The exhibition until February 16th, is a new cultural event exploring the development of fashion in Abu Dhabi from the 40s to the 80s of the 20th century.
It comes as part of the commitment of the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi celebrates and preserves the country’s cultural heritage, as traditional Emirati costumes are a symbol of heritage, which were hand-woven and embroidered in the past, as well as wearing decorations on occasions, and these customs are still followed in Emirati culture today.
Through the clothes and adornments displayed, the visitor will get acquainted with the changes that the Emirati fashion has witnessed over the generations, as the exhibition “Fashion Through the Years” celebrates the past of Abu Dhabi and its diverse and comprehensive traditions and culture through features from the history of the emirate, and the stories of its people through clothes of various forms, and decorations used on occasions, starting from From the simplicity of fashion in the pre-oil era, to the cultural influences that played an important role due to the openness to trade routes in the region.
In the context, Salama Al Shamsi, Director of Qasr Al Hosn, said that the exhibition “provides a wonderful opportunity for visitors to explore the changing fashion trends over the past decades, and to take a look at a new side of the rich heritage of the state. The exhibition was organized by a group of heritage specialists, to take visitors in A journey through time, through which they live the experiences of their ancestors, by showing the cultural importance of the diversity of costumes, starting with the burqa worn by women while traveling from Al-Wathba to Al-Ain, all the way to the historical significance of the dagger carried by the men of the family, and the influence of European fashion on the local dress.
Al Shamsi added: “The role of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, may God rest his soul, is evident in the development and progress of his people through the changes that coincided with the well-being of life, as visitors will be able to see the impact of globalization on fashion trends with the opening of trade routes in the region, and comparison. “Between ancient fashion and its simplicity, modern fashion and its development in general, the exhibition also highlights the impact of technologies and materials used in the fashion industry, as well as their impact on cultural identity.”
The exhibition is divided into three different pavilions, which are: the pavilion of the late Sheikh Shakhbout bin Sultan Al Nahyan, fashion and jewelry, materials used in the fashion industry, and methods of use, and the exhibition also includes artworks such as the interactive cabinet, and other notable pieces such as necklaces gifted by Her Highness Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak President of the General Women’s Union, President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, Supreme Chair of the Family Development Foundation, and the decorated burqa is by Fatimah bint Muhammad bin Thani al-Muhairi.
On the other hand, the exhibits shed light on photographs from the archive that illustrate aspects of the fashion traditions from the sixties to the eighties, and reveal different types of embroidery shapes and tools in the emirate, including tali, badla, khous, bisht, traditional dyes and dyed fabrics, and the exhibition includes more than 30 artifacts and items of cultural significance.
