Saudi Label Re-birth Does Boho With Bite

Tala Abukhaled talks about clothes the way some speak about sculpture, as if each seam, knot and fold is an extension of thought. Her label, Rebirth, launched in 2021 and produced almost entirely in Saudi Arabia, has already shown in Milan and Paris Fashion Weeks and found its way into spaces like DOORS NYC and Six Senses Southern Dunes. The collections move between the earthy and the elevated, drawing on raffia, macramé, hand-dyed natural fibres and palm-wood beads, reworking craft traditions into pieces that carry memory and presence. It is rooted in place but made to move, its language understood wherever clothes are valued for more than surface.

“I enjoy creating pieces and art that make the viewer or wearer look twice, and thrice,” she says. “Pieces that make you feel something and are forever engraved in your memory.” This is not a slogan so much as a working principle. Her collections grow from a slow process of layering textures, colours, and shapes until the piece holds the emotion she’s chasing. “Each layer, or texture added was added for a reason,” she says. “An emotion that completed that look, that made it whole.” “Texture is incredibly important to me; it’s how the piece speaks before you even wear it. I like contrasting materials and textures. The silhouettes are often driven by movement, I want the wearer to feel the piece; its weight, its airiness, its soul.”

That instinct for connection shapes Rebirth’s aesthetic, “luxurious free spirit” in Tala’s own words, clothing for women who are rooted yet evolving, drawn to craftsmanship and sensual detail, and attuned to the energy a garment can hold.

Each Rebirth garment tells a layered story. There’s the Palestine Top and the A Free Palestine Embroidered Blouse, alive with meticulous threadwork that preserves cultural memory. The Palermo Neck Piece drapes like wearable sculpture, while the Yoyayi Set and Riya Burqa Dress blur the line between resort ease and runway statement. From the fluid fringe of the Palmina Corset Top to the structured modernity of the Corseted Bodhi, the collections embrace contradiction — softness meeting edge, nostalgia meeting reinvention.It’s this duality that forms Rebirth’s aesthetic signature: a dialogue between bohemian silhouettes, artisanal textures, and the unexpected twist of streetwear. Oversized hoodies with minimalist embroidery, like the Metaphor Sweatset or Mini Logo Hoodie, sit alongside gowns that could command attention at an art opening. The brand refuses to be one-note, instead building a wardrobe for women who live many lives in a single day.

The name Rebirth reflects a moment in her life when design became an act of renewal. Many pieces begin with an overlooked cultural fragment— a knot, a weave, a motif from a childhood memory— and are rebuilt in forms that carry both history and immediacy. Rope necklaces and belts are hand-knotted by artisans; macramé dresses fall open to let air and light pass through; palm-wood beads, sourced from local date trees, are strung into sculptural adornments that sway and catch against the skin. “The rope and beads evoke connection, protection and movement,” she tells SceneStyled. The latest collection, Roots & Threads, takes this further. Dresses cut from handwoven cotton graze the ankles and sway with the step. Loose crochet cover-ups reveal the silhouette beneath, their latticed patterns shifting with the breeze. Some garments are light enough to pack in a single fold of cloth; others are dense and grounding, their weight a kind of armour. The palette— sun-bleached neutrals, muted rusts, deep earth tones— comes from natural dyes, chosen as much for their texture as their hue.

Craft is the backbone. Tala works with Saudi artisans whose skills are measured in years. Knots are tied by hand; raffia is combed and twisted; dyes are mixed in small batches. The choice of materials is deliberate; breathable linen, supple cotton, unvarnished wood. “Some fabrics uplift and empower; others block your natural flow,” she says. “We choose what’s nurturing, so every piece feels like a gentle extension of yourself.”

Sustainability is not an afterthought here. Rebirth works with small-batch production, prioritizing handwork, reimagining materials, and designing for longevity. These are not clothes that expire after a season; they’re meant to be lived in, layered, and passed down. Tala speaks often about “creating with care,” and it’s visible in every seam and stitch.The care has carried Rebirth beyond fashion week runways. The brand has created wearable artworks for the Diriyah Art Biennale, dressed models for Charlotte Tilbury Arabia, and joined Light for Gaza to channel its aesthetic into tangible support. For Tala, these are not side projects but part of the same conversation: “Fashion is more than clothes. It’s a way to tell stories, support causes, and build connections.”

Her eyes are already on the next horizon: collaborations with artists, textile makers, and even ventures into home objects and installations. Whatever comes, the clothes will remain at the centre: garments made to be lived in, turned over in the hands, remembered in the body. “To wear Rebirth,” she says, “is to express without words… What we do know is that a Rebirth piece will be a conversation starter, an ice-breaker, and most importantly, a statement.”