We at Khaleejesque are always looking for ways to promote creativity in the Arab region, and we couldn't pass up the chance when Rosa Lila, an accessories brand from Honduras, approached us to launch an exciting competition.
The collaborative design competition was simple. We wanted designers to illustrate what Latin America meant to them and then print that design on a scarf. With plenty of impressive submissions, we chose Maha Al Mannai from Bahrain as the winner.
A beautiful representation of Latin America through Arab eyes, The Toco Scarf bursts with vivid colors and intricate details. This delicate 100% silk scarf is definitely a showstopper.
Exclusively made for The K Store, here is how competition winner Maha Al Mannai describes her design:
"When I drew and painted the images below, I was not thinking about how I, a Khaleeji woman, see Latin America. I drew it from the perspective of an individual purely stripped from all judgment and expectation, left with nothing other than love and appreciation for a part of the world that awaits a great discovery by a little soul that lingers within me. I closed my eyes, and suddenly I was walking through an amazon of beautiful trees, giant leafs, vibrantly colorful flowers that hang from every corner of my eye. I saw flying birds that look like they have landed from paradise, diverse in their shapes and rich in their color. I saw happy and confident women walking, dancing and moving comfortably in large dresses that sometimes looked like giant waves of the ocean as they swirled around with the beats of the south. I saw parrot wings spread so gracefully that the entire sky above was covered in shades of blue, green, red, yellow and orange. With all the things that came to me as I kept my eyes closed, I wanted to draw until there was no space left on the paper.
There are four characters in this image, each portraying a side I wish to see when I travel to South America. The first on the left is 'Lady Toco ' who has two toucan beaks on her head and is hidden behind a giant Brazilian wax palm as she embarks on an exotic birds watching. Below Lady Toco, is a crimson Chillian Bellflower (Lapageria rosea) overlooking another exotic plant called Dyer's Tillandsia mostly found in Ecuador. Next character in line is 'Lady Bana' who has the torso of a Banana Tree and a headpiece consisting of large lush green banana leafs. She dances in the Carnival of Brazil every year wearing the most beautiful dress made with flowering orchids. Next to her in the dance is 'Lady Blue' who represents the beautiful shores of Brazil. As she dances, she moves her costume and mimics the movements of big blue waves of the ocean. The last character on the right is 'Lady Macaw' who gracefully dances her way like a Ballerina and spreads her wings to represent a flock of birds so beautiful and so rare in Brazil. She crowns her head with a headpiece made of bird feathers from the birds of paradise, (King of Saxony and Western Parotia)."
The scarf is produced in a limited quantity so be sure to place an order. It is currently available for pre-order and will be shipped April 15, 2015.
