There is a saying by American-Polish writer Isaac Bashevis Singer that says, “What a strange power there is in clothing.” Fashion, in many ways, is identity construction – it is a personal language that can symbolize powerful cultural statements, as well as different social and political transformations.
Though the subject of fashion as an academic field within the context of the Middle East is lacking, the region’s fashion evolution has been recently blooming. Only a few cases such as ‘Languages of Dress in the Middle East’ by Bruce Ingham and Nancy Lindisfarne attempt to tackle how the languages of dress in the Arabian Gulf connect with other social practices. Yet an analysis on current fashion trends among Saudi youth – particularly after the political and economic transformations – is largely absent.
Here are a few photos capturing the identity of Saudi youth through fashion:
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