The Syrian refugee has been in the eye of crisis after her attendance at the Oscar ceremony hung in a balance following US President Donald Trump’s travel ban in late January. Hala Kamil now lives in Germany as a refugee, but is a Syrian citizen and the subject of the short documentary Watani: My Homeland which was nominated for the Oscars. Kamil and her four children were forced to flee Aleppo after her husband, Abu Ali — a commander in the Free Syrian Army — was captured by Islamic State.
The Syrian refugee has been in the eye of crisis after her attendance at the Oscar ceremony hung in a balance following US President Donald Trump’s travel ban in late January. Hala Kamil now lives in Germany as a refugee, but is a Syrian citizen and the subject of the short documentary Watani: My Homeland which was nominated for the Oscars. Kamil and her four children were forced to flee Aleppo after her husband, Abu Ali — a commander in the Free Syrian Army — was captured by Islamic State.
After it was confirmed that Kamil would attend the Academy Awards ceremony, came the question of what she would wear.
Transported in a culture where women are extremely sexualised and asked to attend the a highly-documented glamour ritual that quizzes and evaluates women on how they look, she must have felt a pressure to represent her authentic self, her culture and the dignity stripped off her by war and a refugee status. She was not looking for a dress to celebrate her life or the success of a career in arts — but commemorate the loss of a home, a culture and a soulmate.
Bear in mind that actresses have stylists and couture houses sending them jewels and gowns months in advance. Kamil is a mother of four, so not a sample size, and her style is modest and would have to accommodate a hijab.
Try finding all this off a rack and for it to fit.
On Thursday, just three days before the ceremony, film-maker Chris Temple tweeted on Kamil’s behalf: “Urgent. Anyone know a designer in LA who can make a dress for Hala, a Syrian refugee? Her film was nominated for the Oscars this weekend!”
Eventually, she wore a dress designed by Lady Gaga’s stylist Brandon Maxwell — a purple and black two-piece velvet gown with a matching purple hijab. She was styled by Katy Perry’s stylist Jamie Mizrahi. Purple denotes not only royalty, but feminine strength and the fabric velvet — though very au courant —has its roots in the cultures of the Arabian plateau.
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