In conversation with Reemami
On crafting, suiting, and the secret lives of witches
Reemami is a UAE-based brand by Reema Al Banna. What I love about her work is the application of children’s book-esque painting on otherwise ordinary suiting. To wear her clothing is to embody the stories of her childhood as a third culture kid in Palestine.
This DIY ensemble takes inspiration from Reema’s mode of craft. I painted motifs pulled from Ren Hang’s photography — nude women posed amid prehistorically large lily pads — on this white suit and vest set I purchased secondhand from a while back. Just as this otherwise blank canvas was transformed, so am I. Something strange came over me as I wandered the San Jose suburbs in the evening - a moment of disembodiment, twin souls alighting, a paparazzi flash. Alas! A witch is born.
