Badla Kids is a local fashion brand that is dedicated to creating contemporary clothing for children, that is inspired by elements of Qatari culture, tradition, and heritage. Q Life interviewed Badla Kids’ founder and designer, Alhanouf Alsulaiti, to learn more about their dedication to clothing future generations with the rich heritage of the past.
How did Badla Kids begin and what was the inspiration behind it?
In 2016, I had my daughter and struggled to find local children’s brands with a cultural touch that is modern and comfortable for the kids to wear. That made me start thinking of creating my own designs, so, in 2020 we launched our first collection, which was inspired by the Middle Eastern culture.
How is Badla redefining traditional Jalabiyas for the youth?
For each design we produce, we try to make it modern, simple, fun, contemporary and timeless so that the children can wear it comfortably anytime from day to night, and from the city to the beach.
Tell us about the inspiration behind your Jalabiya designs?
In each collection, we find one or more elements to be inspired by. For example, the first collection Ramadan/Summer 2020 was inspired by the Middle Eastern culture with prints of Eyes and the Hamsa in most of the pieces.
For our Ramadan 2022 collection, our main inspiration was the beautiful environment of Qatar. You can see the Desert Hare in more than one design, there is also the Fennec Fox, which is one of the cutest animals that live in Qatar’s desert. In other Jalabiya designs, we were inspired by the desert flowers as well.
In your opinion, what is the significance of wearing Jalabiya in Ramadan?
Ramadan has many traditions like the food we make, family and friends’ gatherings and the fashion in Ramadan is different than any other month of the year. in this month we cherish our cultural clothes and try to wear them every day. I believe that started because we try to be more modest in this Holy Month.
To me, the Jalabiya and the Bisht, is a simple way to teach our children about their culture and how it is important to be modest especially in the Holy Month of Ramadan.
Lulwa Al-Marri’s passion for sports is what led her to triathlons. She has always loved running and cycling but wanted to find a way to push herself to the next level. She wanted to combine her favourite sports and complete a triathlon. In August 2021, Lulwa completed her goal of becoming the first Qatari woman to complete a full distance triathlon.
“I tried to find a something that I won’t see as impossible. Triathlon is a rare sport in Qatar so I took that challenge to be the first Qatari woman to do the Ironman Triathlon,” Lulwa says.
To prepare for the massive feat of swimming, cycling and running that a triathlon race demands, Lulwa dedicated a lot of time to prepare and train. Due to the pandemic, Lulwa had to mainly do solo-training which was a mental test by itself. “As athletes, it was a big challenge for us but it didn’t limit us. For me personally, I faced a challenge where the parks and the gym were closed so I had to create the training environment in my home,” she says.
She recalls having to be creative to find ways to accomplish her goals. From wrapping a band around her waist while swimming in a pool to achieve her target mileage to running for hours on end on a treadmill, Lulwa was determined to not let anything stop her.
Through her fitness journey, Lulwa hopes to inspire others to start their own active lifestyles. She believes that anyone can be active, no matter the sport or their fitness level.
“Always keep it simple and sustainable. Find something that you are passionate about and it will be beyond possible to achieve it with some hard work,” Lulwa says. “Make sure you put in effort and InshAllah all your dreams will come true”.
With new goals to tackle and new experiences to try, Lulwa is excited for what the future holds. “To be the first to do anything obviously comes with a lot of challenges, but to represent my country was worth it. All the hard work pays off and I am ready to break records and InshAllah take Qatar’s flag to international levels,” she says.
Dr. Sara Buhmaid never thought she would become a doctor. As a student in high school, she contemplated many different careers, finally settling on architecture. It was only when her father suggested she apply to medicine that she realised her true passion.
Now an Attending Physician in the department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Qatar Foundation’s Sidra Medicine, Dr. Sara studied medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine – Qatar (WCM-Q), a Qatar Foundation partner university. Dr. Sara naturally returned to Sidra Medicine after completing her Residency programme in the United States. Her story demonstrates the commitment of Qatar Foundation to furthering both the education and career of those within their community.
She began her OB-GYN journey during her clinical rotations. “I thought I was going to be a paediatrician or a dermatologist, do something super light. But then I fell in love with surgery and that’s how I ultimately ended up doing what I do and being who I am,” she says.
One of the highlights of Dr. Sara’s job is helping women to feel empowered during their experience of pregnancy and childbirth. She views her role with her patients as a “facilitator” who is there to facilitate their experience with guidance, options and knowledge.
“What gives me joy and I’ll walk out of work two inches taller, is when I help a patient or a mother or a woman through her pregnancy and delivery journey, help her get to the best outcome possible,” Dr. Sara says. “And when it’s a happy outcome, that makes me so proud. My heart swells with pride”.
