'Historic': Saudi stages first swimwear fashion show

Saudi Arabia held its first fashion show featuring swimsuit models on Friday, an envelope-pushing step in a country where less than a decade ago women were required to wear abayas.

The poolside show featuring the work of Moroccan designer Yasmina Qanzal included mostly one-piece suits in shades of red, beige and blue. Most models had exposed shoulders and some had their midriffs partially visible.

“It's true that this country is very conservative but we tried to show elegant swimsuits which represent the Arab world,” Qanzal told AFP.

The show took place on the second day of the inaugural Red Sea Fashion Week at the St Regis Red Sea Resort, situated off Saudi Arabia's western coast.

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MBS, who became first in line to the throne in 2017, has initiated a series of social reforms in a bid to soften Saudi Arabia’s austere image.

Those changes have included sidelining religious police, re-introducing cinemas, and organising mixed-gender music festivals.

The fashion industry in 2022 accounted for $12.5 billion, or 1.4 per cent of national GDP, and employed 230,000 people, according to a report published last year by the official Saudi Fashion Commission.

“It’s the first time to have a swimsuit fashion show in Saudi Arabia, but why not? Seriously why not?” Shouq said. “It's possible and we have it here.”