DUBAI: There’s a photo that Saudi fashion designer Abderrahmane al-Abed keeps coming back to. The photo was taken at the 2019 G20 Summit in Osaka, Japan, and Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was at the forefront among other world leaders.

In the photo, it is the crown prince’s choice of clothing that attracts attention: amidst a crowd of people wearing costumes, he proudly wears national attire. For Al-Abed, founder of revolutionary fashion house Qormuz, that was all the proof he needed to show that Saudi fashion could change the world.

“We have earned the respect of people around the world through our strong culture and inimitable heritage,” said Al-Abed Arabic News. “In the past, it was the Japanese kimono, from another culture rich in tradition, that inspired all the brands in the world. Our culture has a power that few people realize.”

Al-Abed really likes history, both studying and writing about it. Since founding Qormuz in 2017, the 28-year-old has created a brand unlike any other in Saudi Arabia, and this year it started to attract worldwide attention. This month, a jubba one he made for Saudi actor Mohammed el-Shehri went viral; this is the first time a man has worn traditional Arab clothing on the red carpet of the famous Venice International Film Festival. This is just the beginning, he said, just like other viral moments in the past year.

“Actually, just yesterday we finished planning the next stage of this brand,” said Al-Abed. “In the first six years, we launched products in almost all categories of the fashion world: men’s and women’s fashion, accessories, perfume, jewelry and others. No matter what category we develop, each category retains brand spirit; each filled with history, culture and experiences. Today, we see something bigger.”

This means new categories will emerge, such as ready-to-wear, everyday wear, and fashion-forward clothing designed for the runway or red carpet. These are often misunderstood by the uninitiated, but these pieces do more to communicate a brand’s idea than most people realize. It is in this space that fashion becomes art, and it is there that Al-Abed will lay his canvases, drawing inspiration from the history of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

“We want to get people talking. At the same time, when we do, it often sparks debate. It’s not something we look for, but I think it’s inevitable. “If we take inspiration from traditional clothing and elements of our country’s rich history and use them in a way that people have never seen before, some people will be disappointed,” Al-Abed said.

“We all agree that we need to respect our culture, but we have to do it with new ideas and new models,” he continued. “We need to make sure that these traditional ideas carry us into the future.”

In February, during the Saudi Cup in Riyadh, Qormuz unveiled its new Al-In dress, worn by model Linda Qari. Inspired by the area’s dovecote built in the early 20th centurye century by King Abdelaziz, this gown quickly became the most controversial Saudi attire in history. While eye-catching, these fashion-forward garments not only attract attention, but also intentionally evoke the rich history that inspired them, sparking conversation about the often-forgotten origins of the country. This is the real goal, Al-Abed stressed.

“I love history, and I love the stories of our country. I come from a family that places great importance on education. Mom, dad and I all enjoy reading together. “Just today, before we started this conversation, I was reading the notebook of an English traveler who came here in 1862, and it contained many observations about our culture,” Al-Abed said, taking the notebook off the shelf to show. it’s to us. “It’s from this type of study that I get a lot of ideas.”

“With Qormuz, we want to tell stories,” he added. “I am inspired by brands like Dior. Dior does many different things across all categories, just like we do, but their work has a strong and connected identity because it is steeped in a rich history that comes from a unified vision. I am inspired by this philosophy, but not by their creations. I think globally, but I act locally. I want to tell Saudi stories with my designs, and I believe we will always be successful if we have strong stories.”

Despite his enthusiasm for studying the history of the region, there is something deeply personal about Al-Abed’s passion for academia. This passion was passed on to him by his grandfather, who taught him to be a man who lived for others, and who regaled him with tales of Riyadh’s past glories.

“My grandfather still inspires me, every day. I love talking about him to people. He is a man who loves his country. He loves King Abdelaziz and what he built. He also built many things: he was a doctor and helped build hospitals in areas where people were poor and needed help. Even today, when I go to these villages, people tell me how my grandfather helped them. He died fifteen years ago, but I still think about him every day,” he admits.

There’s a reason why the creators always had King Abdulaziz in mind, and it’s not just because he was the founding father of Saudi Arabia. The king was a man who had a vision for a society that had never existed, a society that embraced the heritage of its ancestors as the times changed. He clashed with those who opposed his changes, but he set his country on a bold path and continues to do so to this day.

This is exactly what Al-Abed thinks about fashion and why Qormuz is poised to become Dior in Saudi Arabia. Most importantly, the Saudi designer is on a mission to not only embrace his country’s customs, but also dispel the idea that preservation equals stagnation.

“We need a new mentality and model. As we look fifty years into the future, we must ask ourselves what our future holds thobe, For example. What will happen to us bistWE shemagh? If you compare them bist from King Abdulaziz to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, you can see that the designs have clearly evolved. “Our challenge now is to imagine the next evolution for ourselves and accept that change is necessary,” he said. “If you want your culture to be perfectly preserved, go to the national museum. At Qormuz, we project ourselves into 2050.”

This text is a translation of an article published on Arabnews.com