If you haven’t already heard about the Saudi designer Arwa Al Banawi, then you don’t want to skip reading this, trust us!
Grew up in Jeddah and spent most of her upbringing in Switzerland, Arwa Al Banawi has always had a passion for fashion. She grew up knowing and learning about the fashion world from her parents whom happen to be one of Arwa’s biggest inspirations for her designs that are retro inspired. Arwa’s designs always have a story to be told within, and that was inspired by traveling around the world a lot.
Al Banawi started off as a fashion and lifestyle blogger before moving to Dubai in 2012, where she had a career in banking while taking fashion design courses. Those courses she took, gave her a clear idea on what she want to be doing and that’s when she launched her fist ready-to-wear collection in 2015. We’ve also seen Al Banawi’s pieces being worn by the iconic Deena AlJuhani and also social media influencers, Karen Wazni, Leena Alghouti, Dana Hourani and Fatima Almomen to name a few.
In september 2017, Al Banawi collaborated with one of the biggest sportswear brand, Adidas Originals. The collaboration, titled “P.E.” was based on athletic-inspired collection that were inspired by the dreamers and the idea of simply being different. The collection included French terry knitted sweatpants with side slits, shiny Spandex leggings, and black oversized hoodies. Al Banawi’s famous mix of suit jackets and the camouflage prints were also part of the collaboration.
“I remember back in high school, P.E. [physical education] was a class that no one took seriously. It felt like an extension of lunchtime and we would gather with our own clique to gossip. There was the group who excelled in academics, the artists, the misfits and the dreamers. While we were all different, we were just exploring our individuality – trying to carve out our place in the world,” says Arwa AlBanawi on her Adidas Originals collaboration.
