Valentino’s abaya collection. Photo: Courtesy of Valentino
Valentino creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli has designed a 15-piece collection of haute couture abayas. The modest designs evoking the Italian luxury house’s signature craftsmanship will be unveiled exclusively in Qatar’s Doha Design District. The pieces have been created to mark this year’s edition of #QatarCreates, a week-long cultural initiative aimed at uplifting the country’s fashion and design scene.
Photo: Courtesy of Valentino
While nearly every piece in the collection showcases the graceful and feminine silhouettes associated with abayas, each one is unique in color and fabric. Think: a bold color palette of turquoise and royal blue, rich reds, and bright pink in luxe velvet, crêpe, and cashmere. Standout designs that are bound to be favorites in the region include a gold lurex abaya, entirely embroidered with gold sequins which are offset with a pale rose light cashmere lining. Another is a deep red, faille abaya with voluminous bows on the sleeves, and paired with a pink-sequinned dress. All abayas are also hooded for a more cohesive look, with some fully embellished. The special installation will house the couture abayas alongside Valentino’s fall/winter 2021 couture collection and the 12 artworks that inspired it.
Valentino FW21 couture collection presented in Doha. Photo: Courtesy of Valentino
With this collection, Valentino joins Dolce & Gabbana, Oscar de la Renta, and Tommy Hilfiger in the luxury and high fashion industry’s bid to be more inclusive by creating hijabs, abayas, and other modest pieces. Piccioli’s work is not the only couture collection to grace Doha this season. From November 6 to March 31, Dior will display more than 200 haute couture gowns for the first time in the Middle East at the Christian Dior Exhibition “Designer of Dreams” in Doha’s M7. It will include nine looks from the collection of Her Highness Sheikha Moza Bint Nasser, co-founder and chairperson of the Qatar Foundation.
Valentino’s exclusive abaya collection will be available on private appointments from October 31 to November 5 at Doha Design District.
