Saudi Arabia’s first ever fashion week is due to start in the capital Riyadh today after several delays.
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European fashion houses including Roberto Cavalli and Jean Paul Gaultier will feature alongside local designers during the city’s inaugural Arab Fashion Week.
Despite being allowed at the opening ceremony earlier this week, men will not be able to attend the catwalk shows. Photography will also be banned as the models won’t be dressed in traditional abayas.
Models and makeup artists preparing for the event at the Ritz Carlton said they were surprised it was taking place in the deeply conservative Muslim kingdom, Reuters reports.
Although women in Saudi Arabia have recently made gains in the fight for equality, they still face a multitude of restrictions on their daily lives.
Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman, the kingdom’s de-facto leader, is spearheading a number of social and economic reforms aimed at improving the country’s global image and attracting foreign investors.
“The first Arab Fashion Week in Riyadh will be more than a world-class event,” Layla Issa Abuzaid, country director for Saudi Arabia at the Arab Fashion Council, said when the project was announced.
“It is a catalyst through which we believe the fashion sector will lead other economic sectors such as tourism, hospitality, travel and trade,” she said.
The event has been postponed twice, with organisers citing delays in issuing visas and problems with the venue.
However, some observers “whispered of a pushback from more conservative government officials against some members of the Saudi royal family who were more supportive of bringing fashion catwalks to one of the most conservative countries in the world,” says the New York Times.
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