Inside the Trashy Vault: Iconic Moments from Early 2000s Arab Music

With every passing day, it becomes clearer to us how much the Arab pop music we grew up with has had an influence on us, and on the world that surrounds us. The iconic Haifa Wehbe Badi Eish CD cover we saw on every corner, Nancy Ajram’s music videos we watched on TVs at coffee shops our parents took us to, and the catchy tunes of the likes of Hamaki and Tamer Hosny that accompanied every family trip are all tokens unlikely to ever leave our memory. Over a decade later, they’re still everywhere: on our playlists, in our social media feeds and, sometimes, in our closets.

Palestinian label Trashy Clothing has long been a custodian of kitschy 2000s music from all over the region. In fact, many of their collections are directly inspired by iconic music videos or tracks from the era, and they now display their favourites on digital archive Trashy Files. To them, the appeal of early 2000s pop lies in more than their nostalgic appeal and undeniable iconography. “We see a lot of purity in the regional Y2K era,” Shukri Lawrence, the creative director of Trashy Clothing (& Files) told SceneNoise, “The glamour of the era, the drama, it was all bold and sincere. It was all unapologetic. Nothing was minimal or ironic; it all came from the heart. That’s what makes it so powerful; it created a visual language that we now use as a vessel.”

To honour the sincerity of the era, Shukri Lawrence took us on a trip inside the Trashy vault, through the label and archive’s favourite Y2K music moments.

Haifa Wehbe

Pepsi Commercial (2006).

Dress reimagined for Trashy Clothing SS22, later worn by Elyanna in her Sukkar music video.

Growing up, this video, and Haifa’s look, was unforgettable - one of the star’s most iconic. It became part of our SS22 collection Souvenirs of Conquest, which explored how leisure and militarism intertwine. We reimagined it as a resort piece, playfully printed with “Visit Haifa,” linking both Haifa the star and the city of Haifa in Palestine.

Maram Al Balushi

Khali Yroh (2007)

SS25 Maryooma Hood in Numero 252

The image of Maram on the couch in this music video felt both powerful and chic - a true life-imitates-art moment. The Kuwaiti actress is a classic girl boss in this track, berating and torturing an unfaithful lover. Within our collections, Maryooma is a recurring character with a long headpiece, symbolising the strength of Arab women.

Haifa Wehbe 

Hassa (2011)

Trashy Clothing x Barragán AW24 Campaign starring Bigmurk and a Haifa lookalike

Yehya Saadeh’s direction made this music video a cornerstone of Arab pop culture. For our Barragán collaboration, which examined American psyops, Haifa’s dramatic plane–car crash served as the perfect symbolism.

Nawal El Zoghbi 

Elly Etmanetoh (2003)

Look reimagined for Trashy Clothing SS21

Our spring/summer collection for 2021 drew from Arab pop icons who resonated deeply with the queer community. This quintessential Nawal look, with its sequin pants, thin scarves and choreography that borders on the erotic, embodied that connection and became an essential reference.

Ruby 

Enta Aref Leeh (2018)

Intro recreated for Trashy Clothing x Hushidar Mortezaie AW20 Campaign

In our collaboration with Hushidar, we reclaimed the belly dance body, declaring: “My body is not debauchery, your eyes are.” Ruby’s opening scene, confidently walking the street in her belly dancer look - of course, in classic Ruby fashion - embodied this resistance and reclamation.

Haifa Wehbe 

Badi Eish (2005)

Printed on a T-shirt worn by Mia Khalifa

Haifa’s Badi Eish cover remains one of her most iconic pop culture moments, the same way the album itself is one of her most popular - who hasn’t danced to Hayat Albe and Rajab at 3 AM, in the privacy of their rooms or on a night out? We turned it into a band-style T-shirt, cementing its place in Trashy’s visual language.

Maya Nasri

Akhbarak Eih (2001)

Fur hood reimagined for Trashy Clothing SS25

In this classic Maya Nasri clip, the Lebanese musician (literally) plays with fire, longingly asking after an ex’s mental state. Maya’s glam fur look inspired a redesign of our signature Identity Hood, translating the song’s camp pop chicness into a new Trashy silhouette.

Elissa

Baddy Doub (1999)

Scene recreated for Trashy Clothing SS24 campaign

The shot of Elissa in her “Sharshaf” dress next to a close-up of her face has always stayed with us for its visual poetry, as well as the terribly catchy tune we never quite managed to get out of our heads. It aligned seamlessly with the mood of our Salon De Trashy campaign, where the makeup and hair are prominently featured in the imagery. In the campaign, we made a plan to build a Salon on Eliezer Kaplan St. 1 in Jerusalem (The Knesset, Israeli Parliament building). The campaign includes images of the Salon architecture project plan, alongside the Salon’s promotional imagery.

Maria Nalbandian

Elaab (2009)

Products reimagined as prints for Trashy Clothing SS21, worn by Nemahsis

In this clip, Maria Nalbandian takes on the role of an eroticised young girl devouring an ice cream cone to appeal to the male gaze. SS21 explored the concept of pinkwashing and false branding. We cheekily referenced Maria’s Jad Shwery–directed product-style branding, transforming it into prints as tongue-in-cheek commentary.