Zaineb A.

Inspiration

For this dress, I wanted to create something that represents my culture and history. I am a Middle Eastern Muslim woman and I wanted this dress to showcase the beauty and extravagance of that part of the world. Over the past few decades, there has been so much misunderstanding and hate towards the Arab world and I want to take the attention off of that and bring people’s eyes to the art and beauty of my people. If there is one thing all human beings have in common, it would be our creativity and art. Wherever you go, you will find unique and beautiful examples of architecture, fashion, and cuisine. For this dress, I specifically chose to portray architecture and fashion. The mosque in the front of the dress was inspired by the Sheikh Zayed mosque located in Abu Dhabi. It is one of the most beautiful mosques in the world and it truly speaks to the beauty of Middle Eastern architecture. Creating the mosque was the most difficult and time-consuming aspect of creating this dress because I had to cut out every little piece and stick it onto the dress to make a perfect illusion of shadows and highlights. It is even more difficult to take photos because every little glare ruins the beauty of the piece. For the stars and patterns on the top layer of the dress and chest piece, I wanted to specifically represent architectural patterns you would normally find on the inside of mosques and Middle Eastern buildings. These designs consist of intricate detail and color, although most of the time the colors used are blue and gold. These patterns and designs can also be found in books, clothes, and everyday objects. The star design I specifically chose was also based on the Islamic star. I wanted a design that fit hand in hand with the mosque but that also offered a little simplicity for contrast. Lastly, for the headpiece, I was inspired by ancient Middle Eastern and Egyptian fashion. I wanted to create something that suited my hijab and the aesthetic of the dress. It was very difficult to create something that did both and it honestly happened by chance. I picked up an unused sheet of tape and began shaping it onto my head. I kept playing with it until I came to this shape and thankfully I was able to create something beautiful! Creating this dress was a huge challenge but I am very proud that I was able to create something that represents myself and my culture. Additionally creating this has allowed me to broaden my artistic abilities as I continue my love for creativity into art school this fall. I am so excited to create more things like this in my future because I know this is only the beginning for me!