MORROCO: Hijabi fashion aficionado and social media influencer, Ruba Zai has teamed up with Italian luxury house Dolce and Gabbana for their new Abaya line. The 23 year old blogger is the first social influencer ever to be chosen and be the face of one of the brand's campaigns. Zai sees the collaboration as an opportunity to advance her ambitions into making Muslim women fashion more universal.
“One day, I noticed that Steffano Gabbana followed me on Instagram. At first I thought that it was a fake account, but then I saw that 'blue check' mark next to his name... I was in shock,” Zai said. She informed that within a few days, the firm's communications team contacted her and gave her the big news. Steffano was reportedly impressed by her blog, 'Hijabi Hills', and saw her as the perfect fit for his vision. While the campaign was initially projected to go live in autumn/winter 2017, Ruba shared the idea of publishing the photos during Ramadan.
“They thought that was a cool idea,” she said. Following the launch of its first Abaya line last year, D&G held the inaugural event in the summer during the holy month of Ramadan.