Decoding history
Taking inspiration from three generations, Emirati designer Shoug Fardan’s work is an exploration of nostalgia and modernity.
By Kate Hazell
It’s not new or unusual for a designer to draw from the rich culture of the past to inspire their work in a modern context. Shoug Fardan, one of the latest young designers to emerge from the UAE, is looking to her heritage to spark a narrative about what it means to be an Emirati woman today. “I want women [who wear my clothes] to question where they’ve come from, what their heritage is, and where they’re going,” explains the 27-year-old Dubai native.
Fardan grew up surrounded by creativity. Her mother, Aisha Juma, is a multimedia artist exhibiting across the region and internationally. Her aunt, Fatma Juma, is also a visual artist with whom Fardan collaborated for her second collection. Fardan studied at New York’s prestigious Parsons School of Design, graduating with a degree in Fashion Design in 2017. “While I was in New York, I feel like I found my identity,” she reminisces. “Being Emirati was interesting for most of my professors, so it made me think about who I am, where I’ve come from, what my history is, and implement that throughout my work.”
In that history, her mother and grandmother loom large. In her senior year at Parsons, Fardan reflected on photographs of her grandmother in the 1970s wearing clothes she had made herself, deconstructing and then reconstructing traditions by mixing the shayla [headscarf] and burghu [a traditional face covering] with sharp modern tailoring. The images inspired Fardan to create clothes that express individuality, setting the tone for her brand. “My grandmother’s style, mixing eastern and western codes, was a part of my identity growing up and has been inherited in the way I dress, and now the way I design,” she says.
Returning to Dubai after graduation, Fardan hired a tailor, set up a studio in the family home, and launched her label, Shoug, in 2018, around an exploration of nostalgia and modernity. While her debut collection, imported, experimented with genderless silk pieces and floral prints, it was her second collection, surreaList, where Fardan found her feet. She collaborated with her aunt, whose minimalist sketches adorn monochrome dresses and outerwear inspired by traditional pieces but with structured silhouettes. The shapes fluidly envelope the body in a way that’s modest yet starkly modern. “For me, fashion is all about art but on the body,” says Fardan. “One of my passions is looking at pieces that move with the body and how fashion corresponds with humans.” Fardan fuses feminine and masculine narratives to challenge traditional gender norms. “In my community, gender is stricter than in other countries, yet men wear dresses; it’s the traditional garment for them, which is funny for me. So I want to explore that in my work in the form of masculine dresses, for instance.”
Fardan is working on her third collection, a collaboration with Azyame, an incubator programme for young designers, an initiative of the Irthi Contemporary Crafts Council in Sharjah. As part of the programme, Fardan is working with Emirati artisans who produce strips of fabrics using the talli technique, a traditional Emirati weaving process that involves twisting and braiding different strands of thread together to create long strips of textile with intricate patterns. “It’s been challenging to incorporate the colourful, complex technique into my aesthetic that’s characterised by earthy colours and minimalism, but I definitely want to work with more local artisans to preserve our heritage going forward,” she says.
Her 10-piece collection is due to be released later this year. Fardan aims to keep building her brand in a way that allows her to produce one collection a year with key pieces that are luxurious yet versatile, wearable and progressive, and a reflection of the evolution of cultural norms in the UAE. Her outerwear, for instance, can be worn as a traditional abaya or just as easily thrown over jeans.
“From the women that I’ve met who buy my clothes,” she says, “one thing I think they all have in common is that they want to feel different in their everyday lives. They want individuality.”
Photos courtesy of Shoug Fardan
