A brand that stands apart for its individuality is NorthArabia Couture, spearheaded by Nigerian designer Shamsiya Sadiq-Mohammed. Natural fibres are the DNA of the brand with collections made up of raw linens, silks and cashmere. The look and feel is one of paired-down elegance with Shamsiya designing pieces that fit in with her own busy lifestyle. Abayas are minimalist, overlaid with capes of emerald green, ice blue and pastel pink. Tunics are splashed with abstract monochrome prints, while abayas wrapped and draped like luxuriously oversized coats.
A recent collaboration saw Shamsiya team up with high-end Saudi-UK based designer Aisha O, which served to widen the appeal of the brand abroad.
This and more collaborations are setup for the brands identity. NorthArabia offers its customers, luxury statement pieces such as; unique styles of abayas, bespoke kaftans, dresses, two-pieces and accessories. It is certainly a brand to look out for by fashion lovers.
A graduate of University of Igbinedion, Okada, Edo state- Nigeria, Shamsiya Sadiq-Mohammed, visually narrates her desire to encapsulate the compassion and core strength that is central to womanhood which is often overlooked in certain parts of the world. Amalgamating the influences brought about by her African and Middle Eastern roots, having once lived in Qatar, to bridge and highlight her lifelong passion for design, ethical issues and organic materials. Dissatisfied with the status quo she launched a brand that would serve the need for natural fabrics and materials into feminine pieces that are structured and well crafted.
Her love for fashion has been innate, since she was a little girl. She would pick out her outfits and that of other family members to ensure they were perfect for the occasion. However, her fervent interest for Arabian fashion grew from a childhood admiration of her friend’s mum, who was always beautifully adorned. What she admired the most was the beautiful hand woven embroidery on her abaya or the crystals at the edge of her veils, to the way she carried herself like many other Arabian women, with such poise and elegance. Little Shams, hoped that some day she would become a lady of elegance like her friend’s mum.
After she got married, the inspiration and passion for business prompted her to create her fashion brand NorthArabia Couture, an online luxury retail store that caters to those who were as passionate as she was for Arabian fashion. She set up the business in 2013 with the hope to fill in gap within the northern fashion space. Little did she know, that was about to be interrupted as she got her very first employment at a renowned law firm. Considering how tedious it was at the time, she had to put the business on hold to focus on raising a family and her legal profession.
Over the years, her friends and family took cognizance of her consistent elegant appearance whenever she wore her abayas or suits at an event; be it formal or informal, Shamsiya always made a fashion statement. This certainly encouraged her to revive her fashion business late 2020. The business was then restructured to cater to every woman in Nigeria and Africa at large. She also partnered with some Arabian designers to introduce their pieces to the African market, as there was constant increase in demand for them at weddings and family gatherings. The business ultimately wishes to be a household name when it comes to Arabian fashion in Africa and to foster business relationship between the Arabian and African fashion industry through its collaboration.
Shamsiya Sadiq-Mohammed who is also a young astute corporate lawyer and arbitrator with over nine years experience, currently runs her own practice (Kith & Counsel) and serves as a company secretary/director to a few entities, one of which is Proclapp Limited. Her experience cut across providing company secretarial services, legal advisory services to various industries (oil and gas, real estate, retail etc) and has keen interest in local content related matters and legal drafting.
“NorthArabia Couture is a fast rising luxury online retail store in Nigeria that specializes in contemporary ready-to-wear Arabian fashion pieces from the shores of UAE, Morocco, Saudi-Arabia, Qatar, and Oman. The essence of which is to introduce the Arabian fashion market to people of Nigeria and Africa as a whole with the aim to bridge the gap between African and Arabian fashion, she says.
Since its return to the social media space, it has been the talk of the town and had successfully sold out on most of its “The New Dawn” collection. The business caters to all women especially those who love to stand out in elegance. On a quarterly basis, the brand seeks to introduce the latest luxury fashion pieces trending within Arabia to the African market.
For more, please visit our online pages as follows:
Instagram– @officialnortharabia
Facebook: Northarabia Couture
Web: https://northarabiacouture.com/
Email: sales@northarabiacouture.com