Hindamme’s Driving Jacket is now on permanent display at London’s prestigious Victoria & Albert (V&A) Museum. The jacket was designed by Saudi fashion designer and Founder of the contemporary luxury label, Mohmmed Khoja, to celebrate the pivotal day Saudi women were able to take control of the wheel for the first time.
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The bomber jacket with the “June 24, 2018” logo in Gregorian and Hijri can be admired up close and personal in the V&A’s new exciting space. Called “Remaking Ourselves in the Design 1900— Now,” the gallery features a curation of pieces that explore the vital role of design. New and recent acquisitions, such as the Driving Jacket, are displayed alongside key objects from the V&A collection.
“I am honoured that this piece I designed, the Driving Jacket, for Saudi women in 2018 caught the attention of the curators at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London,” the self-taught designer said about the exciting news. “Twenty fourth of June 2018 was a moment for celebration for women in Saudi, when they took the wheel and took to the road. Now the story continues, and it’s an exciting moment for the Saudi fashion story, to join the prestigious ranks of the V&A’s permanent fashion collection. As well as for me, personally as a fashion designer, of course!”
The V&A procured the jacket in 2020 and it instantaneously became the first Saudi contemporary piece to join the world’s largest and most prestigious fashion reference collection. The world-renowned V&A fashion collection includes thousands of pieces such as rare 17th century gowns, 18th century ‘mantua’ dresses and 1930s eveningwear.
Hindamme’s Driving Jacket is also part of the National Museum for World Cultures’ permanent collection and it is on display at the museum, which is located in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
About The Driving Jacket
The sporty but luxurious piece created in 2018 to mark the lifting of the Saudi ban on women driving initially came in three colours, black and gold, black and platinum and green and gold. Embellished with metallic threaded embroidery showing the date women could start driving, the unisex piece also has medals decorating the sleeves. These are inspired by ones going back to the reign of King Saud.
About Mohammed Khoja
Mohammed Khoja, who hails from Saudi’s Eastern Province, launched his young-at-heart, fun and heritage-aware label Hindamme in 2016. Named after an old Arabic term referencing 'to possess perfect form in harmony and aesthetic', the Al-Khobar based label is inspired by the concept of East meet West. Khoja, who learnt how to cut patterns via YouTube tutorials, garnered global attention when he created the Driving Jacket.
Looking forward, the 33-year-old designer, who studied Business Administration at the American University of Paris, is working towards making his pieces more sustainable and timeless. Khoja also works in the arts and culture arena and has taken part in the planning of various art exhibitions.
