The iconic Vivienne Westwood brand, trailblazed by Britain’s legendary ‘queen of punk,’ made a groundbreaking debut at Riyadh Fashion Week on Thursday. This marked the first time an international luxury label graced the Saudi Arabian event, now in its third year.
Initially, this pairing seems quite unexpected. Riyadh Fashion Week itself is the brainchild of a Saudi royal, taking place in a conservative Islamic nation where modest attire is the norm. In stark contrast, Vivienne Westwood was renowned for her fiercely provocative punk aesthetic, famously outfitting the Sex Pistols in the 1970s with rebellious pins, torn fabrics, and daring graphics. She built a luxury empire that championed her left-wing activism, a legacy she maintained until her passing in 2022.
Just this week, the Vivienne Foundation, a charitable organization established by the late designer, reissued one of her notorious early pieces: a T-shirt boldly featuring framed female breasts. This very design was famously worn by a Sex Pistols guitarist during a scandalous 1976 live television interview that sent shockwaves across Britain.
Such a garment would undoubtedly risk violating Saudi Arabia’s strict public decency laws, potentially incurring a fine. This contrast highlights the ongoing tension within the kingdom, where the crown prince has, in recent years, both aggressively suppressed dissent and simultaneously eased various social restrictions.
Yet, for many local Saudi designers, integrating such a rebellious brand into the fashion week lineup signals a clear sign of evolving times. They view it as proof of official initiatives aimed at boosting the kingdom’s cultural appeal and fostering a thriving creative community.
“This is about creating a platform for our region,” explained Mohammed Khoja, the 38-year-old designer and founder of the Saudi brand Hindamme, who is set to showcase his collection later this week at Riyadh Fashion Week.
With Vivienne Westwood’s designs inaugurating the event and Stella McCartney’s collection slated to conclude it, Mr. Khoja expressed his immense excitement to be featured alongside such “massive, globally respected brands.” He believes this moment heralds a new dawn for Saudi designers.
“Historically, Saudi society revolved around banking and petroleum as its primary economic engines, with creativity often overlooked,” Mr. Khoja reflected. He noted that when he launched his brand in 2016, “creativity wasn’t truly part of the cultural conversation.” This was despite earlier designers like Adnan Akbar and Yahya Al-Bishri having achieved recognition for dressing figures such as Princess Diana.
In recent years, Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has significantly eased religious regulations and actively pushed to diversify the nation’s economy beyond its traditional oil dependence. This ambitious shift, known as Vision 2030, involves substantial investments across various sectors, including business, sports, tourism, and culture, with fashion playing a key role.
Adding to these efforts, Saudi Arabia established an $80 million fashion fund this month. Just last month, the Ministry of Culture hosted its inaugural Cultural Investment Conference, specifically aimed at “advancing cultural capital.” Furthermore, the prestigious Italian fashion institution Istituto Marangoni opened a Riyadh campus in August, signaling a growing commitment to fashion education.
However, these overtures have attracted considerable criticism from human rights organizations and prominent public figures. Many argue that Saudi Arabia uses such cultural events to divert global attention from its internal repression, and that international involvement inadvertently legitimizes these efforts. For instance, renowned comedians like Marc Maron recently voiced their disapproval of peers, including Dave Chappelle, for their participation in the Riyadh Comedy Festival.
The announcement of Vivienne Westwood’s participation in Riyadh drew sharp criticism from her own granddaughter, Cora Corré. She publicly stated in The Guardian that the brand’s decision directly contradicted her grandmother’s deeply held values. Ms. Corré had already distanced herself from the company last year, citing a departure from its original ethos, though she remains involved with the Vivienne Foundation charity. Neither Ms. Corré, the foundation, nor the Vivienne Westwood company responded to requests for comment on the matter.
The Vivienne Westwood company has previously framed its debut in the Middle East as a crucial step towards fostering cultural exchange. This narrative is commonly employed by others to justify their involvement in Saudi Arabia’s ambitious modernization projects.
During the Riyadh show, Vivienne Westwood presented exquisite embroidered gowns crafted in collaboration with local artisans from Art of Heritage. This organization is dedicated to preserving cultural artifacts and empowering Saudi women through traditional craft training. Princess Nourah bint Mohammed Al Faisal, who founded Riyadh Fashion Week and leads Art of Heritage, emphasized in Harper’s Bazaar Arabia that this collaboration exemplifies how Saudi craftsmanship can achieve global recognition.
This sentiment perfectly aligns with the message Mr. Khoja aims to convey through his work. His designs draw inspiration from his diverse background, including nine childhood years spent in Texas and his studies in business administration in Paris, where he first developed a passion for fashion. Notably, one of his collections features prints of ancient local petroglyphs, deliberately chosen to emphasize “the dawn of visual culture in Arabia.”
Interestingly, the criticism leveled against international involvement in Saudi projects has also triggered a counter-backlash. Some argue that accusations of ‘whitewashing’ are hypocritical and fail to acknowledge the genuine aspirations of the kingdom’s leadership to diversify its economy and engage with its vibrant, digitally-savvy youth population.
“Our society isn’t a single, uniform entity,” Mr. Khoja asserted, concluding, “There’s a rich vein of creative expression here.”