Nowadays, fashion designers are not averse to taking risks. They do not hesitate to experiment and try bold ideas. The bisht, the elegant long cloak Arab men wear over their thobes, has long been considered an important part of the region’s culture.
It is generally worn as part of formal attire reserved for special occasions. Particularly popular in Saudi Arabia, it is also worn in other Gulf countries.
This cloak is usually made of wool and ranges in color from white, beige, and cream to the darker shades of brown, grey and black. The word bisht is derived from the Persian — to go on one’s back.
However, this formal cloak has now been given a new purpose. It can now be worn on vacation at the beach.
Beach Bisht is an example of a fusion of ideas. It is a unique concept that combines the design of a traditional Saudi bisht with bath towel material,
This unique idea came to Nasir Farsi, who is known for thinking outside the box.
Dareen Nawar, the brand manager, told Arab News that it was a unique product designed for people’s convenience.
“There are girls who wear it instead of an abaya to the beach. With the pockets and the hood, it becomes very functional and smart for all ages,” Nawar said, adding that it took them some time to reach perfection. “The product went from a trial and error phase before it took its final form. It was challenging to make people accept such a different usage of a traditional garment.”
She said it took the idea sometime for people to accept despite its obvious utility.
The biggest challenge that the brand is currently facing is a lack of suppliers. The product is designed in Saudi Arabia but manufactured abroad. They are looking now for local suppliers who can provide them with the same quality.
The Beach Bisht team is full of ambitions and has long-term plans. They aspire to become 100 percent free of plastic and completely eco-friendly. Nawar said: “We want to become a sustainable brand and expand into leisurewear and apparel.”
Startup of the Week: Beach Bisht: New use of a traditional garment
https://arab.news/yjhm2
Startup of the Week: Beach Bisht: New use of a traditional garment
- This cloak is usually made of wool and ranges in color from white, beige, and cream to the darker shades of brown, grey and black
Bella Hadid leaves Paris for Los Angeles launch event
DUBAI: Supermodel Bella Hadid jetted from Paris to Los Angeles this week to launch her latest campaign with US fashion retailer Revolve.
The Palestinian US Dutch model was on hand in France earlier in the week, where she hit the runway at the Saint Laurent show during Paris Fashion Week.
She then flew across to Los Angeles to launch a campaign with Los Angeles-founded retailer Revolve, which was set up in 2003 by Michael Mente and Mike Karanikolas.
Hadid fronts a campaign launching the e-commerce department store’s first-ever in-house brand, Revolve Los Angeles.
“Born from a deep understanding of the modern woman and inspired by the city where it all began, our eponymous fashion house is a new expression of effortless glamor,” the new fashion label posted on Instagram alongside black-and-white images of Hadid in a selection of looks.
Prior to her trip to Los Angeles, the model showed off French label Saint Laurent’s latest collection in Paris.
Creative Director Anthony Vaccarello, marking his own 10th anniversary at the helm, sent out a parade of razor-sharp Smokings — the house term for its iconic women’s tuxedo — with plunging necklines and elongated silhouettes that crackled with the same transgressive energy founder Yves Saint Laurent unleashed in the 1960s, the Associated Press reported.
But Vaccarello didn’t stop at evening wear.
He extended the same sensual, body-skimming tailoring into daytime suits in fluid pinstripe fabrics with almost no interlining, effectively arguing that the tuxedo silhouette belongs in a woman’s life around the clock.
Plenty of brands in Milan showed strong black pantsuits this season, but the Saint Laurent version still occupies its own territory — sleeker, sharper, more loaded with meaning.
The other half of Vaccarello’s equation was lace, stiffened with latex and tailored into structured cardigan-like jackets and straight skirts.
It was lace with backbone — tough, not delicate.
Paired with smoky eyes, chunky gold jewelry and slingback heels, the collection made a case that Saint Laurent’s codes are as potent as ever.
