My UAE: fashion designer Yasmin Al Mulla is classic with a twist

Yasmin Al Mulla's latest collection is inspired by clouds and showcases conservative, unfitted and minimalist cuts, crafted from lightweight textiles.

Yasmin Al Mulla, co-founder of Y N M design. Reem Mohammed / The National

When interviewing a fashion designer, one of the standard questions you ask is what their favourite trends are for the season.

Expected responses for this autumn/winter season vary from crushed velvet textiles to exaggerated ruffles and oversized parkas. However, from 27-year-old Emirati fashion designer Yasmin Al Mulla, you don’t get a straight answer.

“I’m very classic, that’s the thing – I don’t follow trends,” she says.

“Classic” is a word Al Mulla uses often to describe her personal style and taste – from her 80 per cent white wardrobe, to the Van Cleef & Arpels watch on her wish list and her favourite handbag brand, Chanel.

While Al Mulla always dreamed of being in the fashion industry, she studied international relations at university.

After graduating, she steered herself in a different direction to gain the skills and experience needed to start a fashion brand and signed up for short ­courses from the London College of ­Fashion in Dubai.

“I have about seven or eight certificates from them,” she says. “I keep taking courses. The last one was a couple of months ago.”

Al Mulla launched her brand, Y N M Dubai, with her sister, Nesreen, two years ago.

Nesreen is managing director while Yasmin is designer and creative director.

It’s a combination that works well. The brand’s debut collection, in September 2014, sold out in just three days, after being posted online.

While Y N M Dubai has participated in pop-ups at The Bride Show, Al Mulla is picky about mainstream markets and fairs, explaining that they don’t cater to the clients she targets.

She’s also against the trend of selling designs through social media platforms like Instagram.

“I believe that if your garments are really standing out, they will sell out. If it’s worth it, people will come for you.”

Airy silhouettes sprinkled with dainty embellishments form Al Mulla’s trademark designs.

Her latest collection is inspired by clouds and showcases conservative, unfitted and minimalist cuts, crafted from lightweight textiles. Some, like basic culottes and blouse pairings, appear to be ­examples of elevated loungewear, while dresses adorned with delicate beadwork can easily be worn to formal events.

“We like to deliver the image that you can wear something simple and make it elegant. It’s all about the way you style it up,” says the designer. “It’s for everyone. A lady in her 50s can wear it and a girl who’s 18 can pull it off, yet it will be different.”

Al Mulla doesn’t market her ­designs as complete ensembles. Rather, she advises customers to accessorise, to transform the separates into a unique outfit that reflects their personality. “My clothes can’t be worn without jewellery, or a statement bag, and your hair and make-up will play a big role in the look,” she says.

Al Mulla is set to move into her new showroom and office in Dubai Design District (D3) in the next couple of weeks.

Clients will be able to set up appointments for private viewings, and Al Mulla believes they will value the chance to meet the ­faces behind the brand.

“When you visit our online store or Instagram page, it’s all about the label, it’s nothing about us,” she explains. “So people love to come to our showroom from time to time.”

Al Mulla believes that home-grown brands can all happily ­coexist in the industry.

Y N M Dubai’s minimalist and versatile approach in creating ready-to-wear garments that don’t conform to a purely Arab market sets the label apart from the others in the Emirati fashion industry.

“There is room for everyone, so it’s not a competition,” she says. “I do something differently, and they do something differently.”

What’s your favourite book?

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khalid Hosseini – it taught me to appreciate and love all cultures.

If you wrote a book one day, what it would be about?

It would be a cookbook. I love to cook and it’s my dream to write a very healthy cookbook, with lactose-free, gluten-free recipes.

What’s currently on your shopping wishlist?

A Van Cleef & Arpels watch – not a new one. It’s classic.

What’s your favourite tourist attraction in the UAE?

At the moment City Walk 2. It’s very beautiful and it’s something new for Dubai.

What’s your favourite holiday destination?

Santorini (Greece). But I only want to go on my honeymoon. So whenever my family suggests we all go, I say I’ll never come with you. And I love white, 80 per cent of my clothes are white.

What is your favourite place to eat?

La Petite Maison, it may not be very healthy but it’s really good.

Describe your ideal night out in the UAE?

I’d want to eat at a fine-dining place with my loved ones, my small circle of friends.

What is your favourite television show?

Sex and the City — Carrie Bradshaw is so much like me but just her personality, not her clothes.

If you were stranded on a desert island, what three things would you like to have with you?

A good book, sunblock and an entertaining person – my brother Adnan.

Who’s your favourite singer?

I don’t listen to music much, but I love Rashed Al Majid.

What handbag brand do you swear by?

Chanel: it remains very classic. I’ll carry it 30 years from now and it’ll still be very much in style.