BORO: Your clothes have such a fascinating blend of elements! What inspires the actual silhouettes and designs? What inspired the fabric & textiles you use? RDS: Well, I love Bollywood! I used to be completely obsessed with it. On our third date, I made my now husband, Sami, watch Devdas— which is a 3 hour Bollywood epic! I use a lot of very richly colored iridescent silks, which are a reflection of that. I also love American musicals from 1930-1950s. That is the reason for the pinups prints on some of my littlewowwa pieces. Many of my dresses have 50’s inspired silhouettes including full circle skirts. I also use a lot of denim and African wax prints. The African prints never cease to amaze me. So colorful! Such interesting designs and patterns! BORO: You are also a dancer. What impact does dance have on your creativity when it comes to fashion? RDS: My husband and I run an Arabic music and dance ensemble called Zikrayat, and I am the artistic director. I’ve been studying and performing Middle Eastern dance since 1997. The style I focus on primarily is Egyptian. We have a large ensemble of musicians and dancers that we work with, and we’ve performed for Lincoln Center Out of Doors, Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Joe’s Pub. We also performed for the Global Film and Music Festival at William & Mary College, where we did our multimedia show, incorporating vintage films from Egypt. Being a belly dancer is definitely a tremendous influence. Belly dancers love color and bling. Several of my dresses have Swarovski crystals, because I had to have that extra sparkle! BORO: Can you share more about how your daughter serves as the inspiration for littlewowwa? RDS: Absolutely! My daughter inspires me every day. She’s cute, she’s happy, and a bit quirky! Littlewowwa is all about her. I try to bring a bit of her into every design, such as the quirky asymmetrical collars, stuff like that. BORO: Describe your hennaflower collection in three words. RDS: sexy, edgy, fun BORO: Describe your Little Wowwa collection in three words. RDS: colorful, quirky, unique BORO: What kind of woman wears your dresses? RDS: Really I think a young, worldly woman who likes one-of-a-kind pieces that tell a story....and she has a great sense of play and humor. BORO: In what kind of setting do your dresses best fit? RDS: Definitely an upscale party! BORO: What does the future hold for both lines? RDS: For hennaflower, I would like to do a new collection dedicated to the 80’s. Particularly the movie Purple Rain. For one thing, it turned me into a Prince geek, and that changed my life forever. Next year is the 30th anniversary, which I can hardly believe. I was watching it recently, and the clothes were HOT. I would love to do a tribute to it, but add some crazy, funky, unexpected elements. For littlewowwa, I’m looking to do a 20’s inspired collection, complete with darling little cloche hats! I’ve gotten many requests to add a boys’ line, and I will try, if I can keep up with everything! Both clothing lines are available on Sundays at the LIC Flea, or you can check out the clothing online at www.hennaflower.com.
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