RIYADH: A first-of-its-kind fashion show in Saudi Arabia is making headlines worldwide because organizers of the event used drones to walk clothes down a runway.
Ali Nabil Akbar tells BBC Arabic he thought showing the dresses via drone during the Saturday show at Hilton Hotel was “suitable for Ramadan.”
“The idea is that we want to add things that are simple yet beautiful,” Akbar tells the BBC. “Even the décor and set-up of the hall was organized beautifully, everything involved innovation.”
Footage shows a black floor-length dress fluttering across a hotel ballroom, its sleeves rustling under chandeliers and above the heads of men in long white robes and checked red and white headscarves. A green dress follows on a black hanger, while the drone’s loud buzz competes with the soft music playing in the background.
The show in the western port city came weeks after the Saudi capital Riyadh hosted its first-ever Arab Fashion Week. Daily Mail reported that Saudi born and Dubai based designer Arwa Al-Banawi told the New York Times: ‘Yes it has been the most challenging event I have ever been a part of, but the only way to look is forwards not backward. Next time will be better.’
According to reports no female models were used because male audience members were present, proving an issue when it came to the country’s modesty customs.
