THE famous 45-year-old Saudi designer, Yahya Al-Bishri, has revolutionized the Saudi couture industry. The road to excellence has not been an easy one for Al-Bishri whose first steps in the clothes industry began with the designer studying fashion in Italy and France 16 years ago.
Al-Bishri is credited with having taken the Saudi fashion industry to the next level, allowing Saudi Arabia’s name to shine in the fashion world with a unique fusion of traditional Saudi clothes with foreign traits.
Introducing new designs and fashion in a conservative Saudi society that is proud of its culture and heritage has been a difficult job for Al-Bishri. Unlike other Saudi designers, who usually settle abroad in foreign countries, Al-Bishri decided to remain in the Kingdom and make Saudi Arabia his primary target market.
“I listened to one French fashion critic who advised me that my country needed me to build something here and so I came back in 1994 and held a successful fashion show,” said Al-Bishri.
Alone in a massive international industry that is mostly dominated by westerners, Al-Bishri has managed to make his way to the top without the support of foreign Saudi embassies and without invitations to attend fashion shows. Undeterred, Al-Bishri has been able to continue and make a difference. “Ahmed Zaki Yamani, the former oil minister, told me I had revolutionized the men’s clothing industry. This was very encouraging,” he said.
When Al-Bishri began, the world of fashion was oblivious of Saudi clothes designs. The Saudi designer now been accredited as being like an ambassador to the fashion world for his work in incorporating Saudi creativity in his designs, and mixing the old and the new in a creative way that makes his work unique.
“I am proud that I have managed to incorporate my heritage, because this is what has made my work different and made me what I am,” he said.
Through his designs, Al-Bishri has managed to bring together various cultures and has created a fusion of Saudi and European designs. His creativity did not stop at the Saudi level but has gone a step forward with Al-Bishri fusing Chinese and Italian traditions. “This is what I am trying to do when I participate in international fashion shows. I feel that by mixing cultures together I am bringing people together,” he said.
The world is not familiar with Saudi clothes design, said Al-Bishri. Many people around the world are misinterpreting many things about Saudi Arabia due to the political situation across the world. “Through designing clothes I am trying to send a message to the outside world. There is a good message in fashion. Every art has its own language. There are special messages in poems, paintings and sport. Through fashion, I believe we can bring the true treasures of our civilizations together,” said Al-Bishri.
Al-Bishri’s designs immediately became popular among women. However, the designer says his biggest challenge came when introducing his work in the male market.
In a traditional Saudi society where fashion is not quickly accepted, Al-Bishri persevered to finally see Saudi men also accepting his work. Many men accuse the designer of destroying Saudi traditions in clothing by introducing “inferior” designs. In spite of the negative criticism of his work, Al-Bishri insists on continuing and strongly believes that Saudi Arabia is rich with beauty that needs to be expressed and displayed for others to see and enjoy.
Al-Bishri’s career was given a boost when Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah admired his designs. Subsequently the designer was asked to design festival outfits for participants of the 1999 Janadriya Festival. “He saw my designs and they pleased him... I designed the costumes of more than 1,000 participants in Janadriya in addition to six singers. They took me six months to complete.”
It was then that people’s opinions about his designs began to change. Some people began to accept his work while others remained suspicious. “The youth were the first to accept my creative designs for the sake of change,” he said.
Some people found his designs a little expensive. In order for his designs to become widely available, Al-Bishri offered to lower his prices. “I didn’t mind lowering the prices of my designs. My main concern was that people wear them and experience the changes introduced,” he said, adding that he has tried convincing the average Saudi that the Kingdom’s national dress does not necessarily need to be a plain old white thobe. Al-Bishri says adding new features to thobes does not harm tradition but rather beautifies the Kingdom’s culture.
Al-Bishri is optimistic about the future of fashion in Saudi Arabia and is currently planning to open a fashion academy in conjunction with France’s Fashion Academy.
“I have been waiting for the support of businessmen for this project but it seems that I will have to do it myself. I want to help young Saudis who want to express their talent and want to learn fashion,” he said, adding that the academy is set to open in 2008 and will cater for both male and female students. The academy will not only teach fashion design but will also cover other fashion-related subjects including merchandising, marketing and display.
Al-Bishri has also started to deliver short courses for Saudi youth to learn designing. The designer says that talent develops after young people interact and learn from senior experienced designers. There are examples of famous designers that worked under experts before becoming famous themselves. This includes the likes of Yves Saint Laurent who studied under Christian Dior, whose other famous students include Gianfranco Ferre.
“The fashion business is all about the imagination,” he said, adding, “The youth need to work with designers and learn from them and listen to their advice.”
Al-Bishri feels that people in the Kingdom are always in a hurry and do not give themselves enough time to master one thing before moving to the next.
“Once they think they know something, they quickly organize a fashion show to exhibit their work,” he said, adding that in order for someone to be able to have a fashion show, they need to travel the world to see the work of other designers and learn from them.
“You cannot organize a fashion show because you have a design. You must have the proper design and something new to show. One must look for models, lights and direction,” he said.
Al-Bishri arrived in the Kingdom from Paris two weeks ago where he organized his latest fashion show. The theme of the show consisted of the four elements of life. Al-Bishri said he used a lot of silk and new fabric especially made for the occasion. “I wanted something new, bold and simple in the same time,” he said.
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