RIYADH: Day four of Riyadh Fashion Week drew well-heeled crowds as Saudi Arabia’s capital played host to the penultimate day of the annual showcase, with a clear focus on sharp cuts and day-to-night dressing on the runway.
Saudi labels including MD29, RBA, Noura Sulaiman, Harjuss, KML and Mazrood staged catwalk shows.
Known for its experimental take on formal fashion, MD29 presented a boardroom-ready collection featuring deconstructed blazers in a muted color palette of greys, camel tones and dark blues.
Bubble skirts made an appearance on the runway, exemplifying the label’s desire to incorporate current trends in sleek day-to-night wear.
Ready-to-wear brand RBA, which is based between Saudi Arabia and New York, celebrated the power of texture.
Models showed off elevated casual looks created from linen and wrinkled, textured cotton. Layering was a key component of the collection, with hooded waistcoat-style garments styled over linen shirts in shades of beige, rust and chocolate brown.
For her part, ready-to-wear designer Noura Sulaiman, who specializes in both menswear and womenswear, sent a bevy of models down the runway in a variety of looks. Materials and embellishments were varied, with some ensembles featuring gold-to-solver ombre paillettes while others were rendered in ribbed wool.
A standout detail were the lines of embroidered Arabic text on the labels of some blazers and shirts, while a grey jumper dress with a trailing cape decorated with celestial patterns turned heads on the runway.
KML co-founders Ahmed and Razan Hassan showed off an equally chic collection, with structed blazer sets and belted workwear for men. Wraparound co-ords and menswear complete with capes capped off a sleek, standout collection that seemed to meld Arab and Japanese-style influences in something altogether new for the Saudi fashion scene.
Riyadh-based label Mazrood took the evening in a colorful direction with floral knitwear worn under red-piped, blue co-ords and a recurring sky blue flower motif that was spotted on multiple items. The streetwear label kept things casual but also offered evening-appropriate looks, including a blazer featuring a shower of sharp blue embellishments.
Riyadh Fashion Week drew to a close on Monday night and it has been an insightful look at all that the burgeoning — and relatively young — Saudi fashion scene has to offer.