DUBAI: Saudi Arabia’s pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai is set to host a fashion show on Feb. 16 to celebrate the Kingdom’s designers.
The event, which is a collaboration with the Saudi Fashion Commission, will present works from homegrown labels Arwa Al-Banawi, Tima Abid and Abadia.
Each brand will showcase 10 pieces from their most recent collections.
Over the past few years Al-Banawi has made a name for herself as one of her generation’s most creative designers. She blends traditional tailoring with contemporary perspectives, working out of her design studios in Jeddah and Dubai to bring together eastern and western influences.
Abid founded her eponymous womenswear label 18-years-ago. The Jeddah-born couturiere presented her first-ever collection in 2020 during Paris Haute Couture Week. Since then, she has dressed some of the region’s top celebrities, including Assala Nasri and Balqees Fathi.
Meanwhile, the Dubai-based Saudi label Abadia refers to itself as “ethical luxury.” The family-owned brand, co-founded by Shahd Al-Shehail and her aunt, Naeema Al-Shehail, aims to empower and support Saudi women artisans by integrating traditional crafts such as sadu (a weaving technique) and naqda (a technique of pulling thin metallic threads through cloth) in their designs.