In honour of International Women’s Day, Dr. Sara recognises the opportunity to celebrate women every day through little ways. “Maybe it’s the nature of what I do, I see women doing incredible things every single day. Every single day for me is a day to celebrate women,” Dr. Sara says.
When it comes to who Dr. Sara’s role model is, the answer is simple: her patients. “I’m lucky I get to meet my role models every single day. They have different faces, different backgrounds, different stories but they’re all my role models,” she says.
Dr. Sara’s passion for her patients is clear as day. Her dedication to them serves as an inspiration to all. “It’s a privilege doing what I do. It has been a privilege to be able to be a small part in someone’s story into motherhood,” Dr. Sara says.
Muneera Alshriem is a Project Manager at the United Development Company (UDC). She graduated from Texas A&M University in Qatar as an electrical engineer and is among the first Qatari females that work in this field.
“It brings me joy and pride to be working on one of the most prestigious projects in Qatar,” Muneera said about her work with UDC.
When she first joined UDC, Porto Arabia was the only residential area that was completed. One of the first projects she worked on were the two towers at the entrance of The Pearl, as well as the Marsa Malaz Kempinski Hotel and Medina Central.
“If you look around at The Pearl, you will notice that there are lovely smaller projects all around. I’ve been among the team that builds and maintains all these substations . Basically, my job is to enlighten peoples’ lives – literally – by using electricity!”
Engineering has always been in Muneera’s plan. She remembers when her fascination with electrical engineering began.
“Since I was a little girl,” she reflects, “my father used to take me to a Masjid far away in the desert, one that was powered by solar panels. It was so mesmerising when you see the sun rays’ reflection as the solar panels rotate, it was really magical.”
“It was in the middle of nowhere, no electricity at all. Then suddenly, the lights would go on in the masjid! This is why engineering was always magical to me, and I ended up pursuing it.”
Muneera became the first female satellite engineer in the entire MENA region and she worked closely with the team that launched Qatar’s first communications satellite, Es’hail-1.
Engineering is not Muneera’s only passion. She also has a love for youth empowerment.
“Besides academic accomplishments, empowering youth has always been a passion of mine – since I was a freshman at university.”
She has been working with NGOs like Reach Out to Asia (ROTA) and Education Above All (EAA) for about 10 years now.
When asked what International Women’s Day means to her, Muneera said “It means a lot to me. It’s a day that we come to recognize all the women and their accomplishments and their success. Women are mothers, sisters, daughters, grandmothers in their natural roles in all our lives. On this day we get to recognize the amazing roles these women play in our lives.”
‘Sahtak Awalan – Your Health First’ was launched in 2012 by Weill Cornell Medicine – Qatar (WCM-Q), a Qatar Foundation partner university, as a five-year campaign encouraging people to lead healthy lifestyles and transform bad habits into healthy ones. A decade on and with multiple, successful initiatives underway, the Sahtak Awalan campaign is creating tangible change across Qatar.
“Our aim was, and remains, to educate the community about healthy living, sustainability, exercise and nutrition so that they can make informed choices about the food they consume and how to live healthily,” says Nesreen Al-Rifai, Chief External Affairs and Development Officer at WCM-Q.
The inspiration to create Sahtak Awalan – Your Health First came from the Qatar National Vision’s goal of promoting the health of the younger generation in order to build a sustainable future for Qatar. “We are also inspired by the State of Qatar’s progress towards environmental sustainability and care for the natural world,” notes Nesreen.
One of their most successful initiatives is the award-winning Khayr Qatarna programme, where produce planted by high school students in climate-controlled greenhouses at schools is sold in local supermarkets. The programme now has 130 greenhouses installed in schools across the country. “It gives school students of all ages the chance to learn about growing and eating healthy, natural produce, while also discovering the importance of sustainability,” says Nesreen.
‘The Fitness Box’ is Sahtak Awalan’s latest initiative, utilising sustainable, solar-powered installations crafted from upcycled shipping containers equipped with giant screens to provide free workouts for the community in Qatar’s beautiful public parks.
“The Fitness Box maximises accessibility by coming to locations that people already visit frequently, and by offering classes that suit almost all ages and fitness levels,” says Nesreen. Offering free classes for all to join and running every day in three languages, The Fitness Box installations aim to reach every member of the community.
“Qatar is one of the world’s most successful multicultural communities, with people from all over the world calling it home. Therefore, to be truly accessible it was essential that The Fitness Box reflected and celebrated this amazing diversity with a multilingual approach,” says Nesreen.
The Fitness Box has been successfully installed in three locations and Sahtak Awalan aims to expand to a number of new locations in the future.
As Nesreen says, “I hope everyone will come along to try it out and I hope we help in starting a new fitness movement that will result in a healthier and fitter community.”
