Qatari Designer Ghada Al Subaey On Empowering Woman By Making The Abaya A Wardrobe Staple
The designer is using her 1309 brand as a sartorial platform to give the women she dresses a sense of freedom
Fashion designer Ghada Al Subaey, the founder and creative director of the up-and-coming Qatari brand 1309, is on a mission to make the abaya a mainstream fashion fixture. She wants to turn it into a wardrobe staple to be worn and appreciated in its own right, not just a garment to be worn over something else. But the Young Designer Arab Woman Award winner is also focused on using her brand as the lynchpin for something bigger. She sees it as a sartorial touchstone that is “revolutionising the way women think about fashion in Qatar”.
Ghada also just launched The Cutting Studio (aka TCS) at M7 in Msheireb. A first in the region, it has been conceived as an incubator for creatives in the country, specifically for fashion designers. The hub acts as a support centre, offering mentorships and resources to help those just starting out to develop and showcase their collections. “TCS is a venue to explore, develop and nourish young creative talent and to enable their artistic imagination to materialise,” proclaimed Ghada.
Harper’s Bazaar Arabia spoke exclusively with the designer about the origins of her brand, how she is building a community of women set on writing the next chapter in her nation’s history and where she hopes her ambitions will take her next.
Where does the name 1309 come from? 1309 is my mother’s birthday. I chose this name to pay homage to her, as I got my fashion sense and taste from my mother. I learned all about stitching and fabrics from my mother, watching her stitch and cut when I was younger. How would you describe the aesthetic of the brand? The aesthetic is of a carefree, bohemian girl. 1309 girls should feel they can wear our abayas and feel free to be themselves, feel free to even run and play around if they please. The clothes they wear should not be a restraint.
How would you describe the aesthetic of the brand? The aesthetic is of a carefree, bohemian girl. 1309 girls should feel they can wear our abayas and feel free to be themselves, feel free to even run and play around if they please. The clothes they wear should not be a restraint.
The general feeling regarding abayas tend to be that they can be restrictive rather than freeing and it is very important for me that in the fabrics, colours and cuts I choose that they make girls feel fun and alive. It should feel like an outfit, rather than a covering for an outfit. Also, the fabric we use at 1309 is meant to complement all various body types and shapes. We are trying to help women feel freer and more relaxed when they wear our clothes.
Who do you see in your mind’s eye when you are designing your collections? I want people to feel relaxed and most like themselves while wearing a 1309 piece of clothing. A lot of times when people are not comfortable in their clothes, they are not themselves. And that impacts their experiences wherever they go, be it with their family or when they go out with friends or go to work. How your clothes make you feel affects your whole day and impacts all your experiences throughout the day. Therefore, I think very carefully about how 1309 clothes will affect the emotions of the person wearing them, rather than just which colour will go with which embroidery. Therefore, a 1309 woman is daring, who lives life, who likes to stand out.
What is it like to be a woman in fashion in Qatar? It feels very good as there has recently been a lot of focus on Qatar with regards to fashion. This has given a lot of local brands the boost and the courage to go big and take their brands seriously, to try to explore more as there is a lot of support available to designers in Qatar at the moment. Therefore, I am very hopeful and happy as the fashion industry in Qatar has come such a long way in the past few years and it’s exciting times for all of us.
What are your hopes for younger Arab women and the opportunities available to them? The courage to take on the responsibility and show commitment to build the kind of life they want and to achieve their goals. My hope for younger Arab women is to believe that they can get married, have families but also have a career along with it. I want to see younger Arab women aspire to have it all and not be restricted to their traditional role as homemakers only. For them to realise that along with that they can fulfil their professional and personal goals too.
What are your goals for the brand in terms of expansion and global recognition? I want to change this stigma around abayas. For an abaya brand not to be seen as ‘less than’. I want abayas to become as respected globally as kimonos and to see everyone around the world wearing them; not necessarily to cover the body, but instead as a fashion statement. Every designer in the world has made a kimono, and it seems like something that is fashionable and celebrated. I would like to change perceptions about the abaya the same way.
You have also tried to build a community around the 1309 label. Can you talk a bit about the thinking behind that initiative? The idea behind this community is to create a safe place for women. A place where women come together to empower and uplift each other professionally and otherwise; to develop a platform where women feel free to speak up, seek support and take a moment to heal from the daily challenges of life in today’s fast-paced technological world. I saw the need to create a community in Qatar where women can turn to take care of their emotional wellbeing and leave no stone unturned to make it into a reality. Hence, today the 1309 community meets regularly to discuss various women-centric issues, holds inspirational talks and meditation classes.
Right now, what is the most important thing to you, and the brand you have created? For me, it is important to never forget or let go of the reason why I started the brand; which was to close the gap in the market for women like me who wanted to dress for themselves and feel good about themselves, rather than to dress for others, or for men or society in general. I want every woman to be able to dress in clothes that are designed to make them feel comfortable and good about themselves.
Photography by Greg Adamski
From Harper’s Bazaar Arabia’s December 2021 issue