The Driving Jacket, a statement piece of Saudi fashion brand Hindamme, founded by Mohammed Khoja, first featured in the Vogue Arabia June 2018 issue, is now on permanent display at the Victoria & Albert (V&A) Museum in London.
The jacket was designed to celebrate the moment when women of Saudi took the wheel to the road on June 24th, 2018.
The sports-luxe staple was initially issued in three color combinations, black and gold, black and platinum, and green and gold and, with embroidery in metallic threads in Gregorian and Hijri dates. The medals adorning the sleeves were inspired by ones from the times of King Saud. The Driving Jacket was designed to be unisex.
The exhibition at Victoria & Albert Museum features clothing, accessories, design, and cultural items from five centuries. It is the world’s largest collection of its kind. Last year, the V&A acquired the jacket, making it the first Saudi contemporary piece to be curated in this unrivaled collection of thousands of pieces.
The Driving Jacket is also part of the permanent collection at the National Museum for World Cultures in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
“The decision to lift the ban on women driving is a step forward in our quest to achieve equality, balance, and peace. Every country has events that shift the course of the future,” Mr. Khoja stated.
Hindamme’s jacket is a natural fit for the show, with its powerful social statement, and is now kept in a cabinet beside a pair of Christian Louboutin shoes and Kim Kardashian’s 2015 Selfish book of selfies. The Mae West Lips couch by Salvador Dali and a smoker’s cabinet by Scottish designer Charles Rennie Mackintosh are among the other displays.
“I feel I am able to start bringing elements of my culture in a way that the West can appreciate it, that is relatable,” Mr. Khoja explained.
Khoja founded his fashion label in 2016 and last year created a successful co-ed collection based on the beauty of Al Ula.
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