Qatar’s Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art made history last year when it hosted “Huguette Caland: Faces and Places,” a fascinating exhibit that chronicled six decades in the late Lebanese artist’s life. Pieces on show included paintings, drawings, smocks, sculptures and kaftans. The daughter of Bechara El Khoury, Lebanon’s first post-independence president, Caland was famed for her provocative work, exploring taboo subjects with grace, poetry and beauty.
Noor Aburish
Taking that exhibit as a starting point, M7 invited eight Qatar-based designers to seek inspiration from the Huguette Caland’s work and create their own kaftans. The designers were asked to infuse their own aesthetic into the kaftans, while also taking into consideration a contemporary audience that would embrace these novel designs.
The eight designer’ stylish kaftans were then displayed at M7, Qatar’s creative hub, in an exhibit curated in collaboration with Mohammed Rashid Al Thani. Each designer used materials of their own choice, exploring varied shapes and lines in order to relate a distinctive design story.
Reem Al Sahlawi
The eight participating designers include Alanood Al-Athba, Kaltham Al Kuwari, Lauren Morell, Rabab Abdulla, Noor Aburish, Yasmin Mansour, Reem Al Sahlawi and Maryam Al Darwish. The kaftan exhibit is currently on view at M7 in Doha and is part of the Zawra Program, which consists of a series of events and activities designed to connect creatives with experts, industry leaders and with one another.
Yasmin Mansour
