Samar Yahya Saudi Gazette JEDDAH — Saudi designer Nabila Nazer began her full-fledged career in 2007, when she started pursuing her dreams of creating women's clothes and hijabs. Nazer's passion for fashion began at an early age. She took a number of courses in fashion design from London. She also holds a bachelor's in marketing from Jeddah's King Abdulaziz University. While dipping into her dream and transforming it into a reality has been an incredible experience for Nabila, she had to overcome a myriad of obstacles and challenges to achieve this success. In fact, she cites unyielding persistence, hard work and patience as the key attributes that allowed her to accomplish her dream. Nazer believes that hijabs (heads carves) can be part and parcel of today's fashion industry. In the past, women wearing abayas or hijabs were sidelined in the realm of fashion. However, women today are increasingly looking to express themselves through classic, sophisticated and elegant clothing. Nazer said hijabs allow women to do just that and can help spearhead current and future fashion trends. To Nazer, hijab is definitely a new trend set by Arab designers that can be considered even as a fashion revolution. However, this does not mean that it is far removed from mainstream fashion; on the contrary, it is just another creative aspect of it. Nazer said young customers are pleased with the colored abayas, as they are constantly looking to evolve their fashion sense and adhere to different trends depending on the season, and Nazer's brand offers them a new style that remains classy, elegant and sophisticated. Nazer said: “I believe that talented Arab women, in particular, require substantial levels of support and encouragement when it comes to pursuing their aspirations and dipping into their dreams to make them a reality. “That is precisely what drew me to one such initiative, Flake's groundbreaking ‘Dip into Your Dreams' campaign. “The initiative provides Arab women with the opportunity to spend a day with one of Flake's inspirational ambassadors and possibly receive a remarkable $10,000 cash prize to help them fulfill their dreams.” These initiatives serve as the ultimate platform for talented young women to accomplish their goals and enact the change that they desire. More importantly, the innovative campaign helps women embrace their dreams, transcend their fears and forge their very own path to success. Nazer has not organized fashion shows yet, as she thinks various logistic problems make it difficult to organize such events in Saudi Arabia. Nazer's ultimate goal this year is to expand her brand so it can be available in various boutiques across the Gulf region. Today, Nabila's fashion business is expanding and steadily becoming more popular in the Gulf countries. Her hope for the future is to continue on a path to success, further grow her business, and sell her cutting-edge designs in all the Gulf states. A thriving fashion industry is currently emerging in Saudi Arabia. This, of course, can be attributed to the country's growing roster of talented fashion designers, many of whom are garnering stellar recognition worldwide. There are also many established fashion colleges in Saudi and, most importantly, a true vision for a bustling fashion industry.
