BY KELLY DOWNING
Christophe Beaufays, a Belgian fashion designer and senior designer for Lomar Thobe discusses the history and evolution of traditional Saudi fashion.
After finishing a Master in Creation in Paris, Christophe Beaufays worked for European fashion houses. For seven years, he was the closest assistant to The Grand Couturier Jean-Paul Gaultier, working directly with him on all eight collections per year. During his years in Paris, Beaufays traveled to the Arab world where he fell in love with the culture. He says, “When I fall in love, I get obsessed. I bought hundreds of books and started to look for a job anywhere in the Middle East.” Beaufays had the unexpected chance to meet Loai Naseem and his wife Mona Al-Haddad, the founders of Lomar, a concept store that redefined the thobe, the Arab man’s main garment. They offered Beaufays the opportunity to live his dream of merging his skills in high fashion with his passion for Arab culture. Soon after, he joined the design team of the Lomar fashion brand in Jeddah, where he is currently the Head Designer.
Beaufays believes “traditions and cultures need to adapt and to adapt with creativity to survive our fast-changing times and globalized world.” He points to Lomar’s story as an example of successful adaptation. Naseem’s generation was heavily exposed to American culture and as a result, were presented with two options for their wardrobe: either wear the classic thobe of generations past or wear trendy western clothes. It was Naseem’s goal to create a third option: a casual thobe with a zipper rather than buttons, a polo collar rather than a high collar, and colorful accent fabrics.
While Beaufays is on the forefront of Saudi fashion evolution, he remains committed to learning about the heritage of Saudi Arabia. I asked him for a lesson on traditional Saudi clothing.
THOBE
In Saudi Arabia, the traditional men’s robe is called a ‘thobe,’ literally meaning ‘garment’ in Arabic. Although seemingly similar men’s attire is found throughout the Gulf, North Africa and South Asia, local styles are noticeably distinguishable. The type of cut, fabric, details, and accessories play a strong part in the identity for each country. The Saudi thobe is recognized as being the most fitted to the body and the most complex in term of cut.
BISHT
The bisht is a traditional men’s cloak worn on prestigious occasions such as weddings or Eid. Imams, officials, royals and sheikhs may also wear it to distinguish their position. It is believed that the word ‘bisht’ is derived from an Akkadian (an Ancient Mesopotamian language) word meaning nobility or dignity. The bisht is normally black, and can also come in cream, brown or grey. The gold or silver embroidery, which was originally hand-made, is made in varying patterns. Today, most embroidery is produced by machines, but some families in the Eastern Province keep the tradition of handmade bisht.
HEAD SCARVES
Head scarves are used to protect the wearer from the sun, sand and dust. They can be patterned (‘shemagh’) or unpatterned (‘ghutra’). While the ghutra is always white, the shemagh is either plain white or red and white. When wrapped around the head, it is called ‘amanah.’
There are two theories on where the iconic shemagh pattern originated. The less likely theory is that it is a motif representing fishnet and waves or fish bones, used as a lucky charm for fishermen in Iraq. The more reliable theory is that it was inspired by traditional British patterns such as houndstooth, prince of wales and herringbone. The British influence would have arisen when Great Britain fought the Ottoman Empire in the Arab Peninsula in the early 20th century. At that time, British manufacturers flooded the Middle Eastern markets with linens.
AGAL
The ‘agal’ is a black cord, worn doubled, used to keep the head scarf on the head. It is traditionally made of goat hair. The use of the agal and the head scarves are traced to Babylon and other ancient middle-eastern civilizations.
TAGIYAH
Meaning “dome” in Persian, the ‘tagiyah’ is a short, rounded skullcap. In Arab countries, it is usually worn under the shemagh to increase its adherence and stability on the head. It is white and is made either of fabric or crochet.
ABAYA
The abaya is a cloak worn over a woman’s garments. Long and loose robe-like women’s garments predate Islam. However, the Muslim concept comes from this Quranic quote, “O Prophet, tell your wives and daughters, and the believing women, to cover themselves with a loose garment. They will thus be recognized and no harm will come to them.” Qur’an 33:59
The black abaya, as we know it today, was not always popular in the past and its origins in the region are unclear. One theory says that it was due to a clever marketing scheme. It claims a man in Madinah wrote a love poem about a woman in a black abaya in order to clear leftover inventory of unwanted black abayas. The more reliable theory claims that, during the Ottoman Empire, the wives of Turkish aristocrats and rulers in the region wore black to differentiate themselves from the local women. The masses wanted to imitate the higher class, and the prevalence of the black abaya started to spread.
TARHA
The words veil and ‘hijab’ are close in meaning and can be defined as “curtain.” Women wore veils in antiquity as a tradition based on cultural or religious piety and devotion. In Islam, the hijab was prescribed in order to give women freedom of action. It allowed them to be an active part of society, considered for their competence, personality and skills rather than their femininity. In the global Muslim world, the head scarf is referred to as hijab. Here in Saudi Arabia, it is called ‘tarha’.
NIQAB
The niqab is a face veil worn by some Muslim women, though commonly seen in Saudi Arabia, as a part of a particular interpretation of the “hijab” (modesty).
JALABIYAH
Women’s thobes, often called ‘jalabiyah’, are loose fitting, ankle-length dresses with long or semi-long loose sleeves. They are worn for social gatherings, especially during Ramadan. They are sometimes tied with a belt and often very colorful with embroidery or patterns made of various kinds of fabric including cotton, linen, and lace.
THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SAUDI THOBE
- Made of around 24 pieces of fabric.
- It is the only one that does not have side seams. Instead, it has two seams in the front and two seams in the back with a gusset under the sleeves.
- Nowadays, the Saudi thobe is the most varied and fashionable in term of style and design, with brands like Lomar designing them in a wide vari.ety of colors and fabric composition.
- Fabric choices include polyester, cotton, polycot.ton, and linen or wool for the summer or winter months, respectively.
- Depending on the taste of the customer, the fab.rics can be either stiff, soft or very fluid. • The standard collar is 4 cm high and closes with two buttons.
- A lightweight faneela (t-shirt) and sirwal (elastic-waisted pants) are worn under the thobe
THE RECENT EVOLUTION OF ABAYA STYLES IN SAUDI ARABIA
- Wearing the abaya was not mandatory by law until the end of the 1960s and, at that time, consisted of untailored piece of fabric. It was not necessary for it to cover the whole body, sometimes cover.ing only the upper part.
- In the 1980s, when the political environment changed, abayas were mandated to be tailored with shoulder lines.
- Later, discreet decoration appeared, including lace, beads, and embroidery. Over time, these decorations became more obvious and fashionable.
- After 2000, some touches of color appeared but the majority remained black.
- Following 2010, very colorful and fashionable abayas began to spread.
- In very recent years, completely colored abayas became very popular in more various fabrics like cotton or linen. The latest trend is the white and light beige abaya, which is commonly seen in Jeddah.
Beaufays points to countless traditions, crafts and cultures that have disappeared globally, only to be found in museums or tourist shops. As he says, “traditions need creativity to stay alive.” His work at Lomar is a conscious effort to preserve the Saudi culture of clothing by keeping it relevant. The stylized thobes and abayas are designs that all generations of Saudis can proudly embrace.
LOMAR
For Men, locations at Localizer Mall / Ar-rabi, King Abdulaziz Road / Al Malqa, Anas Ibn Malik Road
For Men and Women, visit Robinsons Department Store, Kingdom Center, Olaya St.
T: 920000554
Website: www.lomar.sa
Social Media: @lomarthobe
