Black and white are colorful!

THREE years ago when I first arrived in Riyadh, my impression of the Kingdom’s capital city was total black and white in every sense of the word. This was because from what I could see – everywhere and often – there were only people in black and white. To me the sight of men in white thobes and women in black abayas was not only amazing but mindboggling, as well. I especially had this feeling because back home in Pakistan I worked in the fashion industry, which is the “world of colors” – of many shades and shine. As such, my immediate response upon arrival in Riyadh was that life here would be like the days of “black and white television” and, moreover, we would now be going many decades backward like some sort of rewind button that once pressed takes us into the distant past. Frankly, to some extent in the beginning, it did give me the feeling that I would have to put up with a colorless life here, for years to come. Moreover, in the beginning it seemed to me – which of course later on proved to be a false notion - that the society and the people in Saudi Arabia were very conservative in all aspects of life, be it living, food or fashion, and that as far as women were concerned, in men’s minds they were erroneously labeled as a gender that had no rights at all, whatsoever. This, of course, was a false and biased impression held by some in other parts of the world. For me, it also seemed strange that when you needed to go out to buy things for your house, you were heavily dependent on men as women supposedly could not go out all alone. But again, this later proved to be based on false perceptions. For me being new in the country, the very first “black and white” impression prevailed for quite some time. However, as time passed and as I returned to my profession as a fashion designer, the old perceptions died as life seemed very colorful everywhere. With the passage of time, I could see and explore more on the color side of life in Saudi Arabia. Very soon I realized how colorful “black and white” really were. And, there you go. My perception totally changed in a short span of time. Soon I began to appreciate and admire the beauty of “black and white” which was visible everywhere I looked. Saudi men in white and Saudi women in black were the standard that everyone could see. Frankly, I also often used to wonder if Saudi men and women had any interest in fashion at all. I asked myself why they would be interested in fashion if they could not think beyond the white thobe and the black abaya. However, I was totally wrong, as all my thoughts were mere misconceptions. The last three years have opened my eyes and mind as I have seen the beauty of “black and white”. Unfortunately, one of the few things known to the Western world about Saudi Arabia is that the women here cannot drive. But they should realize that this is not all that women here want to do. Trust you me, perhaps that is the only thing that Saudi women do not do here. Otherwise they are free to do anything and pursue any career. That is why Saudi women are seen to be doing wonders in all fields of life and professions. They are excelling in the field of fashion, as well. All international fashion brands and labels are found here and they in fact have a huge clientele. If “black and white” were so colorless why would international brands explore the market here? Saudi brands and designers themselves are recognized in the international market. I feel that much of the credit for this success goes to high profile Saudi women who have not only been able to portray a beautiful image of women but have also made changes in the lives of women down to the grassroots level. Saudi women have made history by forming the biggest human ribbon for cancer awareness and have led women in sports and in fashion. Saudi women are proving their mettle. The Saudi fashion and art industry manned by women is equal to that found in any part of the world. Madiha Noman, Riyadh