Umm Kulthum, often spelled as Uum Kulthum, was an iconic figure and a true legend in the world of Arabic music. Born on December 31, 1898, in the village of Tamay ez-Zahayra, in Egypt, Umm Kulthum became one of the most celebrated and influential singers in the Arab world during the 20th century.

What I miss most about my childhood is the mountains. I remember my childhood in summers and springs. We were always in the mountains walking and exploring some farm or another. I remember my feet planted on the grass, I remember laughing with my granddad. He used to take me and my 17 cousins up to the mountains in Lebanon to show us the greenery. He would teach us about the land, and farming, and how to stay mindful.

I grew up with two older siblings who were well into their teens when I was born. As the youngest child, I learned very early on what it was to value your space. Our home was a beautiful villa in Jeddah that allowed in all the sunlight my heart desired, and I found warm nooks and corners to hold me and my art. It felt like a revelation, the first time I sat down to color in a far-away corner of the house.

My favorite piece of clothing was a 1950’s leather jacket gifted to me by my grandmother. It was brown, and made of natural leather. It had embroidered hems and buttons. She had bought it when she was my age, and felt that it would look good on me. It felt like a piece of her. I’ve always loved the idea of loved vintage clothing; it almost has a life, a history, of its own.

I have always been a curious viewer. Growing up, I felt myself more inclined to peer into whatever world I was watching to try and grasp as much of it as I could. I've always known there was more to everything than meets the eye, surely nothing could be simply what we saw of it. If I was watching a play, I found myself breaking down their costumes, how they fit to each character’s role, what it added to the play.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the fabrics I want to use for the brand and this collection. It feels like a very important decision for me. Because not only does it entail the look, feel, and structure of the pieces, it also entails their sustainability. Which is almost the central focus of my brand.

I have been trying to pace myself for a while now. I’ve been trying to lay back and savor the moments as I have them. I read this thing the other day that asks ‘when you’re racing to the next moment, what happens to the one you’re in?’ It really stuck with me. I’ve been thinking a lot about how I’ve spent more time planning things than actually being present for them across my life, and it’s made me realize that I have to slow down.

I have always been a person who appreciated life's pleasures. I love to lay around in the sunlight, I love the sound of birds chirping, I love it when the early morning light sneaks into my bedroom in the first hours of the day, and I greatly appreciate my space. I have always felt that, as long as I had a space in which I could fully be myself, where I could rest and roll and read, that I would be very content. So it's no surprise that I take great care of how I organize my bedroom, it is where I spend most of my time.

On this journey I am on, so much of my healing has come from tapping into my awareness. Realizing that my mind and my consciousness are two separate things was a beautiful moment for me, because then I learned to tap into a new realm of perception. I believe that even the smallest of shifts can allow us to see life differently. I noticed the patterns in my behavior that would disrupt my peace, and I suddenly was aware of how little thought I put into so many aspects of my life.

When I first launched my brand in 2017, there was one main downfall and it was the material we used for manufacturing. Most aspects of my brand had been ones that I had liked and believed in, except the most basic one, the fabrics that we used. I had heard about the hazards of fast fashion before, I’d seen it mentioned on social media. But I’d never gotten deep enough into the topic to fully understand the damage it caused.

Here we are. I am looking back at the steps I have taken and the prints they’ve left in the sand with as much awe as my heart can hold. My birthday was last month. I just turned 32. I had always had this idea of what my thirties were going to be like - successful, hard-working, reaping years of what I had sown. But there is one word I had not realized would be this prominent, peaceful. My thirties are peaceful. There is a surprising gentleness to growing out of your twenties, something so soft about the calmness that has settled in my life.