Saudi Arabia news and archive

Male model dismisses gender norms in an evolving Saudi Arabia

With his hot pink hair extensions and leopard print pantsuit, model Ziad al-Mesfer was bound to turn heads during his recent public photo shoot in deeply conservative Saudi Arabia. Passers-by began sneaking pictures on their mobiles merely minutes after Mesfer emerged from his white luxury car onto the cobbled sidewalks of a high-end cafe...

Fashion

Saudi Arabia’s Fashion Commission to support local designers with new initiative

Saudi Arabia is looking to boost local brands in the global fashion industry with a new initiative, Saudi 100, a specifically designed programme to help designers and brands “achieve their full potential”. Unveiled by Saudi Arabia’s Fashion Commission, Saudi 100 will provide fashion brands with a one-year brand developmental programme with...

Fashion Featured

Rebellious fashion: Saudi women embrace sports abayas

Colourful and oozing defiance, a sports-friendly version of the abaya gown was once considered a symbol of cultural rebellion in conservative Saudi Arabia, but it is fast becoming the new normal. Pictures of female athletes running in the garb in the Red Sea city of Jeddah went viral last month, setting off a new debate on sartorial freedoms for...

Fashion

Saudi Arabia hosts its first Arab Fashion Week

Jean Paul Gaultier and Roberto Cavalli are in Saudi Arabia -- headlining the kingdom's first ever Arab Fashion Week, an event that opened Tuesday to equal parts excitement and controversy. Two weeks later than initially planned, the Saudi Arabian edition of Arab Fashion Week joins designers from Europe and the Arab world over the course of four...

Fashion

Saudi Arabia to host first Arab Fashion Week

Saudi Arabia is set to host in March its first ever Arab Fashion Week, the Arab Fashion Council announced Monday, overturning decades of draconian policies on arts and entertainment. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the powerful heir to the Saudi throne, has been leading a drive to reform the country's dependence on oil, including expanding the...