As-salamu alaykum - Vivienne Westwood headlines Riyadh Fashion Week with Saudi-inspired show
As-salamu alaykum. British label Vivienne Westwood made its first appearance on the Saudi catwalk last night, putting on a big show to open Riyadh Fashion Week.
The annual event, which has been happening since October 2023, drew the local fashion community to celebrate both global names and homegrown designers. In a sign of the event’s growing reach, Vivienne Westwood presented a collection made with Art of Heritage, an organisation that works to preserve Saudi cultural crafts and trains women artisans in the kingdom. The range leaned mostly toward evening wear - pieces suited for formal occasions and dressy clients, including more modest options alongside statement looks.
Westwood’s hallmark was obvious throughout, especially her use of corsetry. The Galaxy dress stood out: a burgundy silk gown, hand-embroidered in shades of orange, red and gold, finished with traditional bridal techniques from eastern Saudi Arabia. There were other structured pieces - a shorter hemline that nodded to the label’s playful side and a floaty green chiffon gown - both balancing structure and movement in the way the brand does.
Designer Andreas Kronthaler, who has led the house since Vivienne’s passing in 2022, brought back her famous tartan in leg-of-mutton-sleeved draped dresses and sharp jackets. Tailoring was strong too, with three-piece suits tailored for both women and men.
For the finale he sent out a line of glamorous gowns, closing with model and entrepreneur Jessica Kahawaty in the Bird of Paradise taffeta dress - a full-skirted, Baroque-leaning silhouette hand-embroidered in silver and gold metalwork, a tribute to crafts from the northern Zabon area.
Saudi designer Tima Abid also showed her signature occasion wear. One outfit was covered in white fabric flowers from top to gloves and a high collar that hid the face; another used a circular sweep of black cloth to frame the torso; a third was a high-necked, sheer caramel-toned piece with structured boning at the hips.
Atelier Hekayat offered a grand, Alice in Wonderland-inspired collection: a harlequin print on a tiered bubble dress, a Queen of Hearts-style ruff over a long black gown, a dress sprinkled with tiny black hearts, and a baby-blue high-low dress paired with striped leggings and a trailing train. The house showed a theatrical, movement-filled direction that still reflected the Saudi label’s cutting imagination.
Front-row guests at the Palm Court included actors Win Metawin and Faye Peraya Malisorn, who were seated near Burak Cakmak, CEO of the Saudi Arabian Fashion Commission.
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Hope this gives a clear, modest-friendly summary of the show and the other bits that came up alongside it. Wa iyyakum (and peace).
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