The Sculptor of Fabric: Mohamed Benchellal in Doha

Entering Mohamed Benchellal’s studio at Liwan, Umm Kulthum’s Alf Leila wa Leila fills the space and the melody moves slowly through the former girls’ school classroom- turned- atelier. It was not background noise but an integral part of his creative process.

Benchellal believes music enriches the creative process and here it is constant.

The space itself tells a story of intentional simplicity: fabric, a mannequin, scissors, thread and natural light. Where other designers might surround themselves with inspiration boards, Benchellal works with focused precision.

He never sketches. "What I do is I take pieces of fabric and I drape," he explains, pointing to a partially shaped form on the mannequin. "This is my sketch."

Creating Without a Sketch

In an industry driven by seasonal cycles, Benchellal works differently. He works with what exists, deadstock fabric and found materials waiting for a new life.

If there are two metres of fabric, the piece is small. Ten metres might transform into a sweeping silhouette. “I don’t choose what a dress looks like, the material chooses,’ he says.

For Benchellal, there is no fixed routine. He walks from Doha’s Msheireb district to the studio, usually arriving before anyone else. “The sun is my clock,” he says. “When it rises, I rise.” His days take shape as they unfold, some quiet and others filled with conversations, visitors or unexpected detours.

The city is close, the metro nearby, world-class dining at his fingertips, and the old souq with its material treasures, all within reach. But inside Liwan’s courtyard, the noise fades.

“Here, you’re closed off from the world, almost, you’re in this courtyard, in this oasis. I can’t imagine a better situation. Most people have to travel far to find this kind of peace.”

"...What makes this place so special is that it really feels like a home away from home.”

Each day, he returns to yesterday’s work. If the dress brings a smile, he continues. If not, he starts fresh.

When Architecture Meets Fashion

Three years ago, Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani introduced Benchellal to Liwan. It became the beginning of a long relationship with Doha that would prove transformative. In 2021, winning the Fashion Trust Arabia prize opened doors to his first solo exhibition at the National Museum of Qatar.

The exhibition felt deeply personal. Each dress stood like a sculpture in dialogue with the others and with the museum’s architecture. “I see my creations really as sculptures instead of just a dress,” he says.

The forms echoed Doha’s architecture that mirrored the sharp lines and curves of the city’s landmarks. “If you put the MIA building next to the NMOQ building, next to the Richard Serra sculpture, they all enrich each other. That is what inspires me the most.”

The Train Without a Destination

Benchellal’s creative process is driven by feeling. He describes it as a kind of trance. “If I have something in my head, a sleeve, a cut, I can’t leave until it is done,” he says.

"What I really try to do here is not have a strict plan, not have a strict deadline or anything. I just really want to use and make use of my ultimate creative freedom. So I can just create without having any bias or any pressure. And that's, I think, really an ultimate luxury that I can find here. To create and really create for yourself."

There is no formula to his approach. “My life is quite extreme in the sense that I travel a lot,” he admits. “There is no balance — it goes up and down like a roller coaster. But I’ve accepted that. That’s also how I work.”

He sees his creative path as an endless journey. “I feel like your creative journey is like being on a train, and the train has no final destination. You just continue. And after all these years, I’m very happily still on that train.”

His name carries meaning too.

On Legacy, Sustainability and Designing for Time

Benchellal’s approach to sustainability is personal rather than performative. The practice feels natural, rooted in childhood memories and creative instinct  — the motivation runs deeper than environmental concerns. "I just feel everything comes down to passion and creation. Why I chose this profession, which doesn't feel like a profession, but more like a lifestyle, is that for me, there is nothing to gain creatively if I made one design and the design goes to a factory and gets produced a hundred thousand times. Then it only becomes about money."

The personal connection to his craft remains unchanged from childhood.

“I’m still that little boy who used to secretly take his mother’s sewing machine to his room and cut up his clothes to sew them back together, and I still feel like I’m doing that,” he says. "I don't feel like I contribute to any wasteful behaviour. Every dress is unique and it's made to measure. I can't think of a better sustainable way."

Aisha Al Sowaidi, director of Liwan, recognises the unique energy Benchellal brings to the creative community... “His couture collection, inspired by the area around Liwan and its rich resources, beautifully reflects the essence of our community. His creations not only inspire fellow residents and designers but also encourage us all to embrace the context of Liwan as a vital source of innovation and inspiration.

She continues, “Additionally, Mohamed's vibrant energy infuses the space with life... His ability to engage with both the physical space and the community makes him an invaluable part of our creative family.”

There is no final plan. Just the rhythm of work, fabric in hand and the voice of Umm Kulthum or Warda drifting through the studio. Some of Benchellal’s pieces have already entered museum collections, quietly securing their place in fashion history.

“I cannot imagine any other legacy you can have than having an immortal design,” he says. “It’s just a fascinating idea that your dress ends up in the collection of a museum, meaning that two, three hundred years from now, it can still be exhibited, so it means that your design becomes immortal.”

Benchellal’s presence in Doha reflects Qatar Museums’ continued commitment to fostering cross-cultural dialogue and creative exchange. From commissions like Seven Dialogues by Noureddine Amir, displayed as part of The Splendours of the Atlas exhibition at the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) to initiatives such as the Artist in Residence (AIR) programme at the Fire Station, QM creates platforms where fashion, art and heritage intersect.

Benchellal’s journey rooted in Liwan realised at the National Museum and shaped by community stands as a testament to that vision.