Inside Vogue Arabia's June Saudi 2025 Issue
A new wave of Saudi creatives and entrepreneurs take centre stage in this month's issue. Photographed in the predominantly-male rose fields of Taif, Nora Alharthi personifies the kingdom's progressive path, having created a luxury e-commerce business stemming from the roses native to her hometown. In fashion, we speak to Ahmad and Razan Hassan, the founders of fashion label KML, which was a semi-finalist for the 2025 LVMH Prize.
Ahmad Hassan, Photographed by Lesha Lich, Styled by Ahmed Zaher Hassan
Photography by Lesha Lich, Styling by Ahmed Zaher Hassan
In music, we catch up with Ramadan Alharatani, the CEO of MDLBEAST, which has organised massive, multi-genre music festivals in the Kingdom, and DJ Nooriyah, who is carving out a space for SWANA sounds in London, and will be performing at Glastonbury Festival 2025.
Photographed by Stef Galea, Styled by Natalie Westernoff
Photographed by Stef Galea, Styled by Natalie Westernoff
Just in time to inspire your summer holiday itineraries, entrepreneurs with Saudi roots share their favourite spots in cities such as Milan and Los Angeles. Also worth incorporating into your travel plans are two events that just kicked off in Europe, and will be running throughout the summer: in Paris, we get a first look at The Mystery of Cleopatra exhibition opening this month at the Arab World Institute, and in Venice, we meet the visionaries behind the Arab pavilions at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025.
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Photography by Lesha Lich, Styling by Ahmed Zaher Hassan The spirit of evolution runs through KML's latest collection, where traditional tunic tops are constructed as hybrids – part Arabian thobe, part Japanese kimono – boldly disrupted by sharp back cut-outs. Elsewhere, dramatic asymmetrical shoulder tops cut a clean silhouette, draping fluidly on both men and women, worn to great effect by model Nour Arida and celebrity stylist Law Roach at Riyadh Fashion Week. The result is a cross-cultural, gender-neutral thread that weaves together seemingly disparate influences into a coherent whole. 'There's respect for the traditional, but we're not interested in rehashing the past,' Razan says in her measured tone. 'Our goal is to evolve it. To develop it.' 'Culture that doesn't evolve risks becoming an artefact,' adds Ahmed. Its statements like these, delivered with world-weary clarity, that give the duo the essence of old souls, more like elder statesmen than the millennials they presumably are. Photography by Lesha Lich, Styling by Ahmed Zaher Hassan Where KML takes a bold step forward is in its vision of masculinity. In a world where men's fashion often recycles familiar formulas – tailored suits, sharp lines, the ubiquitous statement tee and athleisure ('casualisation as the end of humanity,' they joke) – KML offers something subtler, more introspective and altogether surprising. Nipped-in waists attenuated with thick obi-style leather belts, cropped midriff-baring jackets and voluminous skirts coaxed into place with generous draping – made practical with pockets, a utilitarian feature already appreciated by the women eager to raid this collection. Yes, we're talking menswear. It's an androgynous vision rendered in a restrained palette of black, white and muted beige, a colour-scheme and silhouette that trades bravado for nuance. Photography by Lesha Lich, Styling by Ahmed Zaher Hassan If it comes across as prolific, or groundbreaking, it shouldn't. 'Clothes – libās in Arabic – are inherently without gender,' Ahmad explains. The word's etymology opens the door to a freer interpretation of dress, unburdened by modern constructs. 'What fascinates me most is the origin of their ideas,' writes Massimiliano Di Battista, CEO of M+A Talent Group, who first encountered KML at the Saudi 100 Brands collective show in Paris. 'They reinterpret traditional Saudi ceremonial clothing for contemporary times. Their line is deeply modern yet rooted in history and craftsmanship in such an unconventional way.' That tension between heritage and reinvention has drawn international attention. This summer, Selfridges will stock a select edit of KML, a milestone that speaks to a shifting global curiosity about fashion that defies borders and binaries. Photography by Lesha Lich, Styling by Ahmed Zaher Hassan Yet, Ahmad and Razan challenge the assumption that expressive or fluid fashion for men is a Western novelty. In fact, across Saudi Arabia, men have long worn eyeliner, floral crowns, silver jewellery, colourful skirts unapologetically and without questioning their manhood. The Qahtanis, one of the oldest tribes in the Kingdom and known as the Flower Men, famously adorn their head-dresses with blooms, not as acts of rebellion, but as expressions of identity and unity with nature. 'These flowers are there, these colours are there. Why not wear them?' Ahmad asks, rhetorically. What's curious is how different generations receive KML's work. For older Saudis, the garments feel familiar, an echo of fading traditions. For younger audiences, they read as edgy, even avant-garde. 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For both, the LVMH Prize offered more than visibility. 'It was a reminder that relevance isn't exclusive to one culture. When something is made with intent and beauty, it carries its own universality,' Ahmad reflects. 'If you'd asked me four years ago, I would have said I designed to set us apart. Today, I see it differently. It's what makes us similar, what makes us unified – that's more powerful. It's where the conversation begins.' Photography: Lesha Lich Styling: Ahmed Zaher Hassan Senior Fashion Editor: Mohammad Hazem Rezq Visuals Editor: Jody Fathalla Models: Jamal Sultan Alsaleh and Tala Alakeel
