AMMAN — A Friday stroll through Jordan’s cultural summer bazaar,
Souq Jara, inspired Jordan’s
Petra Orfali to take up fashion design at the age
of 13. Years later, Orfali’s pieces have found a home in the closets of fashion
icons like
Her Majesty Queen Rania.
اضافة اعلان
“Unique” is the word Petra Orfali uses to describe her
designs, which find meeting points between modern trends in fashion and staples
of Jordanian culture.
“Our brand is very modern but at the same time, it has a
traditional twist. It makes it very unique. It doesn’t look like anything
else,” she told Jordan News.
“My brand is adding a lot to the fashion scene. It
is something new. We are providing something that does not exist.”
Speaking to Jordan News, Orfali recalled having had a rich
cultural and artistic upbringing. Though she alone has found a footing in
fashion, Orfali hails from a family of sculptors, painters and musicians.
“I am half Turkish and half Syrian, and I have lived my
entire life in Jordan, where everything around you is inspiring: touristic
sites, nature, and Bedouin carpets even.”
As such, highlights of Levantine and Bedouin culture are
weaved into many of Orfali’s designs.
“I try to send messages through my fashion. One of them, my
favorite, is that life is too short and that it is vital for people to do what
they enjoy. You would not believe how much joy comes from making a living while
doing what you love…,” the artist said.
Her brand, first established in 2008, has since spread
beyond Jordan to markets throughout the Middle East and the United States.
Orfali’s hand-embroidered variation on the “hatta” – the
traditional Levantine headwear also known as keffiyeh – has been worn by the
likes of singer, Enrique Iglesias.
Even a lack of raw materials in the country could not stop
Orfali from pursuing her craft; instead, it allowed her to work from scratch as
she created an entire fashion collection using furniture fabric.
Another of the artist’s innovative projects was “Plastiqua,”
a collaboration with Etihad Bank to repurpose plastic accessories. Past being
environmentally conscious, the initiative has also helped a number of local
women make an income while finding ways to turn waste into chique wearables.
Orfali stands by the belief that innovation is the mother of
invention. Through her work, she provides women with the means to make a living
as seamstresses at her workshop.
“We work to empower women, economically and mentally,” she
said. “We provide them with moral support, which enables them to learn and
work.”
Orfali’s workspace, an interior decked with colorful fabric,
sewing machines, and 23 artisan women who bring her designs to life as they
fill the space with warmth and laughter.
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