What We Are Buying Today: Arte, where one-line art meets espadrilles
Updated 24 February 2023
Nada Hameed
Arte is a Saudi fashion brand that offers custom-made espadrilles inspired by one-line art — a style that seeks to produce a meaningful drawing with a single line.
In 2020, the brand began designing women’s espadrilles, using modern technology and environmentally friendly materials to produce a range of products.
Espadrilles are most popular in Spain, and are worn at work for a casual or sporty look, or while running errands during the day.
Arte produced more than 1,000 shoes in a range of styles within two years of launching the product.
The brand’s espadrilles are comfortable, with a nonslip rubber, breathable and soft insole, and are made with environmentally friendly materials, such as esparto rope, as well as natural and soft linen.
Arte now offers nearly 20 products and collections of shoes, pouches, laptop bags, headscarves, nail art, stickers and accessories, all featuring one-line art illustrations.
It has taken its art and design to another level by offering linen abayas decorated with line art embroidery. These are made on request, and are available in colors including beige, white, blue, and black and white.
A custom-made abaya takes one to two weeks to complete and prices range from SR500 ($130) to SR700. For more information visit Instagram @arte.artistic.
“Embarking on an incredible journey to represent Lebanon in the Miss Universe competition, the model wrote on Instagram. "With love and pride for my hometown, let’s shine on the global stage!”
Aboul Horn is not the only Arab taking place in the competition. She will be joined by Moira Tantawy, the 21-year-old model who was crowned Miss Universe Egypt 2023 this week, as well as Miss Universe Bahrain Lujane Yacoub.
Amira Al-Zuhair opens Balmain show at Paris Fashion Week
Updated 28 September 2023
Arab News
DUBAI: Saudi model Amira Al-Zuhair on Wednesday opened the Balmain show during Paris Fashion Week.
The rising star, who was born in Paris to a French mother and Saudi father, wore a white polka dot jumpsuit with colorful three-dimensional flower designs around the chest.
The London-raised model took to Instagram to share pictures and videos of the show. “Started off PFW with @balmain, thank you @olivier_rousteing @bitton @twodadstwokids for having me,” she wrote, thanking the brand’s team.
When Gertrude Stein, a close confidant of house founder Pierre Balmain, penned “a rose is a rose is a rose,” she likely never envisaged its metamorphosis into a Paris runway’s guiding theme. Yet, designer Olivier Rousteing, embracing this iconic friendship, orchestrated a floral ode for Balmain’s Spring 2024 show.
Rousteing channeled the essence of Balmain’s couture from the late 1940s and early 1950s, celebrating Balmain’s architectural wizardry. With every fold, cut and stitch, he echoed the legacy of the maison, fused with his own brazen touch. Sprinklings of the petit pois (polka dot), a staple from Monsieur Balmain’s era, added whimsy amid the blossoming rose narrative.
The runway flourished with sheeny sheaths, bejeweled appliques, and rose-pink boleros. The rose, in its myriad avatars — crafted from materials as eclectic as latex, porcelain, and recycled plastic— took center stage, a fragrant nod to Pierre’s couture designs.
Vibrant shades played alongside strict monotones, Parisian precision met flowing contours, and age-old couture traditions fused with contemporary touches.
In his show notes, Rousteing reflected, “Love is complex—every rose, after all, comes with its thorns.” This sentiment materialized across the collection, from thorn-touched accessories to edgy eyewear.
The recently concluded Balmain Paris fashion show was marked by challenges as a van transporting 50 outfits destined for the runway was hijacked days prior to the event. The robbery took place between one of Paris’ main airports and Balmain’s headquarters, adding to the tension of the showcase.
In a note distributed after the show, Rousteing detailed the unexpected setback, stating, “The recent robbery of 50 of our pieces was definitely not the type of news that my team and I were hoping to hear in the days leading up to this presentation.”
He went on to acknowledge the fashion industry’s unpredictable nature, emphasizing the need to handle unexpected challenges.
Rousteing extended gratitude to the Balmain team for rallying together. “You were exhausted already, but you found the strength needed to help ensure that a robbery would not affect our runway,” he mentioned.
I feel most confident and stylish when I’m wearing jeans. They’re so versatile, and I love experimenting with different pieces and accessories to create unique looks.
Worst personal style moment?
Any time I don’t feel comfortable in what I’m wearing. Comfort is key; it allows you to enjoy yourself and the occasion you’re dressing for.
“Surround yourself with people who genuinely want the best for you.” Love and support can lead to amazing things.
Worst advice you’ve ever been given?
“Be content with what you have.” I believe in constantly striving for more, it’s the only way to evolve.
Best book you’ve ever read?
“The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho. It’s a timeless masterpiece that beautifully explores the pursuit of dreams and the interconnectedness between our aspirations and the universe.
