SKIN Scarf Collection: Appreciating All Hues of Humanity

Hailing from Birmingham, UK, 22-year-old Habiba Da Silva has designed a new scarf line called SKIN celebrating humanity’s diverse shades and tones.

Habiba, who has Brazilian and Lebanese roots, is a popular fashion blogger and YouTuber who aims to break down the default trend of designing items for lighter-skinned models which do not take into account the differences in our complexions. So far she has designed four shades, and there’s more on the way!

Designed to be worn by men and women, from all faiths and none, Habiba said: “[This] was inspired by many things. Firstly for my passion for cultures and traditions, secondly to break up the trend of having brands with clothing dressed on only lighter skinned models. I wanted something for everyone: men, women; from every background.”

The SKIN collection follows on from an expansion of the understanding of the colour “nude”, which used to refer to only a lighter pink shade. Her palette includes various nudes that compliment different hues – a movement which has started to come into the mainstream because of Christian Louboutin and Nubian Skin, among others.

Habiba has named each scarf shade in a different language using the idea of marriage as a central point. She emphasises, however, that the intention of using marriage is “not necessarily as a bond between a man and a woman”, but rather “a bond between people from different backgrounds and cultures”. The darkest colour is called “Aure,” the Hausa word for marriage, followed by “Aroosadda,” which is Somali for “bride”, and “Rukhasti,” which means “sending off” in Urdu, and the lightest shade is “Zaffeh,” which is Arabic for “wedding procession”.

While such colours may have been floating around in the market already, Habiba’s collection points to the need for inclusivity in fashion. We love her creativity and determination!