Fashion label Qasimi, under the new direction of Sheikha Hoor Al Qasimi, has released its spring / summer 2021 collection, with the addition of womenswear for the first time. Sheikha Hoor is the sister of the late Sheikh Khalid bin Sultan Al Qasimi, the brand's founder. With its clear but relaxed aesthetic, Qasimi is already well known for its referencing of architecture and its military flourishes, so it's no great surprise that for its spring / summer 2021 range, it looks to the Bedouins and their traditional tent-making and weaving techniques. Known as Al Sadu, the distinctive geometric woven patterns of the Bedouin lend themselves well to menswear, and Sheikha Hoor has scattered them skilfully across collared bomber jackets, straight-cut trousers and even bucket hats, in a muted, weighty jacquard fabric. To counter this heaviness, stripes lifted from the walls of Bedouin tents appear in shades of ochre, tobacco and metal grey, and are cut into roomy shirts and used as trouser edging. They appear echoed in subtle cable knits for him, and as Nehru collared, knee-length tunics and floor-length dresses for her. Rather than straying too far from the Qasimi look, the familiar fluid silhouette has been transposed into womenswear, as oversized and drop-shouldered looks. The only real concession comes from carved dress hems that flatter the shape underneath, without compromising the upscale streetwear feel. More tent inspiration crops up in curving seams that dissect bias-cut dresses and gathered elements that bring to mind traditional nomadic lifestyles, but also something fresher, and more modern, as if the wearer were heading to Burning Man. With a palette that reflects the labels' desert origins, the collection moves through creamy limestone, desert rose and lilac ash, and then Persian plum and cumin, and into military khakis, but seen through a new prism. Sun-faded and muted, the colours are soft and intensely beautiful, offering a sense of calm in these troubled times. Also woven through the collection is the work of Jamaican-born American artist Nari Ward, who challenges ideas of race and identity. Sheikha Hoor has taken the title of his 2018 work, <em>We the People</em>, and run it across bomber jackets, hoodies and shirts, the shoe laces that the original artwork is made from now echoed in the brand's long, trailing threads of embroidery. Assured, considered and utterly wearable, this move into womenswear will allow females to embrace the Qasimi codes without having to steal their partners' clothes, as surely has been the case until now.
