THE famous 45-year-old Saudi designer, Yahya Al-Bishri, has revolutionized the Saudi couture industry. The road to excellence has not been an easy one for Al-Bishri whose first steps in the clothes industry began with the designer studying fashion in Italy and France 16 years ago.

Al-Bishri is credited with having taken the Saudi fashion industry to the next level, allowing Saudi Arabia’s name to shine in the fashion world with a unique fusion of traditional Saudi clothes with foreign traits.

Introducing new designs and fashion in a conservative Saudi society that is proud of its culture and heritage has been a difficult job for Al-Bishri. Unlike other Saudi designers, who usually settle abroad in foreign countries, Al-Bishri decided to remain in the Kingdom and make Saudi Arabia his primary target market.

“I listened to one French fashion critic who advised me that my country needed me to build something here and so I came back in 1994 and held a successful fashion show,” said Al-Bishri.

Alone in a massive international industry that is mostly dominated by westerners, Al-Bishri has managed to make his way to the top without the support of foreign Saudi embassies and without invitations to attend fashion shows. Undeterred, Al-Bishri has been able to continue and make a difference. “Ahmed Zaki Yamani, the former oil minister, told me I had revolutionized the men’s clothing industry. This was very encouraging,” he said.

When Al-Bishri began, the world of fashion was oblivious of Saudi clothes designs. The Saudi designer now been accredited as being like an ambassador to the fashion world for his work in incorporating Saudi creativity in his designs, and mixing the old and the new in a creative way that makes his work unique.

“I am proud that I have managed to incorporate my heritage, because this is what has made my work different and made me what I am,” he said.

Through his designs, Al-Bishri has managed to bring together various cultures and has created a fusion of Saudi and European designs. His creativity did not stop at the Saudi level but has gone a step forward with Al-Bishri fusing Chinese and Italian traditions. “This is what I am trying to do when I participate in international fashion shows. I feel that by mixing cultures together I am bringing people together,” he said.

The world is not familiar with Saudi clothes design, said Al-Bishri. Many people around the world are misinterpreting many things about Saudi Arabia due to the political situation across the world. “Through designing clothes I am trying to send a message to the outside world. There is a good message in fashion. Every art has its own language. There are special messages in poems, paintings and sport. Through fashion, I believe we can bring the true treasures of our civilizations together,” said Al-Bishri.

Al-Bishri’s designs immediately became popular among women. However, the designer says his biggest challenge came when introducing his work in the male market.

In a traditional Saudi society where fashion is not quickly accepted, Al-Bishri persevered to finally see Saudi men also accepting his work. Many men accuse the designer of destroying Saudi traditions in clothing by introducing “inferior” designs. In spite of the negative criticism of his work, Al-Bishri insists on continuing and strongly believes that Saudi Arabia is rich with beauty that needs to be expressed and displayed for others to see and enjoy.

Al-Bishri’s career was given a boost when Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah admired his designs. Subsequently the designer was asked to design festival outfits for participants of the 1999 Janadriya Festival. “He saw my designs and they pleased him... I designed the costumes of more than 1,000 participants in Janadriya in addition to six singers. They took me six months to complete.”

It was then that people’s opinions about his desi