Oil is the lifeblood on which this city runs. Energy, movement and money runs on black gold, pumping water out of the desert and flying planes overhead. It was because of oil that the country was built up from the ruins of war in the space of a few decades.
But just as oil has given, it has also taken away. Farmers in the field put down their spades and craftsmen in the old city put aside their needles and hammers, searching instead for less gruelling work funded by the flow of oil. The fields filled with weeds and the old city crumbled, as the old industries died in favour of the promise of highrises and fast cars and an easier life.
Today, the curse of the oil is self-evident. The king lamented, “I wish you
people had found water. Water makes men work. Oil makes men dream,” but even the dream has faded.
This new collection by Born in Exile captures the hopes, fears and uncertainties of Libya’s oil boom. The decades following the discovery of oil radically changed the economic and social landscape of the country, and this transition is reflected in the use of mixed fabrics and prints in the clothing. Oil prints dominate many of the pieces, imprinting the cloth with traditional Libyan patterns.
The collection is also marked by contrasts. White flowing knitwear pieces reflect traditional Libyan robes while black studded
leather reflect the changes in perception of what it means to a modern Libyan. But within these transitions, the boldness of the collection highlights Libyan pride, a theme that has endured in the country’s history.
