Selects: Lebanese Designer Yasmin‑e Styles Her Brand Prince Politique

Yasmine Adada – a Lebanese creative who goes by Yasmin‑e on socials – is the kind of artist working in the margins between fashion and politics but refuses to call herself either. She'll design a shirt that says "Resistance is the deepest form of love" and then tell you it's not a statement. She'll spend eight years building a brand in the cracks between corporate jobs, handing pieces to friends for free, until a partner comes along and suddenly the whole thing breathes. Her Dubai based brand – Prince Politique – now co-run by her friend Shamma K, has become one of the most quietly influential Arab streetwear labels you might not have heard of yet. Alana Hadid wears it. Sole DXB gave it a booth. And the entire operation runs on a simple, stubborn belief: that politics doesn't have to be a scream. It can be a shirt you throw on because it looks cool, and then someone reads the back, and something shifts.

She didn’t see it coming. The politics to be exact. Growing up, Yasmine Adada hated it. Like any Arab kid with a news-obsessed father, she learned early that the world was a mess – but unlike her dad, she didn’t want to sit in it. “If Disney wasn’t on, it was Al Jazeera,” she says. “I had no opinions. I didn’t like talking about it.” So she did what any rebellious teenager with undiagnosed ADHD and a craving for freedom would do: she stopped going to class, started partying, and let the night teach her instead. That craving, she later realised, was creativity in disguise. “It’s the freedom that creativity gives you long before you know where you stand within that trial,”

The pivot happened in university, during a criminology class her parents had pushed her toward after she rejected law school. Political science snuck in through the side door. Then a human rights class. Then a gender studies class. “Everything they were teaching was exposing the world – that it’s pretty messed up, and this is what’s happening, and there’s not much we could do about it.” That guilty conscience followed her home. She was a terrible essay writer – “I couldn’t focus, I couldn’t write properly” – but she knew she could express herself differently.

So she bought a bomber jacket. The kind Kanye West made famous. A flight jacket, air force issue, with a violent history nobody seemed to notice. On the back she wrote arabic phrases, political, personal. She pinned a photo of Benazir Bhutto, assassinated former Prime Minister of Pakistan, to it. That was her first assignment. That was the first time she thought: ‘I want to keep doing this.’ She called it Prince Politique: “I wanted to give some royalty to the name, but I didn’t want to stick it to Princess necessarily.” So Prince it was. Chic, too.

For years, she made things without selling them. Jackets, T-shirts, mixes that spliced Nadine Labaki’s dialogue about social issues with Fairuz’s national pride – music she never understood until she realised her mother’s attachment to it was a kind of politics too. She handed pieces to friends, photographed them, posted them. Then strangers started asking to buy.

She still didn’t think she could save the world. “Especially not with a jacket,” she laughs. But she kept going because expressing herself was all that mattered.

Prince, as a brand, refuses to call itself political. “I’m scared that people think it’s heavy,” Yasmine admits. “It’s more like a beautiful story being told about who we are. A peaceful, united sketchbook for people to participate in.” She doesn’t want to make statements – “any statement could be changed tomorrow.” What she wants is celebration. Culture. The kind of unity that comes when you stop competing with the West and start looking at your neighbour in Cairo, in Amman, in Beirut, in Abu Dhabi and say: we’re in this together.

That shift – from personal diary to collective project – accelerated when she partnered with her friend Shamma K. “I was doing Prince Politique solo for a very long time,” she says. “It was constantly my diary. I wasn’t expanding myself.” Then Shamma came along, and something clicked. “She basically opened doors in myself, like fatahat abwab (opened doors) I didn’t know were there.” They’re polar opposites – Shamma feminine, extravagant, heeled; Yasmine tomboy, sneaker-worn, laid back. That yin-yang became the brand’s engine. “Two feminine energies, two masculine energies, bonded really well.”

Their partnership happened naturally, without a business plan. They’d text opinions, then ideas, then they built a website, dropped a collection, designed a booth for Sole DXB that Yasmine swears was the hottest one there. The brand’s new era is unisex, sexy in a chill way, and rooted in being true to yourself.

“I never realised that being an artist, you can actually have a business out of it,” she says. “Or make money out of it.” For eight years, she worked a corporate job she didn’t like, designing on the side, too scared to go all in. Now she’s 30, partnered, and finally letting the thing breathe.

For this SELECTS, Yasmine – now styling alongside Shamma – walks us through ten looks that map the brand’s evolution. Each outfit is a conversation between the two of them: a skirt that belongs to Shamma, a sneaker that belongs to Yasmine, a keychain that reminds you to hold onto peace in a world that moves too fast. The pieces are unisex, the messages are quiet, and the whole thing feels like a shared notebook. Or as Yasmine puts it, “a beautiful story being told about who we are.”

Look 1 | Bride of the East
“The back says, ‘Resistance is the deepest form of love.’ This shirt is for anyone – every girl, every guy – who is authentic and celebrating their culture. The skirt is super intentional, with flowers on it, and the Golden Goose sneakers are very me – mixing my tomboy personality with Shamma’s femininity. That’s the whole brand: both of us in one look.”

