From Abayas to Bikinis: Saudi Arabia hosts first swimwear fashion show

Saudi Arabia held its first fashion show featuring swimsuit models on Friday, a groundbreaking event in a country where women were required to wear body-covering abaya robes less than a decade ago.

The poolside show, featuring Moroccan designer Yasmina Qanzal, showcased mostly one-piece suits in shades of red, beige, and blue, with models displaying exposed shoulders and partially visible midriffs.

“We aimed to present elegant swimsuits representing the Arab world,” Qanzal told AFP. “A swimsuit fashion show in Saudi Arabia is historic, as it is the first of its kind,” she added.

The show took place on the second day of the inaugural Red Sea Fashion Week at the St. Regis Red Sea Resort, part of Red Sea Global, a key project in Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 reform program overseen by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Since becoming first in line to the throne in 2017, Prince Mohammed has implemented significant social reforms, reducing the influence of religious police, reintroducing cinemas, and organizing mixed-gender music festivals. However, these changes have coincided with increased repression of dissent, including from conservative clerics.

Shouq Mohammed, a Syrian fashion influencer who attended the show, said it was not surprising given Saudi Arabia’s efforts to expand its fashion and tourism sectors. The fashion industry accounted for $12.5 billion, or 1.4 percent of national GDP, in 2022, employing 230,000 people, according to the Saudi Fashion Commission.

“Why not have a swimsuit fashion show in Saudi Arabia? It’s possible, and now we have it here,” Mohammed said.

Raphael Simacourbe, a French influencer also in attendance, noted that while the show didn’t seem risque by international standards, it was a significant achievement in the Saudi context. “It’s very brave of them to do this today, so I am very happy to be part of it,” he said.

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