Bint Al-Balad puts mother-daughter bond in spotlight

Traditions run deep in our cultures, going back to hundreds of years, we’ve grown accustomed to them and by time, they evolve to match the flow of time. One such great tradition in the Arab world is the mother/daughter relationship that is by no wonder quite special. From a young tender age, young girls have always looked up at motherly figures, mothers, older sisters, aunts and grandmothers. You’d see them follow them to the kitchen and try to help, copy the way she speaks, comb her doll’s hair like her mother does with her and even try to dress like her. Yes we’ve seen it all, a girl’s first true idol is her mother. As girls grow, their need to become more like their mother increases and the best example would be to raid a mother’s closet. Oh the beautiful disaster! Girls trying on heels, dresses, putting on powder and the lipstick (yikes), regardless of the mess, it’s still a sight to keep a photographic memory of. To grab that thought and put it to work, create a project, become innovative and produce something unique is something very special. Two cousins did just that. Bedoor and Fatima Alesayi are two cousins, two mothers with beautiful daughters who set out on their own to recreate a traditional past time.
“Bint Al-Balad” is a story. The two designers began their line starting off as a kids line then moving on to mommy and me designs after the realization that there were no jalabiyas for kids in the market what so ever. Their daughters were at an age where they wanted to join in with wearing jalabiyas but the market just didn’t provide anything. The brand is a seasonal brand available every Ramadan and that suits the direction the designers are partaking. Ramadan is a month of peace, piety, reconnecting with the Almighty and spiritual side. It’s also a month where families gather and celebrate the beautiful month of Ramadan in the comfort of their homes. Young kids run and play while their mothers sit close by watching and their fathers sit for coffee and talk about the latest in society. It’s a month where comfort is an essential part of the daily obligations and the two cousins attempted at recreating the mother/daughter bond through something mutual, clothes. Little girls and dresses come hand in hand and what better way to teach them something about this beautiful month than through a garment that they can share with their mothers.
To create an identity for the brand, the designers chose to create a concept for the year of production, each jalabiya held its own name following the concept. Their first year of launch, they named each piece with old traditional names, the second was naming each piece with Saudi Arabia’s most special flowers such as Yasmine, Sawsan, Musk, and Amber. This year being their third year since their launch in the Saudi market, they chose to go ahead and name their pieces according to the most famous names in the GCC area as well as the Kingdom. There’s Fouz from Kuwait, Hessa from Riyadh, Tamara from Madinah, Shamsah from the UAE, Mozah from Qatar, Latifa from Oman, Shamma from Bahrain and so much more. Each jalabiya is unique and significant on its own. With each piece, the designers would study a certain location’s traditional clothing, the colors most favored, they’d try to produce something beautiful in connection with its name. No design is the same as its sister design, making each garment singular and the best part is that young girls and their mothers, aunts, grandmothers and older or younger sisters can all wear the same garment each in their size, creating a striking fashionable bond. There is also a story with each garment created.
When asked about their favorite jalabiya from each collection, this was their response, “This is the most difficult question you could ever ask. Each year we create around 40 designs and we finalize about 10, it’s impossible to choose! They’re all so beautiful and it’s impossible to choose, can you choose a favorite child? No way! We love to see our customers choose their favorite pieces on their own, and it’s nice to see how diverse their tastes can be. We’re doing something good and we see it through our customers.”
To stay at the top of the game, the designer cousins chose to go abroad to create their fabric designs and choose the finest of materials. The idea of copying their designs isn’t an insult, it’s a show of success from their part, but they still choose to have their fabrics from abroad due to the wide range variety and diversity. Each garment is flowy, cool and light made from the finest fabrics and beautiful embroidery.
“Our first goal was to find a way to have our kids love Ramadan, have them feel the importance of the holy month and understand that Ramadan is a special month for us Muslims. Young boys have their thobes that they can share with their dads, but we did this in order for young girls to feel that same connection with their moms and thus understand why we wear jalabiyas and why we feel better wearing them throughout the month of Ramadan. It’s the concept of comfort, calmness and respect for this beautiful holy month and all that comes along with it.”
For more on Bint Al-Balad, kindly follow their Instagram page: Bint__albalad
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