HudaPink Sushi
New fashion, a colorful mix of Emirati visual icons.
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PINK SUSHI t-shirt with the iconic image of the Egyptian singer 'Om Kolthum'.
Attempting to express oneself is of course a universal human endeavor. In rather conservative social environments this natural tendency has a special urgency.
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Photo: Pink Sushi.
Fashion is one of the most visible way to make a lasting first impression, and has been used by youth the world over to put their social or political statements in your face. How is this manifested in countries where the veil is imposed on members of society, and where being 'modest/humble' and blending homogeneously within society is seen as a virtue? There is definitely a schism between how people are expected to appear in public versus how they may behave in their private spaces or homes.
Pink Sushi 03.jpg - 'Daddy's Girl' t-shirt. Design and photography: Pink Sushi
So many colorful mixes are sometimes shown under the long flowing black 'abayas' of young ladies in the United Arab Emirates. The tendency to make a 'fashion/political statement' by creating a genuine contemporary gulf visual culture is brewing and highly visible in the work of the Dubai-based Emirati fashion and accessories designer who goes by the name of PINK SUSHI. She is trained as a graphic designer but has chosen to fuse Arabian kitsch with hip 'Harajuku' inspired street fashion. Her non-conformist designs are setting interesting trends that are seeping into the work of other designers in Saudi Arabia and the gulf (even for young men). The 'ghitra' (also called 'kaffiya' in other Arab countries, the red and white patterned scarf traditionally worn as headgear by men in the middle east) dominates her creations. This signature fabric is taken out of context and stamped on all her designs. It is woven into a fabric rose, or crafted into a cushioned heart, or used for a mini skirt.
Pink Sushi 01.jpg - Photo: Pink Sushi
Her label is Influenced by bright neon colors, eighties cartoons, rainbow bright, her lomography photos/ polaroid transfers, her mom's vintage embroidered tally Jalabiya`s, tasty rolled bite sized sushi rolls, grocery stores, Arabic candy wrappers/typography, her grandfather`s wind-tower house, plastered sticker books, Souq Alarsa in Sharjah, Souk Okath, Camden Market in the UK, the old Dubai fruit/vegetable market and vintage flee markets. The need to mix the various influences that Arab youth encounter, either through the media, films or their personal experiences and travels, in both Eastern and Western cultures, is a one of the interesting and possibly enriching effects of globalisation. In the fields of fashion and graphic design, the trend is catching on and producing intriguing results.
Pink Sushi 05.jpg - vernaluar type and packaging print on t-shirt. Design and photography: Pink Sushi
For more information, please visit the website of PINK SUSHI
Comments (3)
Kolah
Edo
not very impressed
I've seen her work before and I have to say I'm not a big fan of Pink Sushi's work - it lacks an element, I can't really put my finger on it. But i would most probably say no functionality lies behind her work and some just seem to be done in 15 minutes in order to take a good picture of it.
Also, there's some sort of exploitation to the 7atta/Shmagh/3'etra - don't shove it in everything...
I don't know - as I said earlier, can't specifically say but it all looks like about to fall down plus she mutilated Um Kulthum in that mismatching colour design with the extremely low-in-detail vector...
hm
It's a fashion statement
I think the work has relevance beyond aesthetics (details) and functionality. There may be reasons why some works speaks to you personally and other don't but what interests me is the conceptual and social dimension of this fashion label.
I particularly like designers that don't take themselves too seriously and this work's humor is in my opinion its strongest point. It just says 'lets play and have some innocent fun'. In the politically correct and over politicized world we live in, this lighthearted work is a true breath of fresh air.
it's a statement, definitely not a fashion one
yeah I guess you perceive it differently, but I see it as a total mess of patched up, talentless, trying-to-be local stuff (I refrained from using the other word)
I guess we agree to disagree on this one, you see it as work that worth a feature while I see it as a bunch of crap! lol