Arab fashion, focus on Gulf designers

A few years ago, the Gulf countries were women in "classic" abaya, in niqab or with their faces uncovered, countries where fashion moved very little. No fashion shows, the abaya being the outfit par excellence which has been very successful in recent years in many Western countries.

Today we are witnessing the development of a true khaleeji fashion (from the Gulf countries) and the emergence of designers who are revolutionizing the clothing of the Arab woman. We go from the simple black abaya to the abaya rethought, colored, fashion and we decline it endlessly. But the abaya is not the only garment that is readapted, traditional dresses or djellabas are also the subject of a real facelift.

These women who are breathing new life into khaleeji clothing are themselves from these countries, either Emirati or Saudi Arabian, and are currently on the catwalks of the Dubai Fashion Week, which is taking place at the moment, or the Arabian Fashion WorldThe models are slim and slender, most of them from Western countries. Finally, the diktat of slimness is no longer confined to the West, it has become transnational.

Beena Soni, Homa Qamar, Amina Al Jassim and Rabia Z, designers whose models are featured on the front pages of Arab women's magazines, have made a name for themselves and are even making a name for themselves in the United Kingdom, where their pieces are much appreciated by young London women.

These women offer fashion adapted to the customs of these countries, with a touch of extravagance and originality, breaking with the austere black abaya. But originality seems to know no limits for some of them. Indeed, the cuts are sometimes quite disconcerting and the fabrics a bit extravagant. We are sometimes on the verge of bad taste and kitsch. Of course everything is relative, and there is no question of adopting an ethnocentric stance. But we must admit that sometimes creativity is beyond us, and this is a bit the feeling we have when we look at certain models.

The Gulf countries have their fashion week and creators who overflow with imagination. These women have spurred a real fashion and a craze for the khaleeji style, until then sober and Spartan. Today we need to wear sunglasses for some models because between the rhinestones and shimmering colors ...