Friday, Feb 06, 2009

Gulf News

Dubai: Abaya - the flowing black fabric that Emirati women dress in - has been used for more than a century and it's still a favourite among the young generation.

This is despite the all irresistible eye-catching fashionable outfits and brand labels that have been bombarding the UAE markets recently. Emirati women have managed to combine the latest fashion's requirements with the abaya. Gulf News spoke to some Emirati young girls and women, and they offered their views regarding the attire.

Aida Al Busaidy, 25, said: "Either wear it right or don't wear it at all. As a young girl, I never understood the concept of the abaya and why it was worn and what it meant for us. As a girl from the Gulf, I grew up looking at the abaya as a cultural outfit."

Aida, who is the Internal Communications Vice President with the Dubai Group added: "Nowadays, people have taken our designs and used them for culture, religion as well as for fashion. The designs and layout of the abaya has changed but the concept remains the same, which is modesty!"

"For me, the abaya represents a beautiful robe that helps us identify with our heritage and what we hold dear to our hearts. Wearing it makes me a proud Emirati, even though our style is different from Saudi and Qatari women but having it on is a sense of pride that I belong to a group of women who no matter how old they are, we all are the same, we all represent one country and unified in our values and morals which is what the abaya represents," she added.

Aida says the abaya is not something forced on women because of religion even though it fulfils the religious aspect of covering up decently. "I get a sense of joy when I see women wearing it, but if they wear it right. Some women wear mini skirts and use the abaya provocatively to attract the opposite sex which is not the purpose of wearing the abaya and that makes me mad. Either wear it right or don't wear it at all," she emphatically says.

Shaikha Rashid, 36, who is a housewife, agrees with Aida: "Abaya is worn to cover the body and reflect decency. Nowadays, unfortunately many women are compromising its design by over-accessorising it and not to mention the way they wear it. Some of them wear a short skirt or some leggings beneath it. I really wonder why."

She continues: "Abaya is our signature style. The UAE society is always known as conservative and strongly attached to its tradition and heritage. Therefore, we grew up having a precious link and loyalty to our religion, values and costume. To me, Abaya adds an extra decent value to a lady and differentiates her from the others. I'm so proud of our costume and I'll encourage my daughter to wear it as well," she says.

Said Loloua Yousuf, the corporate finance director at Dubai Internet City said: "I like to wear the abaya as it does say so much about my personality, culture, and background. My mother and my grand mother wear it; it's a precious costume inherited from one generation to another."

Emirati student Kholoud Abdulla, 14, who attends the Nouf Secondary School in Sharjah, said: "I've been wearing the abaya since I was 15 years old. To tell you the truth at first my family asked me to postpone it until after a few more years. However, perhaps due to the influence I got from fellow students, I felt I should also wear it. I didn't regret donning it at a very young age."

"The most expensive abaya I have was Dh5,000 and I wear it during special occasions only," Kholoud says.

Grandmother Gaiah Khalfan, 60, said: "It's our history and future, under no circumstances can we ditch it or replace it by other fashionable outfits."

Do you wear an abaya? Do you think abayas have become more of a fashion statement than a cultural requirement?

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