Founder of Saudi luxury jewelry, watches platform CLÉ talks brick-and-mortar opening
Updated 27 September 2023
Hams Saleh
DUBAI: Saudi entrepreneur Yasmine Alshathry is opening the first brick-and-mortar store for her e-commerce platform CLÉ – dedicated to fine jewelry and watches – in VIA Riyadh on Oct. 7.
Alshathry, who launched her platform in 2013, took a trip down memory lane with Arab News, looking back at how she started CLÉ and what she is doing to grow the brand.
“The journey began long before 2013, back when I was in middle school where frankly I was fortunate to be surrounded by people of taste and culture who wore beautiful mechanical watches,” she recalled.
“Of course, at the time I had zero knowledge or clue what watches were about, but I enjoyed the aesthetics and design and that was the initial hook,” she said.
Alshathry then started having conversations with her father about the pieces he owned. “As any 14-year-old, when you share a common interest with your role model – your parents – nothing can beat that feeling,” she said.
When she moved to London in 2011, she started to immerse herself in the industry by visiting modern and vintage boutiques. “It was in 2013, when I wanted to truly mimic the feeling I received from everyone I met in these stores to GCC collectors and equally support them in their endeavors to acquire the pieces they were after.”
That was when she took the decision to launch CLÉ Concierge, a bespoke service that aimed to bridge the gap between watch collectors and brands.
In 2019, the founder decided to scale CLÉ Concierge to serve a wider purpose focused on growing and evolving the luxury market from a traditional retail model to an innovative platform built on localization, brand storytelling and a luxury customer service experience.
Her decision to launch a physical store came after the COVID-19 pandemic hit. She noticed an unexpected shift in consumer behavior as people wanted to go back to physical experiences and human interactions, she said.
“The Saudi customer has a very peculiar purchase behavior and although he or she is very tech-savvy, there will always be hesitation when it comes to buying jewelry or watches online and they need a sense of reinforcement and we believe the store will provide that feeling,” Alshathry said.
“Our aim is to deliver a rewarding experience to our clients every time they engage with us and because we offer an exclusive service and product range that very few people appreciate and know about,” she said. “Our aim is to grow this pool of audience and expand it, and to do so, we need to continuously educate the market, build rapport and relationships and to do that we need to be visible, present and accessible to clients.”
The entrepreneur said that VIA Riyadh’s team reached out to her because “they truly appreciated what CLÉ has to offer.”
“VIA Riyadh is a luxurious development with a local essence that embodies everything we believe in at CLÉ, bringing in exclusive retail and hospitality brands means we all service and target a niche audience, centered around offering a high caliber customer experience,” she said.
“Because we don’t do mainstream at CLÉ definitely expect for the launch event to be daring, different and bold,” the founder said. “All I can say is that there will be a lot of engaging activities and guests won’t be bored.”
The founder said that she is working on growing a wider presence for CLÉ. “We are definitely looking to open new stores but with different concepts. I don’t believe that our stores will be the same across Saudi Arabia or the Gulf, we will always add something new and fresh into any concept we bring forward,” she said.
Designers look back at Saudi 100 Brands showcase in Milan
Updated 27 September 2023
Hams Saleh
DUBAI: Forty designers from the Kingdom this week showcased their latest designs in Milan with the Saudi 100 Brands initiative during White Milano, the international apparel and accessories trade show that famously takes place alongside Milan Fashion Week.
The event, which ran from Sept. 22-25, is part of White Milano’s EXPOWHITE program.
Among the 40 brands was RBA NEW YORK, founded by Saudi designer Rakhaa Bin Ahmed. In an interview with Arab News, the founder looked back at her experience in Italy and said that she got “great responses” from the international audience.
“They loved the urbanized twist in my designs, largely due to their reflection of the Saudi heritage and the strong story behind my creations,” she explained. “I was pleased to hear from the audience who came from different backgrounds, saying they would definitely wear my designs for different occasions due to their versatility.”
Bin Ahmed’s brand is famous for its textured linen sets. She also offers shirts, cardigans and traditional Saudi attire – with a modern twist – for men and women.
The designer said that the Saudi Fashion Commission’s Saudi 100 Brands’ initiative is helping support the local designers in showcasing their work internationally. “I would call it a talent traveler as it takes us internationally with the highest standards to different countries around the world with great ease,” she said.
The event also presented designs from Saudi streetwear label Sign Spot, founded by Nada Alotaibi.
“It’s an exceptional opportunity and occasion for us Saudis to display our culture to the rest of the globe while also showcasing Saudi designers on an international scale,” the designer told Arab News.
She said visitors in Milan were “impressed” by her collection. “They were also impressed by our concept of Sign Spot, which is how we convey messages through our designs. They were thrilled with our offerings and our focus on the details,” she added.
Alotaibi, whose brand features shirts, t-shirts, shorts, pants, leggings, socks, caps and cardholders, said the Milan showcase acted as a confidence booster.
