Arwa Al Banawi

Photo: Courtesy of Arwa Al Banawi
The Covid-19 pandemic affected designers in many different ways. While some paused to take stock of their creativity and production, some returned to their roots to honor their beginnings, and others embarked on a full-blown celebration of uplifting fashion. For Saudi designer Arwa Al Banawi, it took a bit of everything to return to the official calendar with a new collection for Resort 2023. While the lockdown period saw the designer work on a collaboration with Adidas, and release solely loungewear capsules, the new launch marks Al Banawi’s first ready-to-wear collection since 2020.
Photo: Courtesy of Arwa Al Banawi
Titled ‘Le Majda’, the collection is named after the designer’s mother, making it one of the many ways in which Al Banawi honors her forever muse this season. “My mother has always been my first fashion inspiration. Her eclectic and timeless style always inspired me,” shares the designer with Vogue Arabia. The collection also channels the playful spirit of the ‘80s, which the designer experienced through her mother’s wardrobe. “I love looking at her polaroid photos from her travels to Paris, Cannes, and New York in the ’70s and ’80s and I get taken away by her fashion sense,” she says. “I own many of her suits, from YSL and Versace to Chanel, all from the 80s, and that’s how I fell in love with the era—I lived it through my mother’s pieces and her photos.”
Photo: Courtesy of Arwa Al Banawi
The inspired collection puts women-on-the-go at its center, with practical and enviable pieces aimed at making them feel their best. Fans of Al Banawi’s namesake brand and its signature oversized suits will find the silhouette reimagined with details from the 80s, such as shoulder pads, wide-leg pants, and pleats. Explaining her creative process behind the collection, Al Banawi says, “While designing this collection I envisioned it to be effortless, sexy, and versatile while keeping comfort in mind, and allowing the woman of this season to move effortlessly during her busy days. I also wanted to include pieces that are fit for women with a more modest style, for them to enjoy this collection and wear it from day to night.”
Photo: Courtesy of Arwa Al Banawi
Other highlights of the Resort 2023 collection include everyday basics made unique with fringes, distinct cuts, and an electric color palette that reflects her mother’s profession. “My mom is an artist and my memories of her growing up are always of her painting, and crafting,” shares the designer, who looked to her mother’s “strong artistic sense” to render the collection in bold hues of lime green, bright pink, and red, contrasting with fail-safe neutrals.
Photo: Courtesy of Arwa Al Banawi
The designer’s Dubai-based namesake brand also pushes its sustainability agenda further with this new launch, using recycled materials among fabrics like cotton, crepe, jacquard, and silk. “We made some changes to our brand strategy during Covid-19 and one of these changes is practicing sustainability,” states Al Banawi. “We are working with ethical factories that produce our fabrics and pieces, and we are following the pre-order model for this collection to control production and avoid waste. Our packaging is also eco-friendly while still keeping the high quality and luxury in mind.” Up next for the designer is her brand’s e-commerce site which launches this summer, and will house the Resort 2023 collection as it becomes available to shop online and in stores from November 2022.
Photo: Courtesy of Arwa Al Banawi
Read Next: Saudi Designer Arwa Al Banawi on Bringing Her Dream Wedding Dress to Life

Photo: Instagram.com/fatima_albanawi
Women’s suits are back stronger than ever, and Fatima AlBanawi has made an inspiring contribution to the trend. While a fitted one does turn many heads (think: Zendaya at the Vanity Fair’s 2022 Oscar After-Party), an oversized one is just what you need to look polished yet playful this summer, especially when worn in a color like AlBanawi’s pick.
The pastel blue pieces worn by the actor and filmmaker were made by fellow Saudi Arwa Al Banawi, the designer who is known for her women’s looks rendered with cool masculine details. The oversized blazer came with a lapel collar and rolled-up sleeves to reveal contrasting white cuffs, and the trousers featured a straight, wide-legged shape. To balance the baggy silhouette out, AlBanawi paired the suit with a fitted taupe crew neck t-shirt and pointed-toe Jimmy Choo heels in the same color, and kept accessories to a minimum with gold earrings, a small metallic clutch, and a couple of cuff bracelets.
Photo: Instagram.com/fatima_albanawi
The former Vogue Arabia cover star was photographed in the noteworthy look while in Dubai, standing by the Burj Khalifa. The Paranormal star was also seen with Saudi presenter Sarah Dundarawy in the post, in which she hinted at making her way to the emirate very soon.
Read Next: Fatima AlBanawi and Friends of Cartier Celebrate the Spirit of Togetherness This Ramadan

