Saudi Arabia holds its first swimwear fashion show [Vidéo]

Stylist Tima Abid got her start at a time when fashion shows were taboo in Saudi Arabia and tourism was almost non-existent in the ultra-conservative kingdom, with the exception of religious pilgrimages.

The presentation this week of this Saudi woman’s latest collection, with models often walking bareheaded on a catwalk over the water, shows how far she has come.

The event took place at a large luxury hotel on the island of Ummhat Alshaikh, off the west coast of Saudi Arabia, accessible only by boat or seaplane.

The sunset show Thursday kicked off the first Red Sea Fashion Week, billed by organizers as a milestone both for Saudi fashion and a nascent tourism sector whose growth is essential to diversify the economy of the world’s largest oil exporter.

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Outfits with silky materials or transparent fabrics, bare legs or arms for several models, some even with a plunging neckline. All in white and beige tones.

Another parade Friday was billed as the first to show swimsuits.

Suffice it to say, a considerable change in this conservative Muslim country which required, even less than ten years ago, that women wear abbayas, dresses covering the entire body.

“You could say it’s audacity, but I see it differently: keeping up with the pace of globalization,” Ms. Abid told AFP.

“The restrictions that existed before were removed, and this gave us the opportunity to show our creativity in a more beautiful way.”

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The range of collections on show demonstrated that Saudi Arabia is determined to compete not only with Dubai, a city in neighboring United Arab Emirates, but also with other fashion capitals, said Lojain Omran, Saudi presenter of the program “Hello Arab World”, who attended the parade.

“If you want to reach an international audience in fashion, you have to reach all types of people, conservatives and those who are on the opposite side,” she added.

The complex where the parade takes place, with seaside villas costing nearly $2,000 a night, is part of Red Sea Global, one of the mega-projects at the heart of an ambitious reform program initiated by the prince. heir Mohammed bin Salman and known as Vision 2030.

Beaches and their palm trees are seen as potential major attractions, and Red Sea Fashion Week was partly intended to highlight what already exists, said Burak Cakmak, director general of the Saudi Fashion Commission .

“It is obvious that logistically we are trying something very new (…) on an isolated island,” he said.

“I would like everyone to explore not only Saudi design, but also Saudi Arabia as a destination,” he says.

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Attending preparations for Ms. Abid’s show, Saudi designer Alanoud Badr said it was “something we didn’t expect.” “Nothing to envy of the Maldives! “, she says.

Saudi Arabia is increasing investments in fashion and tourism, even as the war between Israel and the Palestinian movement Hamas in the Gaza Strip reduces the prospects for economic growth for the entire region.

But Saudi Arabia’s tourism industry also faces recurring criticism over the human rights situation in the Gulf kingdom, including the crackdown on dissent under the rule of Crown Prince Mohammed Salman.

Model Beatris Resende, who grew up in Brazil, said she often saw the Middle East as a region that was not portrayed in a very flattering way.

It was only through traveling and modeling that the young woman came to appreciate it. “I’ll be honest. I really want people to stop having stereotypes about countries and get to know them better,” she said.

Challenge (with AFP)