E-commerce fashion brand exhale weaving purpose with purchase

Conceptual clothing brand exhale has officially launched in the UAE. Conceptualised in October 2016 by Nawal El Masri, exhale is a mindful and conscious-driven e-commerce brand that seeks to change perspectives through storytelling, art, music and visual journeys.

The exhale apparel line comprises of clothing and accessories, ranging from t-shirts, sweatshirts, bomber jackets, caps and water bottles, with designs that fall under three creative, thought-evoking, key elements of the brand – Reflect, Express and Inspire.

exhale is an eclectic mix of minimalistic designs that exude power and are produced predominantly in monochromatic colour tones. The brand uses high-quality materials such as 100% organic soft-spun cotton, bamboo, viscose and tri-blends, sourced from India, Turkey, Portugal and the UAE – all promoting sustainability and eco-care.

In addition to carefully curating clothes with intricate meaning behind each design, El Masri aims to boost a purchase-with-purpose ideal through each product off the online catalogue, allowing patrons to connect with their choice of purchase.

“exhale was created during a challenging time in my life; a time where my anxious thoughts spun out of control and loss had taken a toll on me,” she shares. “I had to breathe out painful emotion to formulate purpose, to see the bigger picture. Every piece from exhale is a triumphant work of art that is intertwined with true meaning and real stories. I and the people I work closely with weave purpose and meaning into these fabrics. exhale’s aim is to aesthetically breathe out life, art, music and stories into curated apparel all the while caressing the anxious thoughts of the human mind. exhale is a statement of self-reflection, a statement of confidence, a statement of inspiration. exhale is not here to complete you, yet, it will compliment you. More than anything, it is a reminder for what we so easily forget – to breathe.”

Raising mental health awareness through artistic mediums, exhale recently launched a collaboration with popular comic strip, Peanuts, created by Charles M. Schulz. The comic strip, which launched in 1950, plays host to an array of mental health topics and discussions, printed in light – an aspect that resonated with exhale. For El Masri, this comic strip offered more than just humour.

“The characters based in this comic strip bring to the forefront terms that society recognise as taboo. The comic speaks about various phobias and about anxiety, but what it also does is encourage the notion that accepting the trouble within and embarking on a journey to find a silver lining is a key component of overcoming fears. A key component in finding happiness within,” she explains.