Winking niqab iPhone covers

Design is one those industries that gives you com-plete flexibility, whether home or product or jewellery design. A designer may have training in one field, but never has to feel boxed in. That is the beauty of design.
Take some of the best creative minds, the late architect Zaha Hadid, for instance, who worked with jewellery companies such as Bvlgari and Danish design brand Georg Jensen, or American artist Richard Prince, who has collaborated with Louis Vuitton to design a special limited edition accessory line. Then there is Karl Lagerfeld, whose photography and fashion lines are equally well recognised. Creativity is all about agility. And an example of this is Dubai-based Fatma AlMulla.
Trained as a graphic designer, she started her own blog. This was prior to the days of Instagram or Snapchat, but still AlMulla found that her pictures were going viral. "I started to post more illustrations about cult-like objects that my society was obsessed about, like the Cartier love bracelet, the Chanel classic bag or the Louboutin heels. What was interesting is that my illustrations were going viral and used as display pictures for Blackberry, Whatsapp and Twitter ac-counts. When my blog hit 100,000 hits, my husband bought me a lot of books about how to start your own t-shirt brand. I never wanted to start a business or a Winking niqab iPhone covers FMM studio looks at design with a chic yet child-like vision.
The result? A homegrown brand that has a playful and distinctly Middle Eastern feel to itfashion label, but fortunately everything happened organically."And so her label FMM was born-and it designs fashion, accessories and product, including phone and passports covers. She adds her own quirky take on design to everything. This is a design house that produces fashionable products. Says Al-Mulla, "Everything initially starts with an idea. Everything starts with design". She says, "Studying graphic design makes you see the world in a different way, it allows you to visually analyze aspects of art, design and fashion." She describes her cultural infused label as, "Designed with love in sunny Dubai," And whether it's her burqa iPhone cases, or her graphic and uber colourful kaftan dresses, there is a touch of whimsy to everything she does. "Our latest products that are making a big buzz are the winking niqab phone-cov-ers," she says.
Using Arab culture as a base for every-thing she does, Al Mulla is able to salute this regions' rich culture with vibrancy."We design and daydream in colour, we create designs that are innovative, jux-taposed and extremely fun." There is even an adult colour book and stickers. "I used to be a sticker collector when I was younger, so yes I guess I've always had the "sticker" moment. So I've decided to create my own, however with a Middle Eastern flavour".There is a childlike quality to her work. This year Al Mullah has called her collection, "The Carbon Collection," drawn from inspiration from childhood memories." It takes you on a cultural journey through the old parts of Dubai. Inspired by the old steel doors of Deira, where each gated door tells a story of the families that have lived behind the door. I remember wandering the area as a child, fascinated by the grand, brightly patterned doors. I loved the congestion, I loved the traffic, I loved the people".
This pop-infused Middle Eastern style is becoming more and more popular. Besides her own website, FMM retails through The Fashion Vault and Ush boutique. She recently took part in special Ramadan pop-ups at Tyrano and Level Shoes, and is also finding stores outside the region are also interested in her product.
This was the first time Level Shoes supported a non-footwear pop-up. The five people strong FMM studio is proud of its Dubai roots. Says the de-signer, "Yes I feel the world is now tired of franchises and big brands and are now looking for more unique home grown tal-ent and products. I believe that the UAE is also headed in that direction." With as-pirations to be the Middle East's Jeremy Scott, an American designer who is also the creative director of Moschino and is known for fusing fashion with satire and pop-culture. A favourite with music stars such as Katy Perry, Rihanna and Miley Cyrus, he has worked on some iconic col-laborations that include teddy bear sneak-ers and adding wings to children's prams. AlMulla is happy to work on special col-laborations.
Having created illustrations for two restaurants, Falla and Zushi, she also works closely with her husband's company, Key Concept. This design and build company is known for its avant garde style-so from graphic to fashion, to product, it seems as if interiors could be next for FMM; a studio that truly believes that fun and functionality are the cornerstones of design.
sujata@khaleejtimes.com

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