Introducing a new limited edition collaboration between CAMILLA and Roeqiya Fris. Roeqiya is a Dutch-Egyptian illustrator whose captivating artworks draw inspiration from her dual Arab and Dutch heritage, Egyptian landscapes and travel to create rich scenes that celebrate diversity, femininity and nature.
Camilla Franks and Roeqiya Fris first met in Amsterdam. They bonded over a shared love of art, colour and creativity, and a beautiful partnership was born. In this collaboration, the CAMILLA artisans reinterpret Roeqiya's unique designs, blending her signature aesthetic with that unmistakable, iconic CAMILLA flair to create one-of-a-kind wearable artworks.
In this exclusive interview with Camilla Franks, we dive into the stories behind Roeqiya's unique artworks.
Camilla Franks: I want to introduce you to this beautiful artist that I've just met. I'm totally captivated by her work that's surrounding us right now, the color, the movement, the energy. Roeqiya, tell us a little bit about your incredible work, how you started and your inspirations?
Roeqiya Fris: I started six years ago with a drawing or painting because I was a fine art teacher before, but I have a special needs boy with a lot of injury now, seizures, epilepsy, and it was not going well with him so I stopped with work for one year and I started with drawing and I draw almost every day.
My inspiration is almost my childhood in Egypt and everything. When I draw, it always comes out as something with Arabic vibes. The vibe… is also inspired by Egypt: the Nile and the woman with the harvest, vegetables and fruits. The Nile is very important for all Egyptian people and my family lives near to the Nile… we take picnics on the boat and went to the space with palm trees and eat there, [it’s] heaven.
Camilla Franks: Whereabouts in Egypt were you born?
Roeqiya Fris: My mother is from Cairo. I was born there, and then my parents moved to Saudi Arabia so I lived there for a few years, and after that we moved to Holland, but we go often to Egypt with my mother in her entire family's home. It's so magical. It’s like I was in another fairytale world or something.
Camilla Franks: What does Egypt mean to you?
Roeqiya Fris: Egypt is, for me, the passion and the feeling and close to your heart living, is very different from the Dutch mentality because they're very in their head, everything with their heads. My mother raised us very Egyptian, so she's always belly dancing and singing, and making Arabic food. She's always laughing and having much fun like Egyptians do. They don't have much food or big houses, but they're always together and they're always happy together.
Camilla Franks: Tell me a little bit about your materials. You love colour, right?
Roeqiya Fris: Yeah! I paint and draw with pencils, with gouache, with colored ink, with markers, a lot of markers, but most of it is gouache, markers and pencils. So I think it's also… the colors and also the trees and nature, I think… I feel a little bit of the vibe of vacation in Egypt.
And sometimes [people] also say, "Oh, this is Egypt, but I feel another country where I was happy with palm trees and sun."
Camilla Franks: I'm really excited to capture the essence and the energy of your Egypt. We want to celebrate your work. These will be heirlooms that will tell your story of life in Egypt, and I'm so excited to share your incredible work with the world!
