Keeping It Proper
Let us agree that sometimes, there is not one proper way to do something. But let us not take that as philosophy, and allow our creativity to burden our ability to define. After all, an artwork hung on a wall is its final form.
Hassan Fathy — Sadat rest house , Woodwork details. Detail drawing of mashrabiya design (window grilles)
And we hope that a buttoned-up takm mazbūt - at least from talata mazbūt - remains its final form. We pursued to continue a form of wear that may not always have been considered “proper.” But in contrast to what surrounds us today, it carries a certain “properness” in its sensibility. Time has passed. Creation has moved. And in that motion, a solid, well-defined sartorial concept has found its moment of clarity.
We are yet to come across an old photograph of takm mazbūt worn with buttons undone. We have not seen it layered loosely, styled like an open shirt. As institutionalists - those who view society as a constellation of interdependent structures - we see this sartorial form as a dependent institution in itself. Part of that dependency lies in the way people express themselves through it. And like any institution with integrity, it risks dissolution when misread.
Afraid it might wither into ambiguity - become just another silhouette, stripped of its precision - we feel a responsibility to hold the line. To honour the experimental spirit of our people elsewhere, while protecting this one gesture from dilution. From losing the “properness” it has gained, as a form of wear that rejects conformation to the gradient of casual-to-formal, while carrying a sense of loose sharpness.
We know we cannot fully influence how the outfit will be styled. Perhaps it is not our place. But within the garment itself, we believe we must draw some boundaries.
The exposed buttons on the shirt reflect our brand-mark - three dots made visible. But the three hidden buttons beneath do more than support the closure. They exist to prevent those tempted to wear it completely open, with another layer beneath, from doing so.
How? Because the buttons do not align. And when all are exposed, it disrupts the composition. In other words: something beautiful becomes ugly. Ugly, as in not easy on the eyes.
