Interview with a Creative Aiming to Support Arab Women Victimized by Violence

Abeer Maktabi - Founder of BRAVOLUTION

I met Abeer a while ago and when she told me about her project ‘BRAVOLUTION’ I was intrigued, so I decided to highlight her in this blog today (my birthday yeey!) and I hope it will help her with the further development of her venture!



Abeer is setting up ‘BRAVOLUTION – wear your rights!’ as a social enterprise to support women victimized by sexual harassment and domestic violence in the Middle East. To fund her social enterprise she designs a collection of bras – the garment that so literally supports women every day. The profits from the collection’s sales are then shared with NGO’s and women’s organisations that work to bring awareness on women’s rights in the Middle East and act as a support platform for victims of violence.

Abeer Maktabi at her project presentation

What and where did you study after graduating high school? I did a Bachelor of Sciences in Graphic Design at the Lebanese American University in Lebanon.

Where have you worked prior to taking the MA Applied Imagination in the Creative Industries at CSM?

My work experience lies in advertising mostly. I work on ATL and BTL projects, so anything from a logo to a full advertising campaign. I had the chance to work in top tiered advertising agencies in Lebanon such as Euro RSCG and Leo Burnett and also Grey in Qatar.

Why did you decide to take the MA course?

When I read the course description I felt it was exactly what I needed. A design course that enables you to focus on YOURSELF and the CHANGE you wish to make within you and in the world. It felt interesting because it was a unique course at Central St Martins. By taking this course I wanted to challenge myself and see what new knowledge I can bring at the end of a year.

How did you come up with the idea? Where did you get your inspiration from?

I had my initial idea in 2011 and it was to combine Arabic Calligraphy with Lingerie (2 elements I am passionate about). So, during the course when the time came for me to decide what I wanted to work on I brought this idea back. However since this is a "creative studies" course and not a "fashion course" I felt I needed to challenge my idea further. I felt I wanted to give lingerie another meaning, and send a message across the world. I did a lot of research on the history of brassieres and undergarments as well as Arabic art. I then realised that if I wanted to create change in the world why not do it through a collection of bras? And what is it that bothers me so much that I would like to change? My inspiration came from where I grew up (in Saudi Arabia), the women I encountered throughout my life, and my passion for lingerie. The first thing that came to my mind was "women's rights in the Middle East". I believe that the Arab woman in general needs a lot of support and protection especially when it comes to domestic violence and sexual harassment. So my question was there: "How can a bra collection serve as a tool to end violence against Arab women?"

Why is this cause so important to you?

As I said I grew up in Saudi Arabia, and then travelled to Lebanon where I come from and I felt in many cases the "Arab woman" is under male dominance (not talking about the liberated woman in Lebanon, even "TOO liberated" sometimes). Reading articles and witnessing the lifestyle of some women in these countries, I felt that the Arab woman is generally passive; some women unfortunately don't know about their authentic rights, they don't know that they have a CHOICE! I quickly associated the bra as a garment that SUPPORTS a woman's body, which is what I wanted to do metaphorically: defend women's rights - which to me are the core of a woman's body and soul. Through BRAVOLUTION I wanted to bring out a new woman, stronger and more confident!

How did your own background influence you in this project?

I just generally believe that as a woman it is my responsibility to help other women and I used my skills as a designer to do that. I think this project I am building up is genuine because I had no brief to work on and it literally came from what I believed in.

How long did it take you to develop the project? What was the process like?

Technically speaking this project started in April this year and it is still going on. Research was very important to place myself on the map. The experts and the gatekeepers I spoke to were also essential to progress in my idea. I obviously need so much to make this happen such as investors, supporters, brands and celebrities to collaborate with me hopefully in the future.

In this course, what mattered was the creative process rather than the "shiny object", which enabled me to create BRAVOLUTION: a social enterprise that aims to stop violence against women. The plan is to sell the bras I am designing and share 30% of its profits with women's organisations. The most interesting part of the project was the final stage I reached where I transformed the bra from being merely a commercial tool into an educational tool. This means that each type of bra communicates a different message: for example “The Sports Bra” offers 5 self-defence classes etc

The Calligraphy Bra will encourage women to seek education and knowledge on their rights

What was the most difficult obstacle you had to overcome?

Of course I had to constantly motivate myself and believe that I could make this happen. Also, I'm sure you're not expecting to hear this but actually producing the bra was the most difficult because I am not a lingerie designer and I had to present a sample at my exhibition but I couldn't find anyone in London to provide me with one! Eventually I found another way!

Did you meet any interesting people when you were developing your project? Why did they inspire you? Or why were they so interesting?

This is the best part of the project! The first person I thought of contacting was a Sheikh, to ask him about women's rights in Islam (since religion has a big impact on Arab societies) and you'll be surprised to hear all the rights a Muslim woman has! Unfortunately some Arab cultures and patriarchal systems misinterpret religion and this is why problems such as violence on women still occur. I also met interesting people in the lingerie industry which made me realise how lingerie can play a big role in changing societies. (For example Mrs Reem Asaad enabled women employment in Saudi Arabia in the lingerie industry).

What have the reactions been so far? Have you had any negative reactions yet?

Fortunately the feedback so far has been positive. Some people see it as a provocative project, but not in a bad way. Also, some people ask me "are you sure you want to bring this project to Saudi Arabia"? I know this is quiet challenging since the bra is also an intimate garment, but what I am trying to communicate is that the bra is a symbol of womanhood, the bra is a CHOICE women have. I tend to keep this space strictly for women so they can feel liberated and act upon their rights.

Are you going to take this forward? What is your next step?

Now that I am done with the most important thing I believe the next step is to take a lingerie course so I can have an expertise in the domain.

Of course in parallel I need to find supporters as I mentioned earlier because I do plan to bring this to life and I even hope to expand my cause to the whole world one day and support all women, not just the women in the Middle East.

I am supporting Abeer with as much as I can as I really admire her project and cause. It would be great if you could think of any contacts that might be able to help her further in her venture! You can post them in the comment box, or you can like the CATALYST facebook page through the 'Find us on Facebook' link on the top right corner of this blog, and post them there or send me a message as it is an easier means to communicate! You would give me a cool birthday present if you would do that! ;)

If you want to read more about BRAVOLUTION you can go to the BRAVOLUTION facebook page. Unfortunately, the Bravolution facebook page is now strictly for women as the symbol Abeer is using is feminine and intimate she wants to create a 'safe' female environment for women to have an open discussion.