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Saudi Arabia held its first fashion show featuring swimsuit models on Friday, a groundbreaking event in a country where women were required to wear body-covering abaya robes less than a decade ago.
The poolside show, featuring Moroccan designer Yasmina Qanzal, showcased mostly one-piece suits in shades of red, beige, and blue, with models displaying exposed shoulders and partially visible midriffs.
“We aimed to present elegant swimsuits representing the Arab world,” Qanzal told AFP. “A swimsuit fashion show in Saudi Arabia is historic, as it is the first of its kind,” she added.
The show took place on the second day of the inaugural Red Sea Fashion Week at the St. Regis Red Sea Resort, part of Red Sea Global, a key project in Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 reform program overseen by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Since becoming first in line to the throne in 2017, Prince Mohammed has implemented significant social reforms, reducing the influence of religious police, reintroducing cinemas, and organizing mixed-gender music festivals. However, these changes have coincided with increased repression of dissent, including from conservative clerics.
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