JEDDAH: Top Saudi Fashion, the first national competition for fashion designers organized by Nafisa Shams Academy for Arts and Crafts, will be held on March 17. Top three winners in the contest will be awarded prizes.
The competition aims to highlight the talent of Saudi women - professionals and amateurs - and encourage them to start careers in fashion designing.
Designs of all the contestants who made it to the final stage will be scrutinized during the final ceremony. The first winner will be awarded SR100,000 and an annual fashion designer award, the second winner SR75,000, and the third winner SR50,000.
From now on, the contest will be held annually and the first winner will be crowned as the top Saudi designer for one year. The exercise is part of the Abdul Latif Jameel Community Services Programs.
“The academy has organized the competition as part of its social responsibility program that aims to highlight the creativity of Saudi women and give them an opportunity to be recognized nationally and internationally,” Suzan Al-Shami, the academy’s general manager, told a press conference.
The main purpose of the academy, a non-profit organization, is to adopt and hone the skills of talented women. “Fashion designing is our main field. But we also have different fields of training such as cooking and sewing prayer rugs,” added Al-Shami.
The winners will be chosen based on their works. They have two dresses to design. The contestants are working right now on a modern evening gown inspired by one of the Kingdom’s regions. The second dress, an evening wear, will have the design of one non-Arab country chosen by the contestant.
“This competition will show the talents of the contestants, their professionalism and how much knowledge and fashion sense they have,” said Hiba Jamal, a Saudi designer and one of the committee members.
The judges will be both Arab and international designers, and a team of Italian fashion experts who will have a say in the final decision. Out of 120 applicants, 56 contestants were finalized for the semifinals.
