Noon By Noor brings together a clean, tailored aesthetic with all the embellished drama of its Bahraini heritage. Founded in 2008 by cousins Noor Rashid Al Khalifa and Haya Mohammed Al Khalifa, the label has been a fixture at New York fashion week since 2012. As the fashion pack gather in the Big Apple this week and the designers gear up to show their s/s16 collection, we look back at our interview with the duo where we talked inspiration, style and sisterhood.
By Natalie Trevis
Behind the scenes at Noon by Noor autumn/winter 2015
Do you remember what sparked your interest in fashion as a child?
Noor: As a young girl I was fascinated by my mother’s closet. I would spend hours on end admiring all the beautiful fabrics and designs, so it was clear then that I wanted to be involved in fashion when I got older.
Haya: We were both blessed to have a lot of fashionable women in our lives when we were growing up, so we found their personal style very inspiring, and it helped to spark our interest in fashion.
Behind the scenes at Noon by Noor autumn/winter 2015
What are the sources of inspiration that you always find yourselves coming back to?
Noor: Our culture continues to inspire our collections, which we infuse with Western style designs. We also draw a lot of inspiration from traveling, where we search for cultural elements that we can incorporate into our collections.
Haya: Flowers are also another source of inspiration that we like to revisit each season. Embellishments are synonymous with Noon By Noor and the region so we are continuously finding new ways to include them.
Noor Rashid Al Khalifa and Haya Mohammed Al Khalifa
What elements of your personal styles do we see in your collections?
Noor: We both like to incorporate elements of our own style into our designs, whether it be the embellished pieces that Haya loves or the tailored ones, which reflect my personal style. We’re not only cousins, we have been best friends since childhood; so naturally we never let disagreements get in the way of making a magnificent team. We know exactly how to get around them.
Haya: Funnily enough, our design styles are almost the exact opposite of one another. The secret to our success is our ability to harmoniously blend our designs into one concept.
Noon by Noor autumn/winter 2015
Why is the US the best platform to present the Noon by Noor collections?
Noor: We certainly understand and value the power of the US market and with NYC being the center of the fashion industry there was no question for us when choosing where to show, but Bahrain will always be our home.
We’ve noticed that Solange Knowles has been a big supporter of the brand.
Noor: Solange is not afraid to take risks with her style. She can effortlessly mix prints and bold colors, which makes her a perfect example of the Noon By Noor woman.
Solange attends a Noon by Noor show last year. Image courtesy of Getty Images, Gilbert Carrasquillo/GC Images
