RIYADH: As the day nears when Saudi women take to the roads for the first time, a Riyadh fashion designer has come up with a stylish way of marking the historic moment.
Mohammed Khoja has designed a black bomber jacket with the insignia “June 24, 2018, 10 Shawwal 1439” — the long-awaited date when women in the Kingdom will be allowed to drive.
The founder of the luxury Hindamme label is determined to draw attention to the breakthrough for women by wearing his own creation.
“I get stopped all the time by people complimenting me on the jacket,” Khoja said.
The designer said he was “super-proud” of the direction Saudi society was taking with this “progressive push.”
Khoja said: “I was moved by the decision to lift the ban on women driving, because it seemed like something that would never happen. It is a symbolic gesture. The ban has always been held against us as Saudis.”
Khoja said he hoped his jacket would help fashion-conscious Saudis mark the event.
“Every country has historic days when things happen that shift the course of the future — and this is one of those dates. That was the inspiration. I thought, how can I, as a designer, pay tribute to this?
“I call it a driving jacket to commemorate the date.”
Khoja said the jacket could be worn by both men and women who wanted to celebrate the Kingdom’s social progress.
“This decision is not only important to Saudi women and men, but also a step forward in our global quest to achieve more equality, balance and peace,” he said.
