Designing elegant pieces with a focus on precision tailoring and colorful and geometric constructions is quickly becoming a signature of the Kuwaiti-based Ghain Ghada line. Its designer, Showg Al Mudhaf, speaks to Style.com/Arabia about following her destiny and keeping her sister’s aesthetic alive.
ON FINDING HER FOOTING
Along with my brother and sister, I was born and raised in Kuwait City and was always considered “the artsy child.” I had a good childhood but I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease at the age of 9 and was in and out of hospital quite a bit. I did complete my school however and majored in marketing and minored in management information systems. I went on to work at a bank, but it never felt right.
ON HER CAREER CHANGE
One morning I woke up and thought: I can’t live this life anymore. I told my parents that I was going to quit my job at the bank but my decision was met with a lot of resistance. They always wanted me to have a stable, desk job. My parents even threatened to cut me off; but finally, with the support of my sister, who was a year older than me, we started designing together.
ON HER SISTERLY COLLABORATION
My sister was very whimsical and angelic—she liked anything white. She was also very technical and focused on how finishings should look and how a dress should be constructed, on the inside and outside. I was the more creative and outgoing of the two. We were a good team.
ON DESIGNING OUR VERY FIRST DRESS
(Laughing) It was disgusting! So ugly—shiny and glittery with lace… but I kept it to remind myself of where we started. It was such a huge let down because in my mind it was so much prettier and it should have looked perfect. I actually wore it. I wanted people to see me in it and I got a lot of negative comments—people thought that I should go back to working in a bank. We tried again and the second and third dresses were also pretty bad, but we kept persevering and by the fourth and fifth, we were on our way.
ON DECIDING TO TAKE THEIR DESIGNS PUBLIC
Initially, we only showcased our designs to friends and family. We didn’t go to a showroom or exhibition space in Kuwait because we didn’t want people to judge us and we were afraid of rejection. Finally, in 2012, after a year of work, we took on a fake name and entered a showroom and surprisingly, our clothes sold out in two days. That’s when we decided to emerge from the shadows.
ON THE REBRANDING OF GHAIN GHADA
My sister had lupus—but she was fine—and then one day, she wasn’t. Two years ago, we were told to take her to London for an emergency surgery. She was in the hospital for a week but she didn’t make it. We were all with her. She was only 28-years-old.
After my sister’s passing, not continuing our work was not an option. This is my life and so I rebranded the company and renamed it after her. I always have my sister in my mind. I try and infuse both her and my design ideas into each collection and simultaneously make the clothes both conservative and outgoing. I imagine her behind my shoulder saying that I should design something in a more conservative or elegant fashion. I always have conversations or arguments with her in my head.
ON THE GHAIN GHADA SILHOUETTE
Whether a woman is very thin or curvaceous, her silhouette will always look the same in a Ghain Ghada design—whether she is a size 0, 4, 6, or an 8. My sister always stressed that a garment has to fit everyone the same way—no matter their size.
ON KEEPING UP WITH THE FASHION INDUSTRY
I used to do just one collection a year, but now we are going to do three: Spring, Fall, and a Ramadan collection. Now, we have a huge office space in Kuwait City with a show space for buyers and we are expanding. It’s a struggle to keep up with the fast pace of the fashion industry because it’s very versatile and you have to alter your designs and be very hands-on, especially if you want to be an international designer—but this is my dream.
KUWAIT CITY: Shop Ghain Ghada at Audrey’s Closet and soon at Harvey Nichols and Nass boutique.
DUBAI: Shop Ghain Ghada at Das Collection and look for the upcoming Ghain Ghada event in Snob boutique Dubai this December.
Follow Ghain Ghada on Instagram here.
As told to Caterina Minthe
