COLLECTION OASIS Presented by Audrey Altamirano & Celeste Luppino

INTRODUCING COLLECTION O Hello, and welcome to the behind the scenes look of A & C’s brand new clothing line, Collection Oasis. Here, you will get to learn all about the traditional meaning of the clothing and what natural resources we use from the oases in the Arabian Peninsula. THANK YOU AND ENJOY!

TRADITIONAL CLOTHING In all the regions of the Arabian Peninsula there are two categories of traditonal clothing; the Hijab and Abaya. The Hijab is a veil or covering for a woman’s head. The burqa and niqab fall under this category. The Abaya is a loose garment mostly in the color of black, and consist of the different “headdress” which classifies the style of garment. The chador and hijab fall under this category. In a few Arabian countries (ex. Saudi Arabia, Iran, Afghanistan) it is mandatory to wear the traditioanl dress, and depending on social class, location, law, or personal choice, any type of can be worn. The dress is worn because of the commands of Allah in the Qu’ran. It is said that women should lower their gaze and guard their modesty. It is meant to yield women and their beauty. There are many rules that apply to the “dress code” of Abaya: the body must be covered entirely except for the face and hands up to the wrists (unless desired or forced upon), figure should not be revealed, nothing can be transparent, should not attract opposite gender, shouldn’t resemble clothing of opposite gender, and shouldn’t resemble western clothing

BURQA The burqa is a garment that covers the head and the body and has a mesh which covers the eyes. Its is an outer garment worn by women in Islamic societies for the purpose of concealing their bodies and/or face. It is mostly worn in Afghanistan (forced by the Taliban). It is throughout the Middle Eastern nations and most Muslim nations around the world, with a few liberal or democratic governments being less strict about its use. In stricter nations, women are forced to wear the burqa; if the law is disobeyed it can result to punishment such as beatings, harassment, or worse.

NIQAB The niqab is an Islamic face-covering for women that covers the entire body, except for the eyes which is revealed by a small space. The tops head piece usually flows down to the mid-back to cover a woman’s hair and in the front also ends at the mid-chest point. It is mostly worn in Arabic countries in the Persian Gulf, some parts of Southeast Asia, Northern African Islamic countries, and in India. There are two types of niqab. In some styles, both the forehead and eyes show and the scarf is attached with seems or elastic. The other type is more closely associated with the burqa style and only the eyes can be seen, sometimes obscuring the eyebrows. Some laws may force women to wear niqab, but it can also be worn for personal choices or religion.

HIJAB The hijab consists of a headscarf which reveals the full face, except for the hair, ears, and neck; only the oval shape of the head is visible. The scarf used can be of any color and can be decorated with beads, patterns, appliques, etc. The custom in some Islamic societies of women dressing modestly when outside their home.

CHADOR The chador is a full cloak that covers the body and hair and has an opening in the front and is typically worn with hijab headscarf. It is wrapped around the head and upper body only to leave the face exposed. It is mostly worn in Afghanistan and Iran, but in some Islamic countries it is not as obligatory to wear, unlike the veil. Other parts of the Middle East (ex. Saudi Arabia) and some devout Hindus also wear the chador. Traditional chadors can come in a wide range of colors, but is mostly in the color of black. Underneath the chador anything can be worn; a daring designer dress or modest, comfy clothing. It all matters on personal choice.

HAND OF FATIMA Arabic jewelry reflects the culture and heritage of people from the Mediterranean through the Middle East. Each piece of jewelry has its own meaning. It is a sort of “protection of the hand” or “the hand of god.” The evil eye is recognized as a watch guard of bad luck. Throughout the Middle East, you can see Muslims wearing the Hand of Fatima. This is an example of Berber jewelry that has involved religion and superstition. Fatima was the daughter of Muhammad. Fatima was miraculous and when she prayed in the desert, it started raining. She is described as a faithful, holy woman. The Hand of Fatima is a lovely piece of silver and gold from which silver hands are hung and gives good luck that symbolizes patience, ambulance, and faithfulness.

ALLAH’S JEWELRY Since this jewelry has the name of Allah written on it and is intended for Muslim women to wear around their necks, as Christian women wear a cross and Jewish women wear a star of David, and since things on which the name of Allah is written may be worn to word off harm or bring benefits, or for other purposes, and wearing it may expose it to disrespect such as if a person sleeps in it and rolls on top of it. It blocks the meaning that may lead to evil, and so as to protect the name of Allah from disrespect, and because of the general meaning of the prohibition on wearing amulets.

TH ANK YOU We hope you enjoyed taking a look at the behind the scenes preview of Collection Oasis and the traditional meaning of each piece. شكرا لكم وإلى اللقاء THANK YOU AND GOODBYE!

BIBLIOGRAPHY www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmBZ7_5SJZQ arab-mania.blogpost.com/2009/07/arabic-jewelry-hand-of-fatima-part.html canadianarabcommunitty.com/traditionalclothing.php echopiction.wowrdpress.com/2010/03/10/life-in-black-why-do-women-wear-the-abayah/