ACCORDING to many local historians abayas, the black cloaks worn by women in the Kingdom, were introduced in the country some 80 years ago. Merchants bought them in Syria and Iraq and then brought them here. Prior to the mass arrival of black abayas, Saudi women used to wear colorful clothes and even when abayas were introduced, not everyone was expected to wear them. Some 40 years ago, it was common for American and other Western women to walk around Al-Khobar, Al-Hofuf and Al-Qatif donning knee-length skirts. Today, things are drastically different and every Saudi and non-Saudi woman in the Kingdom wears an abaya. Saudi-style abayas have been reinvented in terms of design and colors and many global fashion designers have taken interest in the cloaks by introducing new designs to cater to the tastes of young women, Al-Riyadh daily reports.
Social development Hana Samman, a Saudi businesswoman and fashion designer, said Saudi women used to spend most of their time at home and rarely needed to wear an abaya. Nowadays, most women work and abayas represent the official uniform for them. That is why there are business abayas and casual ones. Even housewives who do not work tend to have different kinds of abayas that are suitable for different events. For example, if they want to go out, they need a light abaya that helps them move briskly, Samman said. “The Shariah doesn't specify a certain color for abayas. Our hot weather makes it necessary for designers to come up with colorful abayas that conform to the Shariah. Abayas shouldn't be transparent, should cover the body and shouldn't have too many colors,” she said. An Abaya used to cost SR200 but now the price ranges between SR1,000 and SR3,000. Competition among designers is the reason why the market has so many different styles of abayas today. Heritage Samira Noorah, fashion designer, also said the color of the abaya does not necessarily have to be black. Saudi women who travel abroad wear colorful abayas so that they stand out from the crowd and preserve their heritage at the same time. “The abaya is part of our Saudi culture. Changing it shouldn't have any impact on our identity. We can design it in different ways without compromising our heritage values. To me, an abaya is like a painting that needs a creative painter. I love to add my own touches to it,” she said. Piece of Art Afaf Al-Madani, fashion designer, said a designer could add several types of accessories to an abaya such as precious gemstones. The abaya is not just a black robe; it can be turned into a piece of art with a little bit of creativity and innovation. Al-Madani loves to wear her abaya all day long and she does not take it off even when she goes to weddings because she is proud of its design. “It makes me feel self-confident,” she said. Her colleague, Wafa Hasanain, said people who oppose the modern looks of abayas should be more open-minded. “Everything changes in the world of clothes and nothing stays the same,” she added.
Change of concept Dr. Abu Bakur Baqadir, sociology researcher, said the concept of the abaya has changed and some young women refuse to wear it but they find themselves obliged to do so when they go out. He said fashion designers have also played a role in reinventing the concept of abayas. “Women, by nature, love to look beautiful. They look for stylish and trendy abayas but without breaking the rules of social traditions,” said Baqadir. Hutoon Hafni, who works for a local media outlet, said she changes her abayas seven times a year and has to keep up with latest trends in the market. She is willing to pay as much as SR3,000 for an abaya but not more than that. Colorful ones are her favorite because they look different than the traditional abayas.
