Anum Bashir on Authenticity, Art, and Elevating Middle Eastern Fashion
September 11th, 2024
Anum Bashir is a creative force to be reckoned with. As a consultant, designer, and founder of Desert Mannequin, her multifaceted career has positioned her at the forefront of the Middle East’s burgeoning fashion scene. With a passion for championing regional talent, Bashir’s journey—from Qatar Museums to her recent move to Riyadh—has been one of authenticity, cultural exploration, and a commitment to reshaping the global narrative around Middle Eastern art and fashion.
In an exclusive interview, she delves into her creative philosophy, the power of saying “no,” and the importance of building a legacy rooted in purpose.
As a creative consultant, talent manager, designer, and influencer, how do you balance the diverse facets of your career while maintaining a cohesive vision across all these roles?
I believe whether I’m consulting for a brand, or engaging in an influencer partnership, at the very core of what I do is true to who I am at that very moment in time. I don’t support, promote or guide brands whose vision and DNA I simply don’t align with. The older I’ve gotten, the more I’m able to benefit from the ability to say “no”, and make firm choices about my professional trajectory. The stance I take with regards to navigating my own narrative is extremely important to me. I have a set of values, likes and dislikes that I continue to bolster as I progress in my career. In general I really love supporting female founded and led brands. I also love working with Middle Eastern brands as I finally believe they’re getting the due spotlight they deserve.
Once I became a mother, I also have made it a point to ensure I’m working with morally grounded brands with a beautiful story that’s in some way helping to perpetuate a better, safer, more creative and enjoyable tomorrow for our children. Fashion is beautiful – it’s a true form of escapism for some. As a little girl I really was able to shapeshift via the clothes I wore, which in turn gave me a sense of invincibility. It allowed me to create fantasies, and romanticize the type of world I wanted to be a part of.
Today, it is important for me to contribute positively towards the fashion ecosystem that’s rapidly being cultivated within the region.
I have found greater balance in saying no to more work, but ensuring that the work I do take on is big in impact, and plays a vital role in pushing the narrative forward, especially the Middle Eastern one.
“Today, it is important for me to contribute positively towards the fashion ecosystem that’s rapidly being cultivated within the region.’’
Your time at Qatar Museums was pivotal in shaping your career. How did this experience influence your approach to both art and fashion, and in what ways did it prepare you for your entrepreneurial ventures?
I look back so fondly at my time at QM. It was truly very formative, especially having joined at the ripe old age of 25, trying to figure out how to navigate a career in the arts, and then eventually fashion too. During my almost 6 years at QM, I was able to build and develop quite a personal and professional network for myself.
I had the privilege of working with, interacting, and getting to know several renowned artists, cultural luminaries, and fashion designers from Mona Hattoum, to Jeff Koons, Murakami, Marina Abramavic, and fashion juggernauts like Naomi Campbell to Riccardo Tisci, Maria Grazia Chiuri, and Franka Sozzani, to name a few. All would usually be in attendance at some of the biggest openings we would host in Doha.
Needless to say, I’d find myself constantly starstruck at those in attendance, and would often strike up a conversation with those I had admired from a very young age. I got to truly understand how the inner circle comes together to push culture forward. We facilitated dialogue that transcended politics and religion. Qatar was and still is a major player in the world of contemporary art and culture, and for that I am so so proud.
QM taught me the valuable lesson of how to build something from the ground up. In being an active member of a very intimate team who together spearheaded the country’s very first artist residency program, I learned through the Doha Firestation initiative what it means to plant seeds and as a result witness generational change be fostered.
With regards to the fashion aspect of this journey, the art space often coincides well with the fashion space.
In meeting designers and artists, and consistently attending opening nights, I got to experiment with my own style, and with my growing purchasing power was able to support many regional brands to my best ability. It is during my time at QM that I was able to launch Desert Mannequin as a means to put on display and chronicle the evolution of my own personal style. There naturally exists a marriage between art and fashion, and I was ever so keen to continue to shine a spotlight on that. I used my platform to feature the best of both middle eastern art and fashion, and much to my amazement global brands and PRs started to take notice.
