HINDAMME: Perfect Harmony in Aesthetic

Fashion designer Mohammad Khoja on Contemporary Arab Culture.

Photo: Courtesy.

Merging elements from his culture through autobiographical collections is how Mohammad Khoja —Founder and Creative Director of HINDAMME— has paved the way for the development of a more contemporary Arab design identity. 

Designed and developed in Riyadh, HINDAMME combines elements from Eastern and Western cultures, highlighting the importance of preserving heritage patterns in contemporary fashion. We The Cool talked to Mohammad about his inspirations, the fashion scene in Saudi, and his latest collaboration with London’s Victoria and Albert Museum. 

We The Cool: Can you tell us more about your beginnings in fashion?

Mohammad Khoja: I started my fashion journey during high school and would often accompany my family on buying trips to Milan for my mother’s shoe store at the time. The trips gave me some background on the business aspect of fashion. But my first real stint in designing fashion was during my years studying business in Paris. I shared some of my concepts with a friend who owned a multi-brand concept store and he offered to help me realize and translate some of my concepts which resulted in my first capsule collection. My label, HINDAMME, which means to possess high aesthetics in old dialect Arabic, is a concept that has been brewing for many years, inspired by merging elements of my culture in a more contemporary format as well as my drive to create more representation of contemporary Arab culture in fashion design.

We The Cool: How have your collections evolved since your beginnings as a designer?

Mohammad: My collections have become a lot more autobiographical, and I approach each season similarly to the way a musician would create an album by following my mood as well as relaying messages and my experiences through my work. I also have capsule collections in between these seasons which are considered more commercial and give me the financial freedom to be more experimental with my main seasons. 

We The Cool: What does HINDAMME mean?

Mohammad: HINDAMME is an Arabic term that means to possess perfect harmony in aesthetics in old dialect Arabic. The reason why I chose it as the name of my label is that it is quite ambiguous in terms of which language it belongs to and can be pronounced easily by both Arabic and non-Arabic speakers. It also perfectly represents my experience as a Saudi designer who has lived and experienced different cultures and is influenced by merging elements of East and West.

Photo: Courtesy. Pieces from SEASON V at The National Museum of Saudi Arabia as part of the ‘Scripts and Calligraphy: A Timeless Journey’ Exhibition

We The Cool: Tell us more about your creative process. 

Mohammad: There is honestly no specific system or formula I follow with my creative process but normally it starts by collecting a series of visuals that ultimately become the mood board for the season. And usually, my second phase would entail sketching to translate some of my concepts as well as exploring and ordering various materials and techniques. And since a lot of my work includes print, I would also commission either an artist or graphic illustrator to create murals or digitize existing drawings of mine.

We The Cool: Do you have a favorite designer who inspires you?

Mohammad: There are so many incredible designers that inspire me. I personally knew the late and legendary designer, Azzedine Alaïa, who was truly a master in understanding the female form and creating innovative and disruptive silhouettes. Another designer I love is Rick Owens; he’s truly been able to fully create his own universe and is always thoughtful and meaningful with his creations. More recent examples of contemporary designers would include Botter, I really have enjoyed seeing their most recent collections and seeing the multidisciplinary approach they have implemented through their works. Also, their recent homage to earth was similar to my philosophy with SEASON V. 

We The Cool: Your new collection SEASON V is inspired by connections in life, our relationship to our families, communities, and Earth. Can you tell us what these elements mean to you?

Mohammad: They were a result of me sort of expanding on the collective mood of global communities which are still reeling from the effects of COVID-19, and although it was such a turbulent time for all of us, I wanted to focus on the positive and create a collection that embodied joyfulness and togetherness. It was a great lesson in the sense that it taught us to slow down and focus on the more important things in life and especially the idea of taking care of our natural environment which we have been damaging for decades. During my design process for SEASON V, I researched elements related to color therapy and mood-inducing graphics and created a joyful color palette with ambient gradients and vibrant tones as well as murals and graphics that were very pop and happy.

We The Cool: Which one is your favorite look or piece from your latest collection SEASON V?

Mohammad: It would be tough to name one, but if I placed myself as a customer, I would probably end up selecting the Earth satin jacket in the lavender tone. I personally drew that Arabic calligraphy which simply means ‘Earth’ and is embossed on the back of the jacket and wanted to create something that looked very iconographic and it can be read in multiple ways.

We The Cool: Can you tell us more about the fashion industry in Saudi nowadays?

Mohammad: The fashion industry in Saudi Arabia, although still in an elementary phase, is really booming at the moment and we’re seeing such a beautiful sense of community amongst existing Saudi designers as traditionally much of our collections have been overlooked on a more global platform; but that is slowly starting to change and the creativity here is getting more attention. We have such huge potential to become a thriving fashion industry as we have such a high purchasing power. The only constructive area I would mention is that there is still a lack of material and manufacturing capabilities in the country but that is seriously being addressed by major retail groups and I am very optimistic about what’s to come and to be living in a period which truly feels like a cultural and creative renaissance.

We The Cool: How can we see your culture represented in your designs?

Mohammad: Because my designs are a lot of times very personal, my culture is always being represented sometimes more subtly and sometimes more literally. I’m proud to say I was one of the first designers to have integrated and applied heritage patterns in contemporary fashion and have always made it a point to highlight the importance of preserving these pieces of heritage through my medium. My very first collection integrated the ‘Al-Qatt Al-Asiri’ patterns from the southern region of Aseer which have been drawn on walls of that region for centuries and applied in silhouettes and materials that were very contemporary.

We The Cool: In which way do you think your designs are making an impact on young creatives, especially those from the Middle East?

Mohammad: I feel I have been able to firstly show young creatives from the Middle East how they can authentically draw from their own culture and experiences and contribute to developing a more contemporary Arab design identity. I also feel I have been able to inspire other creatives to follow their own voice in fashion and create their own design identity and codes which to me are integral to a fashion brand’s success.

We The Cool: The Driving Jacket —one of your most recent creations— was exhibited in the Victoria and Albert Museum of London. Tell us more about the meaning and representation of this design.

Mohammad: As a Saudi, I was very much inspired and proud by the positive decision to allow women to drive and decided to pay tribute to this positive decision within my own medium. It was a unisex piece that allowed both men and women to wear it and celebrate this decision. I was truly happy to see it being worn by not only Saudi women and men, but also by so many non-Saudis who loved the idea of wearing a fashion piece with a positive message. 

Photo: Courtesy.

We The Cool: What about your collaboration with Japanese artist Ikegami Yorikyuki? How was this project born?

Mohammad: I came across Ikegami’s beautiful work through the internet and I remember how happy it made me feel looking at his joyful and fantasy-like murals. It fit perfectly with my vision for SEASON V and the messages I wanted to relay through my collection. I contacted the artist and was so happy to see his enthusiasm to work together. We spoke and I explained my vision for the collection and he ended up creating a newly commissioned mural entitled ‘A Certain Planet’, which is a piece I will cherish forever. The mural is somewhat like living in a happy dream and pays homage to the beauty of our environment.

We The Cool: What's next for you?

Mohammad: I’m currently working to release a capsule collection in the next month, as well as a special design series of shirts with an artist friend which I am really excited about. I am also in the development of SEASON VI, which is starting to piece together in a very harmonious way and will also present a new theme that I am looking forward to revealing.