Nestled high atop one of Abu Dhabi’s bland clone-like buildings is Essa’s studio, a veritable treasure trove for women in hot pursuit of a truly unique piece of clothing. In an all-white room flooded with sunlight and artwork providing the occasional burst of vibrant colour, Essa churns out one iconic look after another. The reclusive designer, however, seems to have reached something of a frustrated standstill when it comes to members of his own sex.
“I’m fed up. Just fed up of men’s clothing! When I couldn’t find the kind of feminine, delicate, handmade items I craved, I decided to make them myself,” he says of men’s fashion, with the kind of assuredness that persuades women to drape themselves in his outfits combining styles and fabrics including that most masculine of prints, the Arabian ghutra or headdress. Do not confuse this for a designer’s cliché statement because Essa’s first capsule menswear collection is far from your traditional white shirt and tie combination.
“I think my confidence in womenswear has made me realise that I don’t need to be doing what everyone else is doing. Every designer will claim something different. But this really is [different]. There’s no comparison,” he adds. Typical is not a term you would use to describe this collection – not the size, the range, the cuts or the colours. “I’ve never been dictated by seasons, time or the budgets of buyers,” he says, unravelling piece by exquisite piece exclusively for Bespoke.
The ties come in an array of hues ranging from the gorgeously bright to the more subdued, a reflection of the kind of man he is targeting. The fashion-forward will gravitate towards the hot pink, emerald green and lime chiffons; the more experimental will tie up a ghutra version and a more staid grey is available for classicists. Essa’s menswear collection strikes a fine balance between floaty femininity and raw masculinity.
Born to Indian parents and raised in the UAE, he draws inspiration from the fashions of both regions. Much like the traditional caftans and ghutra dominating his women lines, the men’s collection, which will eventually include complete suits, takes the kurta (the South Asian loose shirt akin to a tunic) and redefines it for the modern man. What few people know is that Essa was initially a menswear tailor with a self-confessed ability to produce Savile Row quality bespoke suits or as he calls it, “a mean power banker suit.” His kurtas come in a range of different fabrics from a black seersucker cotton hooded full length version to a cotton and silk one perfect for a St. Tropez poolside party. They evoke an easy kind of glamour, straddling both form and function including the crucial element of pockets, because as he believes, “Men have a comfort zone with pockets and so I wanted to make sure I paid attention to that.”
A perfectly cut Prada-esque stretchy black waterproof fabric outfit has already been given the seal of approval and paraded around town by one of Essa’s fashion-loving friends. And herein lies the magic of Essa that has made women latch onto his designs with such fervor and promising to do the same for men – the cut. Big or small, tall, short, wide or any other body type, Essa’s cut almost always fits and feels like a second skin. “Even though they are high fashion, there is no pretension to the pieces because I didn’t give them too much thought. They are simply the result of pure instinct and of course, need,” he says, without a hint of affectation or artifice.
Essa is the archetypal designer combining extreme attention to detail and a predilection for fits of fury over sloppiness with an almost boyish charm and warmth. Like Gwen Stefani and her Harajuku girls, Essa also has an entourage of painfully stylish young men inspiring him and trawling the souks and markets of the UAE on a scavenger hunt for fabrics and colour variations of the classic red and white ghutra. They also provide him with a link to the outside world he so ardently shies away from. “I don’t go out much but I am very well informed about what people are wearing and how they are putting their looks together,” he says. He recently turned down a hefty endorsement deal that would have put him in the middle of a glaring spotlight and unleashed his fashions on unsuspecting fans, but for Essa, it’s never been about how big he’ll make it.
The Greek philosopher Epictetus once said, ‘Know, first, who you are; and then adorn yourself accordingly.” And adornment is nothing if not Essa’s signature. In his womenswear collections, he has used all manner of embellishments from flower appliqués to gold chains, lace, camel cut-outs to jaunty rhinestones – there is no limit to what may show up on an Essa piece. For the men, the shirts in the debut line do not escape his fanciful touch crafted from different shades of ghutra and bedecked with orderly rows of rosettes from the same fabric – simultaneously suggesting both a formal shirt and a more hip and casual look perfect with tattered jeans. The same goes for the wool Prince of Wales check pants with one leg ornamented with an appliqué of Renaissance angels.
So, who will wear these clothes? As with his women’s collections, Essa is not for everybody. “The man I have in mind is confident, dynamic, opinionated, particular and difficult to please,” he says describing the quintessential Essa male, adding, “someone fed up with mundane fashion, has plenty of money and a lifestyle to match. Ultimately, it’s for people who love really beautiful things.”
Contact
Essa
Dubai, UAE
HYPERLINK "mailto:essa@essa-inc.com" essa@essa-inc.com
Boutique 1 (still confirming)
Dubai, UAE
Tel +9714 330 4555
S*uce
Dubai, UAE
Tel +9714 3447270