The second annual Katara International Arabian Horse Festival is currently being held at the Katara Cultural Village, highlighting the beauty of Arabian horses and Qatar’s rich equestrian heritage. The festival promotes the uniqueness of purebred Arabian horses to the world, offering a place where equine enthusiasts can admire the most beautiful horses and see them perform at their best.
Qatar is a world-class hub for horses and equestrian sports, as they are pioneers in breeding purebred Arabian horses. This treasured heritage can be traced back to generations of Qatari people who have a love and appreciation for both the animal and the sport.
This year’s festival has enjoyed great growth in both the programme and the level of interest. With two championships, The Arabian Peninsula Horse Show and The Title Show, as well as an Arabian Horse Auction, participants and visitors can experience a wide range of equestrian activities.
“The interest has become greater from horse owners, from within Qatar and internationally, to participate in our festival,” says Malika Mohammed Al-Shraim, New Media Manager at Katara Cultural Village. “This year we have 11 countries participating”.
Malika notes that the festival is a reflection of the interest that Qatari people have in preserving and honouring their heritage. This can be seen in the many cultural activities available for visitors.
“The festival cares about horse owners and developing this hobby and heritage,” says Malika.
Jilid is a premium handmade leather product manufacturer that was born from Qatari leather crafter, Isa Ali Aljalahma. Isa found his passion for leather via the exploration of different types of ancient, creative practices.
“I considered myself a creative person, and I used to love making things with my hands,” says Isa. “Whether it was whittling a piece of wood, or crafting something out of some spare pieces of scrap leather – I enjoyed the process and I loved the product”.
Through this exploration, he took a special interest in leather, and knew he had to turn this hobby into something more. Isa practised and eventually mastered traditional techniques of leather production to build upon his skills. The product of this dedication was strong, durable, and high-quality leather products that are made entirely by hand.
“From there, I turned my passion into a brand because I wanted to share my passion with the world,” says Isa. Jilid creates everything from leather-bound notebook covers, wallets and cardholders, and all kinds of leather accessories such as keychains and trays.
What sets Jilid apart from other premium leather brands is its connection to traditional and ancestorial creation methods. The deep connection to the culture behind leathermaking ensures an honouring of the practice that lives on in every product they create.
“Nothing is more important to me than guaranteeing the longevity of our products so that my customers can pass their products down from generation to generation – just like in the old days” notes Isa.
Isa’s ambitions for the future of Jilid are unbound. “My story is still ongoing because Jilid is still quite young! But so far, we’ve begun developing our identity in the MENA region, and we have our eyes set on expanding into the international market,” he says. “We want to become known as one of the world’s most reputable handmade leather companies with quality that simply can’t be beaten”.
Hameed AlQahtani is a mechanical engineer by trade, but his passion for pottery has led him on a ceramic journey. Viral videos of ceramic making across social media channels initially caught his attention in 2017, driving him to learn more about this artistic medium.
After a few years of fascination and learning, Hameed finally took the plunge and launched Ceramic Cube in 2019. Ceramic Cube creates bespoke pottery, offers training sessions in pottery making, and sells all the needed tools and materials to create clay works.
Hameed enjoys the expressive nature that pottery making allows. Through creating his art, he is able to portray whatever he is feeling into a physical expression.
“For my inspiration I usually go with my emotions and try to express what I’m feeling,” notes Hameed. “Am I feeling sad? Happy? Am I feeling mischievous? I just reflect that in the shapes and colours that we use in the process of making ceramics”.
He notes that his favourite part of pottery making is throwing clay on the pottery wheel; “that is when the lump of clay becomes whatever shape it will become. I just love to see the transformation happening with my own hands”.
Ceramic Cube is a part of the weekly Torba Farmers Market, where local artisans showcase their sustainably made and hand-crafted products. He notes that the platform is a great way to get people more interested in pottery.
Hameed notes that the Farmers Market “supports me by actually bringing the products to the people; to understand and appreciate what it means to have a handmade piece of ceramics”.
“This way we’re attracting more people whilst getting more exposure, and I’m really thankful for Torba for providing this opportunity”.
Torba Naturals is a local company creating organic cosmetics, essential oils, and personal care and cleaning products. Working with Torba Farm, Torba Naturals sources its raw materials from local plants and is leading the way in manufacturing locally. Q Life interviewed Torba Naturals’ founder and CEO, Mohammed Ali Al-Khater, to learn more about their dedication to creating all-natural, environmentally-friendly products that are Made in Qatar for the local community.
How did Torba Naturals begin and what was the inspiration behind it?
Torba Naturals was inspired by how currently most products around the world are made of synthetic materials, filled with chemicals and toxins that are not only harmful to a person’s health but are also contributing to the pollution of the environment. With this global issue, we thought of how we can offer natural and healthy alternatives to these products.
