In an emotional homecoming, Reem AlKanhal offered her spring 2026 ready-to-wear assortment in Saudi Arabia for the primary time. Titled “Homage,” her runway debut remodeled reminiscences of her great-grandmother right into a meditation on Saudi femininity, previous and current.
AlKanhal, who constructed her status on avant garde modular design, delved into the intimate wardrobe of her great-grandmother, Omi Hassa, mining what she known as the “quiet energy” of conventional Najdi gown for a up to date viewers hungry for cultural authenticity.
“As just a little woman, these particulars captivated me,” AlKanhal stated. “They weren’t simply components of clothes, they had been signatures of her grace, traces of a time when magnificence was expressed in whispers, not declarations.”
On the coronary heart of the gathering was the khat albalda — conventional striped undergarments that will peek provocatively beneath outer layers. AlKanhal sourced the unique striped material for her opening seems to be, rendered in inexperienced and crimson stripes that set the tone for a group steeped in heritage with trendy sensibility. The designer labored with a fastidiously chosen material palette: crisp poplin and striped cotton for structured layering, silk and brocade for luxurious, and delicate Munaikhel tulle that created an ethereal sense of motion.
The makta, a conventional garment with a cinched waist, knowledgeable the gathering’s silhouettes, whereas black and gold materials had been layered with intention, creating seems to be that felt each coated and daring. AlKanhal’s signature method — clear traces assembly draped curves, modesty punctuated by peekaboo particulars — was in full impact, embodying what she described as “a stability between construction and fluidity, reflecting each energy and softness.”
The designer’s modular sleeve turned a defining component, permitting items to rework from modest to glossy with a easy detachment. “You’ll be able to take away the sleeves, you’ll be able to add the sleeves. You’ll be able to wrap it,” AlKanhal defined backstage after the present. “It’s only a playful and joyful component of it, however nonetheless have this a little bit of the attractive, elegant, smooth, unseen components that perhaps the world doesn’t learn about however we learn about.”
The gathering was styled with conventional Saudi jewellery items, together with coin belts from Najd, grounding the gathering in its cultural origins whereas talking to what AlKanhal known as “the fluidity of recent identification.”
AlKanhal, who maintains a loyal consumer base in London, France and India, launched her label in 2010. She has a loyal consumer base internationally, however determined to take a two-year hiatus. “I didn’t need to simply design,” AlKanhal stated, reflecting on that interval. “I wished to design with objective, with magnificence, with feelings.” That intentionality confirmed in each element of her debut present in Saudi Arabia, linked to reminiscences, from the derum-stained lips she remembered from her great-grandmother to the embroideries that referenced generations of Saudi craftsmanship.
For a designer who has lengthy refused to observe tendencies or seasons, preferring as an alternative to create what she known as “time capsules” that “transcend tendencies and seasons,” the Riyadh runway felt like full-circle validation. Her items, designed to be worn and reworn over years in limitless mixtures, discovered their excellent context: a vogue week that honors heritage whereas pushing towards an bold future, with a designer whose very DNA is woven into each.
