Palma Libotte President Italian Chamber of Commerce
Dome Fashionistas started in Qatar during the lock-down. with Fatima Al Ansari 18 yrs from Doha & Aimee Jade Monti (AJ )16yrs from Rome (DOME)
It is the first ever Italian and Qatari collection of abayas for teens in the region and it is dedicated to a niche of young clients that are gradually introducing colours and new stiles.
A cooperation between the Italian Chamber of Commerce and QBWA supported the young girls to develop DOME.
The Italian Chamber hopes that Dome will encourage other female entrepreneuers for private - label projects to develop bespoke clothes, shoes ,bags and jewellery collections in Italy. The Italian chamber also supported the first qatari shoe designer Hissa Al Haddad to produce her collections.
Dome fashion project, blends Italian stylish ideas with traditional abaya models using the finest Italian fabrics from the regions of Abruzzo & Marche.
AJ and Fatima designed and produced the abayas and together they possess a rare set of skills considering their young age.
They called their collection: Dream Big 2021
AJ Monti I am Italian , lived in Doha since 2007 I grew up with both Qatari and Italian culture in my heart . I’ve always wanted to be a fashion designer since I was 7 years old and my dream is to go to The Polimoda In Florence ranked among the top three fashion institutes in the world.
During the pandemic ,with a lot of time on my hands and Grade 10 personal project coming up, I decided to design my first collection and reached out to Fatima to partner with me.
I researched on social media and the web to see if there was any similar product made by an Italian and Qatari partner and discovered that we were first on the market.
My idea to create a line dedicated to teens for abayas is quite innovative as this is market segment that is not really targeted. Italians do it better when it comes to fashion it’s in our DNA.
We worked hard and went to visit local abaya productions and analysed the abaya companies on Instagram in order to develop a trendy product suitable for the local culture.
“I believe that teenagers should Dream Big ! To build their self -esteem through practical things and not just virtual . An experience like this stays with us all our lives regardless of the success we will have…we shall be more focused on our goals and not waste time on superficial things.”
The Dream Big Collection was mostly inspired to the feelings and communication styles that are typical of the teenage years. From the freedom of the butterflies to the adventurous mermaids, the fragility of Japanese Flowers the social media icons and emojis, we depicted the symbols of a teenager’s world.
Fatima and I have many things in common we have strict mums that don’t allow us to sit all day in front of Tv nor to expose ourselves superficially on social media.
Only our business account for Dome’s are public. Our dads are both pilots.
I realized that reaching out to your personal network is very important in business photographer Marco Piazzi is a family friend and so are the fashion designer Eliana Casaula, that gave me design lessons on Zoom and the webmaster Anna Guglielmo.
I’ve learned a lot about cultural integration with this project working with Fatima and even just by going to the tailor to follow the production . He comes from India and at first he thought I was crazy putting butterflies on an abayas but when he saw my determination he started to showed respect.
People from different cultures with a common passion can Sync and work well together understanding and respecting each other.
Our next step will be a very exclusive presentation of the collection, at the presence of the Italian Ambassador, for a very selected group of ladies.
Fatima Al Ansari
I am an 18 year old Qatari and my dream is to pursue a career in fashion management. When Aimee spoke to me about the idea of starting an abaya business for teenagers, we immediately clicked. I became her partner, sharing my cultural knowledge and personal insights on what abayas teens wear. While thinking about our business , I came up with the perfect name “Dome” that blends the initials Doha and Rome, the cities where we were born. Nayef Al-Obaidan, a Qatari architecture student, designed the logo. He incorporated two major structures from each city: the famous Doha tower and the beautiful Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome.
This project was very challenging to achieve as it took lots of thinking to come up with color styles, patterns, fabrics. Sometimes we didn't agree, but we always ended up with meeting half way . Our idea consisted of creating a line of abayas that would not only respect islamic traditions but also stand out for its originality. Teens, regardless of their culture, spend a significant amount of time and concern on their appearance. Sometimes we want to fit in and follow the most common trends, but other times we want to be unique and stand out. A teens’ style is what makes them who they are..
We communicated daily with the help of social media and met whenever we could, and while working together, we discovered how well we got along. We shared many of the same interests, and because of that, we became a very effective team. Both of us are reserved yet strong-willed and determined women.
Passion is a force that brings people together to help narrow cultural gaps and break stereotypes. This is precisely the spirit that Qatar will show to the world in 2022. I am Qatari, and Aimee has lived in Qatar most of her life. It’s a country we both love very much and wish to set an example of integration as teenagers.
Alessandro Prunas Italian Ambassador to QATAR
We are pleased to encourage fashion projects between Qatari designers and italian sme ‘s that can supply the craftmanship and the finest materials from clothes to shoes to jewellery and accessories.
This particular project involved three companies from the region of Abruzzo & Marche, where craftmanship still plays a big role and artisans are the backbone of the economy.
From the refined jacquard silks and the innovative denim fabrics to the rhinestones used for the decorations on Aimee's abayas , the materials are all made in Italy.
Italian Fashion designer Eliana Casaula was a mentor to our young designers via Zoom and supported them to develop the Dream Big Collection..
I hope this initial cooperation will lead to a bigger exchange between Qatar and Abruzzo & Marche. that are also wonderful holiday destinations just a couple of hours drive from Rome Fiumicino Airport.
From skying holiday, to beach resorts, to trekking and amazing food Abruzzo and Marche really offer everything .
Marche is renowned shoe production area.
Abruzzo has a tradition of SME’s related to the wedding sector, in 2020 we were supposed to host a delegation of companies led by the famous fashion designer Filippo Flocco with a trade mission to Qatar in 2020, hopefully they will come soon.
There companies are specialised in embroidery , confetti of Sulmona and jewellery and they are very interested to explore this market .
We need to work together to support the local SME ‘s in joint projects with our crafted italian artisans that are probably amongst the best in the world in the fashion industry.
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