We firmly believe that Qatar’s terrain has a lot to offer, and we can utilise this through our products. As of present, few businesses in Qatar have ventured into developing products that are Qatari made and inspired by nature. We aspire to be one of the first companies to revive the nearly extinct or rare plants of Qatar, Traditional Arabic and Islamic Medicine (TAIM), and the ancient practices and heritage of the country, by incorporating them in many of our products.
Backed with this passion and motivation, I established Torba Naturals in 2016. The company aims to provide premium quality products that can meet the changing beauty, health and wellness, and lifestyle needs of customers, geared towards more natural, healthy, and environment-friendly product options. We also hope to build communities that share the values of health and wellness, and care for the environment.
Please tell us about some of the ‘Made in Qatar’ products that Torba Naturals sells.
All of Torba Naturals’ products are ‘Made In Qatar’, from cosmetics to personal care and cleaning products.
Our products are made from plant extracts and concentrates, and without the use of chemicals, coloring additives, or non-natural mixtures or preservatives. Our products are made from 100% natural or organic, safe and effective, and clinically-tested ingredients, with a wide array of cosmetic and medicinal properties based on traditional and historical use.
To ensure that we offer only the best quality products, our team is dedicated to carefully selecting non-GMO, all-natural, premium-grade ingredients, grown locally in our farm or sourced from local or internationally-certified suppliers.
What makes our products more Qatari, aside from producing them locally, are the unique ingredients that we include in our products. We have a team of experts who are dedicated to product research and development, looking into the potential uses of local plants that are native to or available in Qatar and the region.
As a vendor at Torba Farmers Market, how do you think this platform supports small businesses?
Torba Market supports the building of the community and its local small businesses, while also promoting healthy and environment-friendly lifestyles.
It also allows communities with shared interests in health and wellbeing, the environment, and local culture, to gather and meet in one place, share their insights and experiences, and enjoy the various unique, local, and natural products available at the Torba Market.
What are the future plans for Torba Naturals?
Torba Naturals plans to open its flagship store in the next two years, making its products more accessible to the greater public. We want Torba to be an internationally recognised brand, known as the home of the first premium personal care and cosmetics products that are 100% made in Qatar. We want Torba to be a positive force and driver of change in the lifestyles of people, wherein they shift to using safe, healthy alternatives to products that are of better quality and are locally made.
We also aspire for Torba to be vertically integrated, from the farm to its production facility, and the distribution and retail channels. With this structure, we would have the capacity to offer a wide range of products, including food, personal care, and cosmetics, that we can certify as safe, healthy, clean, and environment-friendly, that would be recognised globally.
Do you have any advice for creative business owners?
In pursuing their passion, they must have an open mind to try new things and take some risks to realise their dreams. There will be inevitable trial-and-errors and obstacles along the way, but if it is something that they are passionate about, they will definitely find ways to overcome them. In the process, they will learn numerous things about the business and other people, and they will appreciate their growth in terms of knowledge, skills, and experience.
It is also important that they always consider their business mission or reason for being in everything that they do; from the creation of their products, to their marketing efforts, delivery of products, and customer service. All of these things should be aligned and communicate a consistent brand.
Saoud Al Emadi and Abdullah Shaat co-founded their company, Enavra, when they were still university students, studying engineering at Texas A&M University at Qatar. While visiting a café in their Student Centre, they admired its efforts to use eco-friendly paper straws but were dismayed at the low quality of the product.
“We thought that cafés that try to be eco-friendly and protect the environment should not suffer from having low-quality products,” says Abdullah. “We saw a gap in the market and we thought we could fill it”.
Their vision was to create a product that was eco-friendly, a plastic alternative, and supported vendors’ green values, all while being enjoyable for the customer. “We tried a lot of products until we landed on our avocado seed-based ones,” says Saoud.
Enavra’s innovative products are made from avocado seeds, as they have a similar molecular structure to plastic, making them a perfect bioplastic source. Mixed with only a small percentage of synthetic polymers, Enavra products are able to biodegrade within one year. “Its lifetime is only one year compared to 200 years of plastic,” notes Abdullah.
Enavra started supplying the same café they visited as students, and then quickly began distributing their products to vendors across Qatar.
“We have seen our community support increase over time, as there are more and more people who are sustainably aware and want to make a difference in Qatar and the whole world,” says Saoud.
Saoud and Abdullah have just completed Qatar Business Incubation Centre’s Green Manufacturing Programme, and are building their first workshop in Qatar in order to manufacture their products locally. “Our aim is to diversify our products and replace as many plastic products out there as possible,” says Saoud.
“The community in Qatar is socially aware of the impact on the environment from so many plastic products,” adds Abdullah. “We hope that when we display our products, we remind people of why we’re doing this and why we should all care”.