A silk‑and‑cotton elegy to the eastern spirit, this look layers softness with rebellion. The Bride of the East shirt in black carries its message like a secret, while the Celine mini skirt in cotton jacquard adds tailored femininity. The Chanel chain pouch swings as a talisman, and Golden Goose’s “Journey of Love” sneakers ground the outfit in movement.Prince Politique | Bride of the East in Black
Celine | Mini Skirt in Cotton Jacquard
Chanel | Chain Around Pouch Quilted Lambskin Extra Mini Hobo Bag
Golden Goose Sneakers | Journey Of Love

Look 2 | Freedom
“The Freedom Long Sleeve has barbed wires tracing along the sleeves – symbolising resilience. I wore this exact outfit at Sole DXB. The ID bracelet, the Oakley glasses, the whole thing. It’s very me, very real, very cool. A piece that expresses who you are without compromise.”

Coded in silver and shadow, the Freedom Long Sleeve turns barbed wire into an anthem. The MM6 ID bracelet clicks as a minimalist shackle‑break, while Oakley’s Flak 2.0 XXL glasses sharpen the gaze into tactical optimism. The Bottega Andiamo bag and leather charm add a whisper of soft luxury.
Prince Politique | Freedom Long Sleeve
Maison Margiela | MM6 Silver ID Bracelet
Oakley | Flak 2.0 XXL On The Green Collection Glasses
Bottega Veneta | Small Andiamo Bag in Black
Bottega Veneta | Intrecciato Leather Bag Charm

Look 3 | Activist
“I designed this jersey five or six years ago. I had ten pieces, passed them around, never sold it. Shamma was the one who convinced me to re‑release it – because she styled it as a dress, and I saw it for the first time like, ‘Oh my God, this is so cool.’ It’s oversized, effortless, paired with high thigh‑high boots. Activist energy and style – together.”

Oversized architecture meets nocturnal fluidity. The Activist Jersey, re‑released from Yasmine’s archive, drops into a dress silhouette that swallows and releases the body in equal measure. Tony Bianco’s thigh‑high boots climb like second skin, and the Alaïa Le Click bag – small, black, precise – holds your manifestos and your lip gloss.
Prince Politique | Activist Jersey
Tony Bianco | Avah thigh-high boots
Alaïa | Le Click East West small bag in Black

Look 4 | Double Sleeve Chemise
“This piece means a lot to me. It’s ‘I’m on the run, I’m going to the office, but I’m relaxed and stylish.’ It reflects our identity with ease. The keychain is a subtle reminder to hold onto peace and love in a world that moves too fast.”

Corporate armour re‑written as soft sculpture. The Double Sleeve Chemise floats over Alexander Wang’s boxer pants – a collision of sleepwear and boardroom. Salomon x Maison Margiela sneakers crunch the ground with technical grit, while the silver Peace Chain dangles as a low‑frequency mantra.
Prince Politique | Double Sleeve Chemise
Alexander Wang | Boxer Pants
SALOMONSALOMON x Maison Margiela | XT-MM6 'Vanilla Ice Black' Sneakers
Prince Politique | Peace Chain in Silver

Look 5 | Étoile Rouge
“The pumps are definitely Shamma – MM6 x Louboutin. The leather skirt from The Frankie Shop. This one is simply sweet, simple, with the black Peace Chain. It’s a very sweet and simple outfit – but it still says something.”

A red star pinned to a black canvas – the Étoile Rouge shirt hums with understated defiance. The Frankie Shop’s leather wrap skirt sheathes the hips in matte darkness, while MMG x Louboutin pumps (Maison Margiela’s Martoubi 25) elevate every step into a statement. The black Peace chain echoes the keychain’s rhythm: sweetness is not weakness.
Prince Politique | Etoile Rouge
Prince Politique | Peace Chain in Black
The Frankie Shop"– Cleo Leather Wrap Skirt
MMG x Louboutin Pumps | Maison Margiela Martoubi 25 Pump in Nappa Leather

Look 6 | Party
“The Party Zipper Jacket was part of our ‘Party versus Protest’ collection. It’s about hiding yesterday and moving forward – hood up, keep it moving for the girl on the run. The denim skirt, the silver Miu Miu sneakers – this fit is the perfect vibe.”

The Party Zipper Jacket zips secrets into its seams. The Scurffers light blue denim skirt kicks out with a ’90s shrug, while New Balance x Miu Miu 530 SL sneakers (silver, metallic, absurdly shiny) catch every strobe light.
Prince Politique | Party Zipper Jacket
Scurffers | Label Light Blue Denim Skirt
New Balance X Miu Miu | 530 SL Shiny Metallic Leather & Mesh Silver Sneakers

Look 7 | Angels Kissing
“This was inspired by my friend that passed away three years ago. She had this tattoo on her hand. We always wanted to make a piece together – something in dedication to Palestine. After she passed, I designed this shirt. It’s called Angels Kissing. Alana Hadid wore it recently. The back speaks volumes – so the fit is styled simply with flared dress pants. Let the peace speak for itself.”

Grief rendered in cotton and ink. The Angels Kissing shirt turns its back to the world – and on that back, a tattoo becomes a prayer. Flared dress pants drape like a widow’s veil, and Nike Killshot 2 trainers keep the feet on the ground. No jewellery, no distraction. Just the quiet, devastating power of a message.
Prince Politique | Angels Kissing
Nike | Killshot 2 Ltr Prm OPP2 Trainers Black Sail Baroque Brown Mtlc DK Grey
Flared Dress pants