Princess Noura's New Assouline Book Explores the Kingdom's Fashion Heritage
Who better to write a book about Saudi fashion than Her Highness Princess Noura bint Faisal Al Saud? The great-granddaughter of King Abdulaziz, founder of Saudi Arabia, is also the pioneer behind Saudi Fashion Week, so it's only fitting that she has penned Assouline's latest tome, Costumes of Saudi Arabia: A Heritage of Fashion . The 200-page hardback, which comes in a luxury clamshell case, was written in collaboration with Sian Tichar and features photography by Laziz Hamani. The idea for the publication was born in 2019 when Her Highness and Tichar curated a physical exhibition of traditional Saudi clothing in Riyadh for the Ministry of Culture and published a supporting catalogue for it. 'Since that moment we had been seeking a publisher who could produce a more permanent documentation of the incredible fashion pieces that we were able to pull together. For us, this book has been a labour of love and also a long time in the making,'
reveals Tichar.
Highlighting the cultural clothing of the various Arab tribes unified under the kingdom, the book is organised into five provinces – north, south, east, west and central. 'Fashion was distinctive not only from region to region but from tribe to tribe, and clothes identified the provenance of the wearer,' explains Her Highness. 'When writing the book, we included information so that readers would be able to ascertain not only where a costume was from, but also the socioeconomic position of its wearer.' Costumes of Saudi Arabia, she emphasises, is an important resource because it goes beyond aesthetics to reveal the roots and relevance of each garment, situating it within a colourful timeline of the country's cultural attire. 'The fabric used and the patterns embroidered tell stories about trade routes of the time in which they were made. For example, garments from the eastern part of the kingdom have more influence from India and Asia, as the fabrics that arrived there came on trade routes from those countries,' says Her Highness. 'Meanwhile the fashions of the north are crafted from hardier fabrics such as woven sheep's wool, to accommodate the colder winter temperatures. Each item tells a story and we hope this book is a guide to decipher such insights.' In addition to clothing, the new book spotlights accessories and jewellery from Saudi, such as decorative headpieces as well as kohl vessels embellished by fabric and adornments, becoming fashion items in their own right.
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