textures to be infused into any woman’s wardrobe.
NOURIAH AL SHATTI: Why did you decide to start designing abayas?
MARIAM BIN MAHFOUZ: Nouf and I were on the lookout for something more subtle and toned down that leaned towards structured shapes, cuts, and textures. We also had people constantly asking us to create Sotra abayas, but Sotra as a brand could not carry abayas as a part of its line. Therefore, we decided to create Haal Inc. as an experimental project.
We debuted our first collection at a retail expo called Bisat Al Reeh in Jeddah during Ramadan in 2010. To our surprise, people loved it and kept inquiring about where they could find it outside of the expo. We decided to give Haal Inc. a permanent home on the upper floor of Sotra in Ana, Special Mall.
Why did you choose to name your line Haal Inc.?
Haal means cardamom in Arabic. It’s an aroma that every Arab relates to. Haal Inc. represents a nostalgic notion of the beauty you can encounter if you embrace your culture.
Tell us about your design philosophy.
Haal Inc. is about the woman who wears it. She knows good designs when she sees them. She appreciates quality and has an eye for beauty. We love the play of soft and hard by mixing textiles and creating contrasts. Our abayas are wearable, easy, and effortless. We design the garment as a whole, as a look, and we consider our client’s lifestyle. An abaya is a superhero’s cape and women are the modern-day superheroes.