Photo: Courtesy of Tima Abid
The booming presence of Saudi Arabia‘s fashion industry will be celebrated at the world’s biggest fair very soon. On February 16, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai, in collaboration with The Saudi Fashion Commission, will host a fashion show featuring three designers, each presenting a selection of 10 pieces from their latest collections.
Arwa Al Banawi is one of them, who after launching her eponymous label in 2015, became renowned for her edgy designs catering to the modern woman. Combining traditional tailoring with contemporary styles, the Dubai-based brand’s offering ranges from statement pieces to wardrobe staples favored by both, the cool kids and working women. Al Banawi’s Saudi pride also shines through her work, which often features traditional patterns and various slogans and words in Arabic. In 2017, her skillful blend of Arab and western influences lead her to collaborate with Adidas, which enlisted her once again in 2021 to reinterpret its classic Forum Lo shoe unveiled at Al Ula.
Photo: Courtesy of Arwa Al Banawi
Al Banawi will be joined by Tima Abid, the Saudi couturier who made her Paris fashion week debut in 2020, 16 years after establishing her namesake brand. Since then, the designer has gone on to dress a number of stars including Assala and Oumaima Taleb, and was even tapped by Balqees Fathi to create her wedding gown in 2016. After her first fashion show in Paris, which was attended by members of the Al Saud royal family, Abid shared, “I want to be the Chanel of Saudi Arabia. I want to show that the Saudi woman can do it. When any woman wears Tima Abid, I want her to feel strong, elegant, and delicate.” This reflects in her designs which not only feature figure-hugging silhouettes and sheer panels but are also imbued with fearlessness and confidence. Ready-to-wear label Abadia will also be presenting its designs at the show. The label is known for using artisanal techniques for its pieces which feature embroidery and beading, and aim to connect traditional craftsmanship with modern aesthetics.
Photo: Courtesy of Tima Abid
The event is the Expo 2020 Dubai’s first fashion show dedicated to highlighting Arab designers. Previously, the British Fashion Council in collaboration with HSBC Middle East and Chalhoub Group also hosted an exclusive show for Preen by Thornton Bregazzi at the UK Pavilion.
Read Next: “Listen to the Voices of Young Women.” Malala Yousafzai Champions Girls’ Right to Education at Expo 2020

Saudi designer Arwa Al Banawi shares the collaborative process of bringing her dream wedding dress to life.
Arwa Al Banawi. Photo: Stavros Antypas

“Despite the fact that I am a proud Arab designer who designs for a contemporary urban luxury brand, when it came to designing my own wedding dress, the experience was different. I used to think that I would be one of those brides who wouldn’t take weddings too seriously, that I’d just do things spontaneously – but that was until I actually got engaged. It was then that I discovered a completely different side to myself! The emotional journey made me learn so much about myself and the kind of bride I really was: I wasn’t spontaneous at all. I realized that yes, the idea of stressing about a dress and the wedding may be a bit cliché, but it exists, and I certainly felt anxious. It’s a big deal, getting married, and what you wear is very personal. I wanted my dress to show people who I was. It can’t be done spontaneously. The wedding dress has to represent me and who I am. I have to feel myself in it. This is also one of the reasons I became a designer. Fashion is a mirror of society and a mirror of yourself, or who you aspire to be. Fashion is about feelings and a moment and memories.
Photo: Supplied

I was planning to design my own dress, but honestly, I wouldn’t advise any bride to do that. Designing your wedding dress is a nerve-racking process. If I had a senior designer at my atelier who I could have worked with closely, and from whom I could have taken advice and had help, then I might have made my own dress. But I work alone, as the head designer of Arwa Al Banawi, and I couldn’t make up my mind. I was worried all the time. I wanted to wear something that would feel right. For me, it was more of a feeling than a specific look that I was going for. I started sketching and looking at vintage dresses. I looked around for inspiration – my mother; Audrey Hepburn. After a month, I still hadn’t come to a conclusion. I kept changing silhouettes and flitting between fabrics and embroideries.
Photo: Jessica Andreatta Studio

I then thought to myself, just take a look at wedding designers and see what’s out there. I kept going back and forth, fixating on one dress then another, until one day, I came across a dress on Pinterest that stayed in my mind for about a week. I saw something special in that dress. I did some research and found it was designed by Jessica Andreatta from Australian bridal and couture house J. Andreatta. It was 4am Saudi time. I called them right then and there! Jessica herself answered the phone. I told her about the dress I liked, my story, and that I’m a designer. We connected on that call and she agreed to make me the dress I first saw online – with a few personal adjustments, of course. Two weeks later, Jessica was working on my dress after I’d reviewed some changes.
The embroidery reading “The sun, the moon, the desert and the sea, sunrise, and sunset.” Photo: Jessica Andreatta Studio

I have lived, studied, and worked in different parts of the world, and I wanted my dress to be bold, eclectic, timeless, grounded and, most importantly, effortless. Jessica gave me just that. I envisioned an off-shoulder dress, as that was always my dream look. I wanted a balance between elegance and confidence. More so, I definitely wanted to add a touch of my culture to the dress; something that would reflect my artistic soul. I decided to express this through Arabic embroidery, which Jessica happily agreed to do and beautifully fit it into the overall dress. The embroidery on the veil was done by hand and the motifs are beautiful. There are so many details in the dress that it felt one-of-a-kind; like it came out of a modern, romantic love poem. The embroidery reads, “The sun, the moon, the desert and the sea, sunrise, and sunset.” It comes from a poem of mine that I used in my FW18 collection. It means that you don’t have to choose between the sun or the moon, the desert or the sea, the sunrise or the sunset, because when you fall in love, you balance each other; you are fire and water and your shared love is incredibly powerful. It’s an idea close to my heart.
Photo: Supplied

The design journey for my dress was a crazy, fun one. Like everyone else, I was stuck at home as a result of Covid-19. We did most of it via FaceTime, including taking my measurements. I was OK doing it since I am a designer. Being able to take measurements helped make the process easier. It was an adventure, to say the least! It’s a wedding dress and anything could go wrong. Doing my dream dress over FaceTime was fun and daring and I’m glad I did it, even though my mother thought I was crazy.
I believe a woman should choose her dress. It could be her mom’s old dress, it could cost US $100, it could be an expensive designer dress – it doesn’t matter – as long as it represents her. I chose a designer who reflects my bridal taste: one-of-a-kind, romantic, and intricate in the details. A wedding dress should feel like you, because your wedding is about you, your story, and this new journey you’re embarking on.”
As told to Nadine Kahil
Read Next: Arwa Al Banawi’s Latest Collection Is An Ode To Strong Saudi Women
Originally published in the December 2020 issue of Vogue Arabia