First Ever Fashion Show In Saudi Arabia, Success or Failure?
- Wafa Nabil
- Apr 14, 2018
- 2 min read
“Fashion has always an interest of Saudi Arabia,”. Princess Noura told AFP at the event and we totally agree but lets see how people reviewed the first Arab Fashion Week in Saudi Arabia. Is it as they imagined, or is it not?
If a Fashion Council puts out a show, people are going to talk. But if the show is a flop? That's something that really gets tongues wagging. Every show can't be a major success, but when a management makes a misstep, the reaction is usually pretty strong, and harsh words are sometimes exchanged. Such as the situation now! Critics couldn't even find a nice way to say they were mad with the delays and bad arrangements, unfortunately. It was well beyond fashionably late to begin but models finally took to the runway on Thursday in Saudi Arabia's first-ever Arab Fashion Week. The event is one of the new entertainment opportunities opening up recently in the ultra-conservative kingdom. The fashion show hit significant delays, with logistical problems forcing it to open two weeks later than planned. First delay was before the show with days and the second delay was at the same day of the show, just an hour before the estimated time for the show to start! Which made a big chaos! Visitors from around the gulf and the world was already in Riyadh to attend the show, salons was all piled with people to pamper them for the show, until, the news of cancellation came out and all these preparations went rubbish. You know how much a ticket, outfit, hair, makeup, and all that pampering steps coast right? So you can't blame them for being pissed off. Also, the guest of honor, Roberto Cavalli show has been cancelled and postponed to a different day than the day it was scheduled on. Everyone expected the shows-schedule to get messed up after the first day cancellation (which is common sense and why people hate last minute change of plans) but no one expected Roberto Cavalli's show to be affected, since he is the guest of honor. Designers and models had trouble getting travel visas, and the organizers had to change venues to tents on the grounds of the Ritz-Carlton hotel in the Saudi capital Riyadh. As the event got underway, the backstage area was cramped and frenetic. Workers were everywhere when the guests arrived. Makeup artists and hairstylists worked their magic on the mostly Russian and Eastern European models, and designers made last-minute adjustments on their garments.
What was more ironic to men designers, that they can't attend their own shows. But what was more ironic to people and have been questioned a lot, "Is it a fashion show or is it a fashion event" since this isn't the kind of fashion show you witness around the world. It was more like a mixed-everything event, since their were make up tutorial sessions, jewelry workshop talks, booths and more of what an event would more look like in Saudi Arabia. Is it lack of professionalism to how a Fashion Week should be or its a change the council wanted to try? Well, I guess someone needs to clarify that.
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