Saudi Arabia held its first fashion show featuring swimsuit models on Friday, at a poolside event featuring the design of Moroccan designer Yasmina Qanzal.
The show primarily featured one-piece suits in shades of red, beige and blue.
Qanzal said AFP: “When we arrived here, we understood that a swimsuit parade in Saudi Arabia is a historic moment, because it is the first time that an event of this type has been held.”
The inaugural Red Sea Fashion Week took place at the St Regis Red Sea Resort, which is part of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 social and economic reform programme.
The complex is part of Red Sea Global, one of the mammoth projects overseen by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
While attending Friday's historic fashion event, Syrian fashion influencer Shouq Mohammed said it was not surprising considering Saudi Arabia's efforts to become more global and expand its tourism and fashion industries.
According to a report published last year by the Official Saudi Fashion Commission, the fashion industry employed 230,000 people in 2022 and generated $12.5 billion, or 1.4% of the country's gross domestic product (GDP).
Raphael Simacourbe, a French influencer who also attended the fashion event on Friday, said there was nothing daring in her eyes, but in the Saudi context it was an important achievement.
