ARAK or “I see you” in Arabic as in ‘I see your culture,’ ‘I see the art,’ ‘I see your uniqueness.’ The name captures the essence of ARAK, a fresh edgy menswear brand that spotlights a culture slowly slipping away, a tribute to age old customs.

Blurring the lines between heritage and modernity, ARAK does it with style! Take a traditional motif from our Levantine culture, twist it or blur it or intertwine it with another, select fine fabrics with a touch of innovation then hand stitch meticulously with the utmost care, and you get the perfect blend of modernity and heritage. Abla and Raneen Kawar, two cousins with a shared love for art and embroidery, decided to launch ARAK in 2018. Growing up in a family that deeply appreciated cross stitch embroidery, ‘we've been around it forever,’ they were keen to create a brand that revives traditional hand-stitched embroidery in a modern way. They realized there was a gap in the market for menswear ‘what caught our attention was the lack of option for men’ and decided to launch ARAK, a casual men clothing brand with a mission to uphold Levantine culture through contemporary cross-stitch embroidery beautifully incorporated into every piece. ‘Our homes and our grandma’s home were basically cross-stitch galleries, and we even joined a few workshops with renowned collector of Jordanian and Palestinian traditional dresses and textile Wadad Kawar, to understand the history and motifs of embroidery.’ The craft is close to their hearts and the two ladies wanted to revive that fading heritage infusing it with a trendy outlook. Their latest collection for Spring Summer 23 “Digital Blur” is inspired by the blurring lines with the physical world; ‘the two worlds have become inextricably linked, and one cannot exist without the other.’ ARAK’s SS23 collection bridges the gap between the two. ‘We are interlacing the elements of the meta world into our physical world, specifically through fashion and our culture. Recreating what we see in the digital world on a physical canvas.’ In this collection, traditional motifs from the Levantine world fit seamlessly in the digital realm, pushing the boundaries of design by experimenting with unique textiles, materials, digital print, traditional patterns and novel techniques. From the Ein/Eye glitching into a colorful motion blur to the ‘feathers and olives’ motif from the Beersheba and Sinai areas stitched into a simili QR code, the Digital Blur effect hand stitched hoodie and the linen Metaverse bowling shorts giving a glimpse at the dizzying parallel universe, the entrepreneurs plunge into our history to create a vibrant dynamic brand on an ever-changing journey.

ARAK stitches its story around two harmonious threads woven together. The first is ‘the preservation of cross-stitch embroidery, an age-old craft enriched with traditional motifs passed down through generations.’ The duo reimagines and reinterprets traditional motifs from a craft rooted to conventional attire, breathing new life into them and weaving them into contemporary designs. Carrying a rich legacy into the present, they are devoted to shed light on this art. The second bedrock of ARAK is their mission to be a social venture. Highlighting and preserving the artisanal work of women in their local community, from varied backgrounds, providing employment for them from the comfort of their own homes, fostering the spirit of independence and empowering them through their craft. Every collection begins with picking a theme, something personal ‘or inspired by what’s around us,’ Abla and Raneen tell us. Then the hunt for motifs and embroideries begins, to find the perfect ones that will resonate with their chosen theme, ‘it’s a bit of trial and error till we perfect the trendy, unique fit.’ Motif in hand, they sketch out the pieces digitally ‘to visualize how they’ll look on garments.’ The craftswomen, that have been part of the ARAK team from the start, then cross-stitch the ideas revealing how they translate in real life. ‘Meanwhile, we're brainstorming thread colors and material shades that'll work well together.’ Once all these pieces of the puzzle come together, it's time to make sample garments. ‘A bit of tweaking, some back-and-forth, and our collection starts breathing. Now the real deal begins: production mode. We sort out the quantities, and the talented artisan ladies get their hands busy. And that's how the magic of our collection takes shape!’ Abla and Raneen are now working on ARAK’s upcoming collection set for a Spring 2024 drop. ‘Given that we're a resort wear brand and our creative process takes some time, we stick to one big release per year.’ With their fruitful imagination grounding the past into a colorful forward-looking vision, we cannot wait to see what’s next!

www.arakstudio.com
@arak.studio

Photo credits: @zaidallozi