Elham Mohammed Kamal’s journey to success is an inspiring story for those striving to convert their dreams to reality. With over 13 years of experience as a senior bank official, she is the proud founder of JJ Love, Bahrain’s own brand that specialises in kids’ clothing.
Having had the flair for fashion since a young age and keeping herself updated with the ever-changing Bahraini trends, Elham has been triumphant in reflecting her passion in all the lines she has designed. Taking time out from her busy schedule, she sat down with Bahrain This Week, sharing her love towards creating fashion for kids.
When did you start out with JJ Love as a label? How did you think of this name?
It all began in the summer of 2013 as an exclusively themed clothing line for kids, custom made & tailored with a combination of passion and hard work. The name is inspired by my twin daughters, Joud & Jena, as they are the inspiration for the brand. The brand itself is a huge supporter of local arts & design, and hopes to make its mark in the GCC in terms of modernity and progressiveness.
What made you decide to have your label for kids’ fashion alone?
Kids are the source of light in our lives, and to me just by looking at them I get inspired. Creating clothing for children has always been enjoyable to me and that is what interests me the most, when it comes to fashion.
We heard that you work on themed clothing. Can you please elaborate on this?
From the start, I wanted to label each collection that I make to match the season it is made in. So each line that is created is named after the theme it was created for.
Which design of yours have you fallen in love with from the moment you started to work on it?
Honestly, I have fallen in love with almost all my designs as they all have a special place in my heart. However there is one that definitely tops my list. It was a creamy beige dress with fuchsia and a hint of gold. The design itself was a mixture of the contemporary & the traditional, that made it suitable to be worn for any occasion.
Do you work on custom made designs for your clients?
Along with ordering from the existing line of readymade clothing JJ Love has, our clients can always get custom designs made with us. It is a great accomplishment and boost of confidence to know that our designs are moving well, even without any added custom made designs (even though we provide customisation as well).
What is your favorite part of JJ Love?
All of it! From the first step of finding the inspiration, to collecting the right fabric and to producing the final design, I enjoy it all.
Which is the most sold design from your collection?
The most sold collections were the Spring Collection of the year 2014 and all of the Ramadan collections.
How do you choose the materials that you use for your collection? Where do you get them from?
When I get inspired by a design, I check the collection of fabrics I have gathered previously from the local market or from abroad. If I don’t find a fabric that can suit my design, I go and search for the material that would suit my purpose. Sometimes it works the other way around; I find a beautiful fabric in terms of beauty and texture, and then I come up with a design specifically for the fabric.
If there is one fashion designer with whom you would like to associate and work with, who would that be?
If I happen to work in the future with a fashion designer, I would love to have that collaboration with my step-daughter Hala. She’s a fresh graduate and a fashion designer, who is highly innovative with a great fashion sense. Moreover, I highly believe in her as a person and in her skills.
You are one of the many entrepreneurs in the Kingdom who have been wisely using the power of social media. How has your journey been so far? Are you planning to start off as a physical store?
Alhamdulillah, I am satisfied with the results of my journey so far in every sense. Social media has really pushed my business in the right direction and has given me a free space to display my work as well as attract new clients.
In the meantime, I’m working on having a showroom in the coming future.