Alhusaini is one aspiring designer who has made her foray into the fashion hub of Jeddah recently. She grew up in the most significant capitals of art and design, and of course, fashion. She has had the opportunity to travel across the globe, being brought up in France, Italy and London. 

Alhusaini attended Koefia Academy of Fashion in Rome where she obtained her diploma in fashion design. She says the idea of making her own brand had always been her main goal. She also pursued a BA (Hons) in fashion design from the European Institute of Design (IED) in Milan. After that, she got her master’s degree in the art of fashion from City University London (Ravensbourne).

Her brand presents an extension of herself: Elegant, chic, and unique. For Alhusaini, fashion is freedom, a space where she can craft her rules and express her feelings and ideas visually. She offers an elegant ready-to-wear collection, which she says is divided into three categories: Casual, elegant/casual and her new Chaos concept, which are elegant pieces ranging from dresses, tops to jumpsuits.

Using a wide range of materials, she has tried to experiment and create unique pieces for the Chaos concept. When asked about her play with fabrics, she said it was the “use of something really simple made of silky cotton with an accent on use of satin or printed chic fabric, or jersey with pure chiffon.”

“Such mixtures bring uniqueness to the collection. In addition, the contrast, among colors, materials and cuts where the front of the outfit has a different look than the back is vital,” she added.

Talking about her accomplishments, Alhusaini admits to being the “first Saudi and the first designer in the world who used magnets to make transformable garments and who changed the texture of leather making it more luxurious.” Magnet Make Luxury was her main project during her master’s degree. The university selected it as one of the 10 best projects of the year. “We exhibited for three days in London to show it to the fashion industry and the public,” she said.

Alhusaini says living in the fashion capitals has enabled her to absorb the beauty of some of the most prominent architects of European countries. “Linguistically, this has been a great boon, making me a polyglot — a skill, which furthered my ability to communicate with others and fulfil their demands.”

She understands that living in the competitive and challenging world of fashion requires profound and professional technique to achieve one’s aims. “I believe that we live in a constant race against the passage of time. We should overtake it before it overtakes us and leaves us striving for the ultimate modernity,” she said.

The general process Alhusaini goes through to design and realize a piece of clothing is initiated by inspiration, which then helps her define the concepts. She then looks for the materials to design and get it realized.

Her fashion line is tailored for the mid-high social profile. Her garments are made in accordance with her clients’ various events, depending on their desires. Depending on the collection and the materials used, expect to pay along the lines of a slightly higher price. For example, her “ready-to-wear” Chaos collection ranges between SR2,000 to SR8,000.

Speaking about the gap between what a fashion design institute teaches and what the fashion industry expects, she said nothing remains permanent in fashion. “Designers need to be aware of fashion industries, as their expectations would always go beyond by time changing. Moreover, being enough educated with high skills in this field will avoid obstacles that can lead to a disappointed gap in the industry,” she said.

In this globalization process, Alhusaini believes that local and international trends are having more things in common in many aspects. “As I am aware of new trends in the international market, I consider myself partly aware of the local one as well. In addition, jumpsuits, short-front dresses with tall backs, 50s cut dresses and fluorescent colors and printed fabrics with orange color rock this summer,” she added.

Alhusaini plans to keep her fashion brand evergreen by simply being innovative and “by treating every piece of design as a masterpiece.”

When asked about her thoughts on the fashion industry still struggling to reach its potential in the Kingdom, she said: “The fashion industry is one of the most competitive and complicated industry!”

Garments, she said, can do more than we expect in the future since technology comes intertwined and involved with fashion. Confessing talent is not enough, a fashion designer should have soaring skills to reach the top level, she believes.

However, becoming a fashion designer is not an easy task; it is a competitive world. Yet, with commitment and dedication, success will surely arrive at your doorstep with skills, she says.

“In Arab countries, we don’t consider design a serious field, which is why we don’t have fashion programs or schools that teach it. This is in contrast to Europe where fashion education reaches Ph.D. level,” said Alhusaini. 

Believing fashion is freedom, she admits gaining inspiration from different sources all around. “Nothing remains permanent in fashion; it changes quickly!”