- For a man who had spent more than a decade in the construction and advertising world, Loai Mohamed Naseem showed great certitude and temerity in moving away from a well-known territory of graphic design to the more unknown world of fashion designing.
- From being a mere hobby, fashion designing became the main vocation for Naseem and in just over six years he has proved his mettle by becoming a pioneer in the field of men’s fashion in Saudi Arabia.
The founder and CEO of popular label, Lomar, Naseem launched the concept of ‘redefining the thobe’. A tricky ground to tread on when he first started out, the idea of a thobe with a difference, had to catch on in a changing world.
“I think everything in life is designed by someone, everything is all about design. Personally, I love to have my own touch in everything I wear or use,” he says.
Fashion was on his mind from the beginning but he chose not to go for a degree in it. “My plan was to study it but eventually I didn’t. I came to the conclusion that a degree in fashion would limit me to clothes only, but if I studied graphic design, I would have a wide field to choose from — clothing, advertising… anything I want. It would make me open to more ideas.”
After graduating in graphic design from the Art Institute of Houston in 1995, he joined Leo Burnett, one of the largest advertising agencies in the world. In a few years he took up employment with 3Points advertising as their creative director; but Naseem still did not get the satisfaction from work that he was looking for. He continued to be more and more attracted toward his hobby and passion of thobe designing, until one day, he decided to go all out and do what he loved most.
Lomar is now among the top hundred Saudi Companies but it has not always been very smooth for Naseem. For instance, when he introduced the zipper on the thobe, it created a storm. The plainness of the traditional garment was gone — replaced by a more practical and wearable attire. The zipper continues to be Naseem’s favorite idea till date although he has since pioneered many such ideas to suit every personality and age group.
As is the norm with every new concept that is brought about on a traditional society, Naseem had to overcome extreme challenges when he first started the label. “We faced a lot of rejections; it wasn’t easy, but we had a vision and an objective to achieve, and we were able to succeed by sticking to them and of course, by the teamwork,” he says.
He is not giving credence to people who claim that he is trying to change Saudi culture. He believes that he is in fact bringing back the thobe as a re-defined attire and thus actually preserving culture. Young Saudis who would lounge around in their cut-away jeans and colorful jumpers have now taken to wearing his thobes with gusto.
But this success was not achieved in a day. A lot of hard work, patience and dedication have gone into it. As has the support he has received from his wife, Mona. “From day one, she helped me achieve my dream,” he declares. “Without her help and support, nothing could ever have been possible. She is not a designer, but she puts her touches almost in all the thobes we design, which is more important.”
The day Naseem opened his store, he was as excited as he was nervous. “The first day I stood by myself in the showroom, I was trying to present the brand and the idea behind it, so I wasn’t only selling a garment. The first sale to me was a first step to success and made me really happy and proud,” says the creator of Lomar.
What makes Lomar stand out is that they make ‘personal thobes’ for their customers. A person might require one for a vacation or a business meeting or even a special occasion — a custom made thobe can be designed for that particular need. Naseem firmly believes that every thobe needs to have a personality of its own!
Lomar’s philosophy is simple and uncomplicated — the past meets the future in their designs. Looking at the designs on offer, the choices seem endless.
Naseem works with cotton, mixed cotton, polyester, silk and also stretchable materials. He has classified his designs into categories like formal, casual, occasions, classic and sporty. Among these are creations like Triple Line, which is a classic thobe made of dark gray material and has three stitched lines on its edges, or Maze, which is an exclusive embroidered thobe for special occasions.
One of the more popular ones is Casual Shirt, which is made from pure cotton with a multicolored collar and inside-out sleeves that look like a shirt, and can be worn anytime, anywhere. Business Deal is a grayish blue thobe with unique rectangular black buttons. For the more adventurous there’s the Insideout, Redtag, Speed or Yellow lime that are absolutely unique in their designs. A new release that is gaining in popularity is the Reflects line, which is a casual cotton thobe that changes color depending on the lighting.
The success of Naseem’s business may be attributed to his understanding of advertising and branding. Without these he may not have been where he is today. But he also never underestimates the contribution made by his wife in this success story. His favorite international designer is British menswear icon, Paul Smith, who, like him, began his life as a designer with help from his wife, Pauline Denyer. One can only hope that this Saudi husband-wife designer duo continue to innovate, re-define and yet preserve their country’s heritage in their unique ways.
