DUBAI: US-based organization the Business of Fashion has released its sixth annual index of the people shaping the global fashion industry — and Saudi powerhouse Marriam Mossalli made the cut alongside three other women from the Middle East and a bevy of men from the region.
Known as the BoF 500, the index is widely regarded as the go-to list of international fashion’s who’s who.
Featured for the first time, alongside 95 other new names on the list, Saudi national Mossalli started her career as a journalist, before founding luxury consultancy agency Niche Arabia in 2011.
According to the Business of Fashion website, “Mossalli’s entrepreneurial company has been praised as a key player in elevating the global status of the Saudi Arabian fashion industry.”
Born in Sri Lanka, Mossalli lived in Korea and Malaysia before attending boarding school in Switzerland and eventually moving to Washington to study at George Washington University. After taking on positions at Arab News, the fashion heavyweight went on to write, curate and edit a series of books, including “Under The Abaya,” which features streetstyle images submitted by Saudi women.
“It’s moments like these that reaffirm one’s career choices and truly humble oneself. This goes to you, Saudi Arabia — my home, our future!” Mossalli wrote on Instagram.
“I’m humbled by the honor to represent the Khaleej as a new addition to the prestigious BoF 500 list! It’s such an honor and a true benchmark in my decade-long career to have this validation from the global fashion community,” she added in a statement to Arab News.
Mossalli joins three other women from the region who have been singled out by the organization, including Egyptian-Sudanese model Anok Yai, fashion editor Jamila Halfichi and Moroccan entrepreneur Salwa Idrissi Akhannouch.
Their achievements were celebrated at a gala dinner on the sidelines of New York Fashion Week on Monday — a celebrity-filled party that was attended by the likes of Somali-American model Halima Aden, model sisters Gigi and Bella Hadid, Canadian model Winnie Harlow and British model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley.
“For the sixth annual BoF 500, we focused on the change agents building and shaping a better fashion industry,” said Imran Amed, founder and chief executive of Business of Fashion. "There’s no doubt it has been a challenging time for the fashion business, a time for reflection. But, as we discovered in putting this issue together, there are many positive stories to tell and we are very happy to tell them.”
