- ‘Full-circle’ moment for founders, who conceived brand while living in the UK capital
DUBAI: When Fahad Al-Jomiah and Khalid Al-Jammaz were students in London a decade ago, they spent their free time walking the floors of Selfridges. This month, the Saudi streetwear label they founded went on sale there.
1886 is at the famed Oxford Street department store as part of “Saudi: Sky’s the Limit” — a takeover of its Corner Shop space that runs until Sept. 5 and brings together more than 20 Saudi fashion, beauty and food brands.
“It’s difficult to put into words because this is where the dream really began,” Al-Jomiah told Arab News. “We admired the brands on those floors, but we also noticed there wasn’t a Saudi brand representing where we came from. That stayed with us. We always said that one day we wanted to build something worthy of standing alongside those brands.”
1886 was founded in Riyadh in 2016, but its origins are in London. Al-Jomiah and Al-Jammaz devised the label in their university dorm rooms while studying in the city. The name comes from their room numbers, 18 and 86.
Neither had a background in fashion. “But we felt it was the right time to bring together our passion for music, art, urban trends and street movements into a brand that could translate our own vision as Saudis,” the founders told Arab News in 2022.
At the time, they described the Kingdom’s streetwear scene as “practically absent” before 2016, and said the hardest task was persuading Saudi shoppers that a local label could compete.
“There was a lack of trust toward local brands and their products that was hard to break,” they explained. “It took us time to overturn this belief and prove them wrong.”
Ten years on, the brand makes joggers, hoodies, T-shirts, dresses and accessories, combining streetwear with references to Saudi youth culture. The Selfridges launch coincides with its tenth anniversary.
“Seeing 1886 in Selfridges feels like coming full circle,” Al-Jomiah said. “It’s especially meaningful that this milestone comes in the same city where the dream first started. The place that inspired us has now become part of our story.”
He said the retailer had been a long-held target rather than a chance opportunity.
“As the brand evolved and gained recognition internationally, opportunities to collaborate with leading retailers naturally began to open. But Selfridges was always the partnership we hoped for — not only because of its global reputation, but because of what it represented to us personally,” he said. “For us, this wasn’t simply about entering another department store. It was about arriving at the place that inspired us to begin.”
The London launch follows the brand’s Paris debut last year, for which the label produced a capsule designed specifically for the French market. It has not repeated that approach in London.
“We wanted the collection to reflect who 1886 is today while carrying the spirit of Saudi Arabia with it,” Al-Jomiah said. “Rather than designing specifically for London, we chose to bring an authentic expression of who we are. We believe people connect most with products that have a genuine story and a clear identity. Paris reinforced something we already believed: authenticity travels. People respond to brands that stay true to themselves rather than trying to become something different for every market.”
Al-Jomiah said London presented a different customer again — one with an existing connection to Saudi Arabia.
“London is incredibly diverse and open to discovering new brands with a strong point of view. At the same time, it has always had a unique relationship with Saudi Arabia. Many Saudis have grown up visiting London, shopping here, and creating memories here,” he said. “That connection makes this launch feel particularly special — not only for us, as founders, but also for many of our customers who have their own relationship with the city.
“Growth has never been about opening as many doors as possible. It’s about opening the right ones, with the right partners, at the right time,” he continued. “We want to continue representing Saudi Arabia in a way that feels authentic, while building a brand people return to year after year.”
