Saudi Arabia recently hosted its first-ever fashion show featuring swimsuit models. The event was held by a pool and showcased designs by Moroccan designer Yasmina Qanzal. Most of the swimsuits were one-piece and came in colors like red, beige, and blue.
Qanzal expressed her excitement about the show to AFP, saying, “When we arrived, we realized that having a swimsuit fashion show in Saudi Arabia was historic because it was the first time such an event happened here.”
The fashion show was part of the inaugural Red Sea Fashion Week, which took place at the St Regis Red Sea Resort. This event is part of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, a program aimed at social and economic reforms. The resort itself is one of the large-scale projects under the supervision of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Shouq Mohammed, a fashion influencer from Syria who attended the event, said that she wasn’t surprised by this development. She noted that Saudi Arabia has been working hard to become more global and to expand its tourism and fashion industries.
In 2022, the Saudi Fashion Commission reported that the fashion industry in the country employed 230,000 people and contributed $12.5 billion to the economy, which is about 1.4% of Saudi Arabia’s GDP.
