(CNN) – Syrian artist Asala Nasri has been released His new album “The Syrian Album”in a musical project that celebrates Syria’s heritage and cultural diversity. The album includes 14 songs inspired by Syrian heritage songs, based on the number of Syrian governors..
Asala hired a team of Arab designers to present looks inspired by each governor’s identity. And he took it Syrian designer Muthana Haj Ali designed views of As-Suwayda, Raqqa, Tartus and Idlib, while designer Shahad Al-Sharoud provided views of the countryside of Aleppo and Damascus..
As for the looks of Damascus, Homs, Daraa and Al-Hasakah, they were signed by Syrian designer Howaida Al-Baridi, while Kuwaiti designer Farah Saleh Al-Baban designed the look of Deir ez-Zor. Syrian designer Hanadi Al-Halabi completed this collection with Latakia and Hama designs..
Syrian designer Muthana Al-Hajj Ali said that the project began to be discussed in September 2025, noting that he began his work by conducting an in-depth and accurate study of each region, following the works of the late Syrian artist and painter Ziad Zakari, who inspired several design ideas from his paintings..
Hajj Ali explained in an interview with the site CNNIn Arabic, he wanted the pieces to simultaneously express his identity as a designer and the heritage of each city, pointing out that the colors red, white and black are an essential part of his brand identity and, at the same time, they are colors that are strongly represented. Syrian heritage.
He said, “I tried to make the piece traditional but with a modern twist.” She explained that Suweida’s look, for example, was black with modern details, while she added an extra-long white shawl to give the look more drama and emphasize her importance in the governor’s society.
As for Tartu’s dress, she explained that it was a combination of white color, traditional women’s clothing and a modern treatment of it. She noted that the idea for the accessory was based on a man’s headband, but she made it a feminine accessory by adding embroidery, beading and dangling crystal details..
As for the Raqqa governor’s look, Hajj Ali said it is a red dress with a long black “cap” that resembles a “vest” jacket, explaining that the work focuses on the sleeves and fine details. She added that all the pieces took a long time to do the embroidery and details that were added to them.
The Syrian designer noted that he tried to focus on details to reflect the heritage in a modern and different way, but from a fashion perspective, saying: “I did not try to invent something from scratch, but to develop what is there, keeping its origins.”.
Regarding his responsibility to the heritage that inspires his designs, Hajj Ali noted that the responsibility is great when the design is related to the heritage of a particular region, “because we are dealing with a part of people’s identity and memory.”
As for Syrian designer Howaida Al-Barid, who designed the looks for Damascus, Homs, Daraa and Al-Hasakah, she draws on a different reading of local heritage in each design, while introducing modern touches that preserve each region’s identity..
And on the spot.Speaking to CNN’s Arabic website, al-Baridi explained that the Damascus look was based on the traditional Damascus costume “entirely”, with the addition of mosaic and Damascene seashell detailing to add more distinction to the design while maintaining the features of the original costume.
The Syrian designer noted that the inspiration for Homs’ look was the city of Palmyra, one of the governorate’s most prominent historical cities, noting that he inspired the design from the character of Queen Zenobia. Through appearance, she wanted to project the character of Zenobia onto me Syrian artist As a strong female model who has achieved a prominent position, she takes her clothes inspired by the statues of Queen Zenobia and derives her details from fabrics and accessories..
As for Dara’s appearance, she noted that she kept the basic details of the traditional suit, including the shape of the chest, the fabric, the cut of the collar, the shape of the sleeves and the quality of the embroidery. But she reinvented the dress in an unusual way, as she recut it and turned the top into a corset and added a narrow skirt to it for a more modern look.
Regarding the view of Al-Hasakah, Al-Baridi explained that the region is famous for its embroidery and handicrafts, so he chose to work with gold threads and took an old “vintage” painting, which he recreated in the same way, to preserve the spirit of traditional craftsmanship and within a modern design.
