The Abduls On Family Time, Festive Dressing And Representing Medina Girls In Fashion

Stars of Ralph Lauren’s global holiday campaign, the Saudi power influencers talk to Harper’s Bazaar Arabia about spending time together during the lockdown and what they’re looking forward to this season

This year more than ever, family, togetherness and unity are held in the highest regard by us all, especially as we embrace festive season – and these are the precious sentiments that Ralph Lauren has chosen to highlight and indeed celebrate for its global holiday campaign.

The Family is Who You Love project captures intimate moments between a diverse set of siblings, parents, friends and communities from around the world, and amongst them are Saudi sister influencers, The Abduls.

For this Ralph Lauren campaign, the better-known siblings Sakhaa, 29, and Thana, 26 are once again joined by younger sister Duaa Abdul, 18 – making this her second venture with the brand. The trio are pictured in an array of sequins, motifs and patterns on a backdrop of red, black, blue and white knits.

“It is such a dream to be part of a global campaign where we can represent our city of Medina, and our home of Saudi Arabia,” Thana explains. “We got huge positive feed on Twitter from Medina girls who are reaching out to us, saying they feel represented for the first time ever within the fashion community.” 

Entrepreneurs Sakhaa and Thana are no strangers to the limelight, with almost 73k Instagram followers on their @theabduls account, and successful cult fashion label Coded Nation to their name. But high-end campaigns are still a novelty to younger sister Duaa, who is currently studying for her A-level qualifications in England. “It was a bit weird to dive into what Sakhaa and Thana usually do without me, and seeing a whole new side of them through the camera,” recalls Duaa. “It also made me gain a lot more respect for them because what they do is hard work.”

With all the girls growing up such good friends, working together was always a natural next step. “We are a very close family; our home is all girls so you can imagine the chaos that goes around, but also the love,” Sakhaa smiles. “The three of us are really tight, our mother even calls us a small gang.”

Their family dynamic became even tighter during the pandemic, when they were forced into lockdown together at their home in London. “I love waking up to a loud household, there’s always someone to talk to, walk, fight, and cook with,” continues Sakhaa. “You’re never really alone when you’re friends with your own family, and I mean that in the best way possible, because there is someone with you to witness every moment, whether good or bad.”

So what does holiday season mean to the girls? “We usually spend this time together having meals prepared by our mother; she cooks the most delicious Hejazi food,” says Thana. “And sometimes we spend a couple of days in the countryside, binge watching all the Christmas movies such as Home Alone.”


And the girls all have their own style when it comes to festive dressing. “Jumpers, lots of jumpers, with all the prints in the world,” laughs Sakhaa. “My mother is a huge Princess Diana fan, and we also love Harry Styles, so you can imagine where the heavy influence comes from!”

Duaa goes for something more polished: “I love a lot of leather, whether it’s trousers or a blazer. There’s just something about it that makes me feel like I’m in The Matrix.” And when it comes to a favourite piece from the Ralph Lauren holiday collection, Thana chooses whimsy: “I loved the entire collection, but my absolute favourite piece would have to be the Polo Bear Jumper Sakhaa wore, but in black. It’s a classic Ralph Lauren signature item.”


The Ralph Lauren Holiday collection is available now.

From Harper’s Bazaar Arabia’s December 2020 issue.