Created in 2019 for the Year of Tolerance, this thawb kandurah is covered with a ghaf tree motif. Unusually, the neck of the thawb has been left plain to create a silhouette effect of the kandurah underneath. It was a gift to The Zay Initiative by Emirati fashion designer Lubna Lootah.
A bias-cut thawb kandurah with diamond designs echoes Art Deco motifs, in shades of pale pink, ivory and lightest blue. Dating from 2011, this silk gown is decorated with crystals and metallic threads, and was a gift from Sheikha Moza bint Mubarak Al Nahyan, wife of Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamdan Al Nahyan. It is worn here with ankle boots by Christian Louboutin. All photos shot for Luxury magazine by photographer: Moez Achour. Fashion director: Sarah Maisey. Models: Cynthia and Mari at MMG Models. Hair and make-up: Sharon Drugan
Once owned by Shaikha bint Ali Al Za’abi, this gold and black tunic kandurah and matching thawb date back to 1990. The shayla, which is heavy with mzarai metal work, is from circa 1988 to 1994. Ankle boots as before.
Heavily embellished with gold embroidery down the front and at the cuffs, this silk combined thawb kandurah is scattered with crystals and metallic threads. It dates from 2011, and was a gift to the initiative from Sheikha Dr Shamma bint Mohammed bin Khalid al Nahyan.
In 2018, The Zay Initiative invited female UAE artists to hand-paint silk panels, which were then transformed into kandurahs and thawbs. This piece, marked with a beautiful butterfly motif, was created by Amalie Beljafla.
A striped silk kandurah with integrated thawb, circa 2011. Embellished with crystals and metallic threads, it was a gift to The Zay Initiative from Sheikha Fakhra Bint Saeed Al Nahyan, wife of Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan.
Another piece from the Artist collection, this was painted by the UAE’s Khulood Al Jabri, over a four-hour period. Here, it is worn with fringed boots by Christian Louboutin.
Created in three layers, this embellished thawb kandurah featured in the exhibition accompanying the launch of the book 'Sultani, Traditions Renewed: Changes in Women’s Traditional Dress in the UAE During the Reign of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan 1966-2004', by Reem El Mutwalli. Made from heavily embellished silk, it was a gift from Sheikha Shamsa bint Hamdan Al Nahyan, wife of Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Part of the Artist series, this hand-painted piece was created by artist Najat Makki in 2018, and was made into a kandurah overlaid with a shimmering thawb. It is worn with boots by Christian Louboutin.
Created in 2019 for the Year of Tolerance, this thawb kandurah is covered with a ghaf tree motif. Unusually, the neck of the thawb has been left plain to create a silhouette effect of the kandurah underneath. It was a gift to The Zay Initiative by Emirati fashion designer Lubna Lootah.
A bias-cut thawb kandurah with diamond designs echoes Art Deco motifs, in shades of pale pink, ivory and lightest blue. Dating from 2011, this silk gown is decorated with crystals and metallic threads, and was a gift from Sheikha Moza bint Mubarak Al Nahyan, wife of Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamdan Al Nahyan. It is worn here with ankle boots by Christian Louboutin. All photos shot for Luxury magazine by photographer: Moez Achour. Fashion director: Sarah Maisey. Models: Cynthia and Mari at MMG Models. Hair and make-up: Sharon Drugan
Once owned by Shaikha bint Ali Al Za’abi, this gold and black tunic kandurah and matching thawb date back to 1990. The shayla, which is heavy with mzarai metal work, is from circa 1988 to 1994. Ankle boots as before.
Heavily embellished with gold embroidery down the front and at the cuffs, this silk combined thawb kandurah is scattered with crystals and metallic threads. It dates from 2011, and was a gift to the initiative from Sheikha Dr Shamma bint Mohammed bin Khalid al Nahyan.
In 2018, The Zay Initiative invited female UAE artists to hand-paint silk panels, which were then transformed into kandurahs and thawbs. This piece, marked with a beautiful butterfly motif, was created by Amalie Beljafla.
A striped silk kandurah with integrated thawb, circa 2011. Embellished with crystals and metallic threads, it was a gift to The Zay Initiative from Sheikha Fakhra Bint Saeed Al Nahyan, wife of Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan.
Another piece from the Artist collection, this was painted by the UAE’s Khulood Al Jabri, over a four-hour period. Here, it is worn with fringed boots by Christian Louboutin.
Created in three layers, this embellished thawb kandurah featured in the exhibition accompanying the launch of the book 'Sultani, Traditions Renewed: Changes in Women’s Traditional Dress in the UAE During the Reign of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan 1966-2004', by Reem El Mutwalli. Made from heavily embellished silk, it was a gift from Sheikha Shamsa bint Hamdan Al Nahyan, wife of Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Part of the Artist series, this hand-painted piece was created by artist Najat Makki in 2018, and was made into a kandurah overlaid with a shimmering thawb. It is worn with boots by Christian Louboutin.
Created in 2019 for the Year of Tolerance, this thawb kandurah is covered with a ghaf tree motif. Unusually, the neck of the thawb has been left plain to create a silhouette effect of the kandurah underneath. It was a gift to The Zay Initiative by Emirati fashion designer Lubna Lootah.
The UAE's collectors: preserving Arab culture through clothing
Reem El Mutwalli has gathered more than 2,000 pieces of traditional Middle Eastern clothing, playing a crucial role in sustaining a small, but important part of Arab history
