Noon By Noor Designers Celebrate 10 Years

Purple PR

This year, cousins and best friends since childhood, Shaikha Noor Al Khalifa and Shaikha Haya Al Khalifa celebrate the ten-year anniversary of their label Noon By Noor. Known for creating modern silhouettes that play with traditional views of femininity, this Bahrain-based duo have dressed the likes of Jennifer Lopez, Solange Knowles, and Katy Perry to name a few.

This New York Fashion Week, they not only share their Spring/Summer 2019 collection inspired by the picturesque desert-island landscape of Bahrain, but also reflect on their journey over the last ten years.

Let’s start with the name, how’d you settle on Noon By Noor?

Noor: The Arabic letter ‘N’ is pronounced as ‘noon’ and that is where the name comes from. Although I initially launched the brand alone right before college, we both agreed to preserve the unique name.

Haya, how did you get involved?

Haya: Since our very first college class together, we realized that we wanted to be involved in every step of the design process, from concept to final product. We did almost everything together since childhood. So the decision to launch our own luxury clothing line was inevitable.

Spring/Summer 2019 Noon By Noor Collection

Alyssa Greenberg

You are two Bahrain-based designers showing collections in New York. Do you find that you’re influenced by these communities?

Haya: Absolutely, we are influenced by culture in general. Whenever we are abroad, we search for cultural themes that we can incorporate into our collections. We are also inspired by our family, friends and our personal stories, and never forget to always keep our eyes and ears open to everything that surrounds us.

Noor: … and our designs have always transcended geographic boundaries and so has our label. We also understand and value the power of the US market and with New York City being the center of the fashion industry, there was no question for us when choosing where to show.

Spring/Summer 2019 Noon By Noor Collection

Alyssa Greenberg

On the topic of breaking boundaries, Noon By Noor also has an androgynous spirit to it. How do you approach womenswear outside of fashion gender norms?

Haya: We like to experiment with varying shapes that create that balance of femininity and masculinity. This can be done by pairing oversized tailored trousers with a soft knitwear.

Noor: Yes, and we always try and offer something new and unexpected while also staying true to the identity of the brand. We balance softness and strength, through embellishments and several silhouettes and shapes that attest to the Noon By Noor aesthetic.

Let’s talk about this current collection. What’s the story behind it?

Noor: We have portrayed Bahrain’s beautiful desert-island landscape through the color palette of sand, pink sand and blue haze worked back to a core of clean optic white and black, in addition to several other elements, including modern interpretations of Bahrain’s traditional silhouette and the palm leaf frond.

Spring/Summer 2019 Noon By Noor Collection

Alyssa Greenberg

You’re also celebrating a 10 year anniversary with this collection. What have the last 10 years in fashion taught you?

Noor: Building our brand has been the greatest learning experience. We have been taught the values of perseverance, patience and hard work in the face of challenges. On a personal level, I have learned that nothing is impossible if coupled with hard work and determination.

Haya: I’d add that the pace at which Noon By Noor has grown is quite humbling. We have gained international recognition in record time, but it took every ounce of our being to get there.

So what’s next for Noon By Noor?

Noor: Just this August we branched into a children’s line and launched our very own Noon By Noor Mini. Mainly inspired by my twins, this passionate venture is also reminiscent of myself raiding my mothers’ wardrobe. I used to spend hours admiring her clothes, which is why through Mini, we are hoping to pay tribute to a new generation of luxe fashion.

Haya: We have been fortunate enough to have our collections exhibited in style capitals around the world, and we plan to continue expanding internationally. We are also focused on expanding our online presence and have most recently added Modaoperandi.com and harveynichols.com to our list of stockists, who will start selling our Resort 2019 starting December of this year.