“With regards to the fashion aspect of this journey, the art space often coincides well with the fashion space.’’
With Desert Mannequin, you’ve been a vocal advocate for emerging regional designers. What drives your commitment to spotlighting local talent, and how do you see the Middle Eastern fashion landscape evolving in the coming years?
For decades, Middle Eastern creatives have enjoyed immense success, but still not as wide scale as deserved. We are surely having our moment now with the birth of several middle east centric fashion weeks, and with multiple incubators and initiatives exclusively dedicated to bolstering middle eastern talent.
I have always proudly enjoyed showcasing some of the Middle East’s finest talent on my platform. A large part of my professional identity is tethered to ensuring I am always able to work tirelessly to support local/ regional brands doing big things.
Having lived and worked in Doha, the US, Dubai, and now Riyadh, how have these diverse cultural experiences shaped your creative outlook and strategic approach in the fashion and art industries?
It has undoubtedly enriched me. I’ve been earning my stripes in the industry for almost a decade now and through my travels, and having lived in 4 countries has allowed me to garner a strong sense of how business is conducted, relationships cultivated, and how to further establish credibility for what I do and my platform.
I’d like to think that I’ve actively tried to keep my finger on the pulse in terms of what direction the industry is being steered in, and having spent years attending international Fashion Weeks, I’ve managed to merge experience and my network from all different directions into a combined consultancy business. Having a great work ethic has been a byproduct of all too.
As someone who has contributed to platforms like Man Repeller, Vogue Arabia, and Bazaar Arabia, how do you perceive the role of media in shaping fashion narratives, particularly for underrepresented regions?
Media, especially social media has for a while and will continue to be instrumental in shaping how the industry operates. It dictates consumer behavior and desires, helps to carve out trends, and even communication styles. We’ve been living in an era of sharing and in fact oversharing, and I don’t see that dissipating anytime soon. Brands and designers lean on platforms like Instagram and TikTok heavily to communicate to their end users.
And with the continuous popularity of influencer led marketing I believe that will only continue. Saudi for one has witnessed a substantial uptick in the media’s role in pushing the fashion and culture dialogue forward. More and more influencers are taking to their platforms to support homegrown initiatives, etc.
Your move to Riyadh in 2021 marked a significant step in your career. How has working with local brands in Saudi Arabia challenged and inspired you, and what potential do you see in the region’s fashion ecosystem?
Consulting for brands in Saudi in some ways has been tremendously unique, but also exactly the same as any other aspiring international brand placed anywhere. The design entrepreneurs here are so special in their desire to tell a story and put forward their strong identities via the products or services they’re putting out. I have truly enjoyed working with a few Saudi brands like APOA who continue to excite me and test my own creative boundaries.
Of course with any move comes challenges, but I have welcomed them with open arms. I now also truly consider failures or setbacks to be integral to growth. For the most part I believe I as well as my clients have enjoyed a wonderful bilateral relationship, and I’m almost certain the Kingdom will leave the world in awe with the type of brands set to present themselves on the global stage. I can surely say watch out for APOA!
With regards to the fashion aspect of this journey, the art space often coincides well with the fashion space.
What is style to you?
Style is an unspoken language of how we choose to cloak ourselves, and the subsequent statements we make through our sartorial choices. Style is how we choose to exhibit ourselves to the outside world. It takes into consideration our experiences, circumstances, culture, religion, etc. It’s an immensely powerful tool at our daily disposal by which we express our personalities.
“Style is an unspoken language of how we choose to cloak ourselves, and the subsequent statements we make through our sartorial choices.’’
More is more or less is more?
Currently less is more! I’m all about The Row, Toteme, Jil Sander vibe.
What is authenticity to you?
Being true to who you are at that very moment in time. Honesty truly is the best policy. Self exploration, and being unabashedly yourself is a true badge of authenticity to me, and it can be put on full display via the clothes we wear, relationships we maintain, life or career choices we make, etc.
