Nora Al Shaikh is a 29-year-old Saudi designer who recently moved her studio from Riyadh to Jeddah. She finds inspiration in Jeddah's cultural mix and relaxed atmosphere. Her newest collection, called The Empty Quarter, combines influences from the desert and sea through designs featuring layered fabrics and colors inspired by desert landscapes. Al Shaikh hopes to help establish sustainable infrastructure to support young Saudi designers and build an industry with a unique regional point of view.

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71 HarpersBazaarArabia.com June 2016
The
TALKING POINT
“Jeddah ghair,” muses designer Nora Al Shaikh, citing the
popular saying in reference to Jeddah’s unique character,
as she surveys Saudi Arabia’s cosmopolitan port city
from the balcony of her new studio. Sprawled out
beneath her are modernist experiments in architecture, jostling for
presence amongst centuries-old coral stone mansions featuring intricate
lattice screen mashrabiyahs. “Jeddah has always set itself apart from
other cities in Saudi Arabia. There is something in the air here, a more
relaxed vibe and an ease with the past and present,” says the designer,
who recently moved here from Riyadh with her husband.
In front of her the city extends into the Red Sea, its rippling surface
glittering in the setting sun. For centuries Saudi Arabia’s fabled port city
has served as the Kingdom’s portal to the world, welcoming waves of
pilgrims and traders from as far afield as Africa, Asia and Europe.
The result is a city of cultural fusions that is
reflected in the faces of its inhabitants and
a cuisine rich in global references. “Here you see
Saudis with Asian features and dishes such as
a special kind of Saudi ravioli called matazeez.
This mix of cultures and a relaxed atmosphere,
really inspired my approach to designing my
next collection,” observes 29-year-old Nora.
For the globe-trotting designer, who has
referenced everything from LA street art to Paris
architecture in her designs, her most recent
collection takes its inspiration from subjects
closer to home. It began with her immersion
into the city’s vibrant contemporary art scene,
when Nora attended Jeddah Arts 21, 39,
a citywide art fair. “This year’s main exhibit
explored the theme Earth and Ever After, and
got me thinking about my relationship to the
environment and the ‘land’ as a Saudi and global
citizen,” says the designer of the groundbreaking
exhibition, which was co-curated by Mona
Khazindar, the first Saudi woman to be
appointed the director general of Paris’ Arab
World Institute. “It featured intriguing
installations that explored the mythology surrounding our relationship
to the desert and sea, but always with a nod to the present,” observes the
designer, pointing out installations of satellite dishes and a life-size
kaleidoscope of hanging fibreglass leaves amongst the artworks that
caught her eye.
Before moving to Jeddah, the designer also travelled to the desert
outside her native Riyadh. “Jeddah is all about the sea, but the desert is
very special as well. It’s difficult for people to understand Saudis’
relationship to our desert, because all they may see is a repetitive
monotone landscape, whereas for us it’s a connection to our roots and
a thing of beauty,” explains Nora, noting that for Riyadh dwellers,
the desert on its fringes is their “beach and ski slopes all rolled into one.”
A place where family and friends decamp to on weekends to relax in an
atmosphere of beautifully appointed tents away from the stress of the
city. “No two deserts are alike, and the desert outside Riyadh shifts in
hue from a warm gold, to dusty rose and ochre red as the sun rises and
sets, which informed the colour pallet for my collection,” says the
designer, who also referenced tent construction in her designs and used
tiny bead embroideries inspired by grains of sand.
The result is a collection she dubbed the Empty Quarter, in reference
to the mythical swath of Arabian desert. Her love of form and structure
comes through in designs featuring layered tiers of organza and chiffon
recalling undulating desert dunes, but there is also a nod to her new
home, Jeddah. “I wanted to create a modern relaxed collection in terms
of attitude, so I’ve also included variations on the shirt dress in a light
striped cotton as well as easy tops that look chic when paired with
slouchy suede pants,” says Nora.
“About two years ago we started mounting
trunk shows in LA, which has given me a chance
to expose my line to an international audience,”
says the designer, noting that daily direct flights
from Jeddah to LA point to the popularity of
the Californian metropolis amongst Saudis.
“As a designer, I’ve always felt it was important
for me to first connect with women from the
region through my designs, but at the same time
it’s been an enriching experience to watch
women from different cultures wearing and
responding to my clothes. Whether we are
talking art, architecture or fashion, I think we
are at an interesting moment in time, and there
is a real opportunity to bridge and engage with
cultures through the work we do as young Saudi
creatives,” Nora muses.
“I started my line almost five years ago, and
although I’m proud that we’ve been able to
build and sustain it, there is still a lot I want to
achieve,” says the Saudi designer, who points
out that there remains a number of challenges
facing young designers in the region. “Creating
initiatives such as fashion prizes to encourage young talent is well
intentioned and can create a buzz around a designer, but we still lack the
infrastructure for a sustainable fashion industry here, from fabric
suppliers who sell at commercial quantities to production and garment
factories,” observes Nora, who sees her role and that of her peers as
setting the foundation for such a network. “With the sustained support
of the regional fashion press, retailers and more importantly women,
we can create opportunities for young designers to succeed and build
their labels. To achieve this we have to look beyond the initial desire for
fame and focus on the long-term goal of crafting clothes with a unique
regional point of view that stand up to international standards,”
concludes Nora, as she embarks upon a new life in Jeddah.
L I NE S I N TH E SA ND
Young Saudi designer Nora Al Shaikh combines the
traditions of Riyadh with the modernity of Jeddah
Left, model wears:
Dress, Dhs1,800; harness,
Dhs1,200, both Nora Al
Shaikh. Shoes, stylist’s own.
Right, Nora wears: Abaya,
Dhs2,500, Nora Al Shaikh
“ W H E T H E R I N A R T ,
A R C H I T E C T U R E
O R F A S H I O N ,
T H E R E I S A R E A L
O P P O R T U N I T Y T O
B R I D G E A N D E N G A G E
W I T H C U L T U R E S
T H R O U G H T H E W O R K
W E D O A S Y O U N G
S A U D I C R E A T I V E S ”
N o r a A l S h a i k h
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