Haya Abdulsalam in Maldives by Gianluca Fontana for Vogue Arabia January 2020

Kuwaiti actor and director Haya Abdulsalam takes a dive into the blue Indian Ocean, lensed like a true sea goddess in the Maldives. Photographer Gianluca Fontana captures Abdulsalam on the shores of the Pullman Maldives Maamutaa Resort. The star wears Andrew Gn, Dolce & Gabbana, Givenchy, Marques’ Almeida, Mary Katrantzou and more for Vogue Arabia January 2020.

Abdulsalam is working with husband Fuad Ali, and discusses her latest project with Devinder Bains. “It’s a 30-episode Ramadan series called Mannequin,” she shares. “It’s about a group of women working in a tailor shop, trying to live with a family curse that means they can’t have any men in their lives. It’s a fantasy with a message about empowered women.”

Female strength is a theme that has been present in her life since the day the Kuwati star was born. “My mother is a strong woman and she is my best friend, She covers her head, wears a veil and an abaya but is confident enough to be super stylish. I let her pick my clothes; she has a great retro style.” 

“Being so dressed up for the shoot was a bit weird for me because I’m a casual person, but I loved it. It was a way of celebrating myself,” Abdulsalam reflects.