Saudi Arabian designer Waad Aloqaili unveiled her Yamal collection at Riyadh Fashion Week earlier this month, in what felt like a powerful creative homecoming. For Waad and her sister Ahlam, who co-founded their brand in 2019, the show represented a return to the essence of their vision, one deeply rooted in heritage, emotion, and storytelling. “Presenting Yamal at Riyadh Fashion Week was profoundly personal,” she said. “It felt as though the sea had finally returned to its shore. A moment where emotion, memory, and creation met.”

Alaqaili’s work has always been about bridging the past and the present, redefining the codes of Saudi luxury through symbolism, craftsmanship, and cultural depth. Founded by the sisters, the vision was built on shared values of creativity, purpose, and empowerment. As Creative Director, Waad brings a poetic vision to every collection, while Ahlam, the brand’s technical designer and managing partner, ensures that vision is translated into tangible form. 

For the Yamal collection, which debuted at the recent edition of Riyadh Fashion Week, Waad drew inspiration from Saudi Arabia’s coastal heritage. “Yamal was born from the rhythm of the Saudi sea,” she explained. “From the chants once sung by pearl divers as they worked in harmony against the vastness of the Gulf. ‘Ya Mal’ was their call, a rhythmic pulse that kept them synchronised while rowing, raising sails, or diving for pearls. It was not music for leisure but survival in melody, a reminder that strength lies in unity and rhythm. That same spirit became the heartbeat of Yamal.”

The collection translates this maritime legacy into couture forms that were both fluid and architectural. Chiffons and liquid satins evoked the soft movement of waves, while sculpted corsets and nacre panels echoed the strength and structure of shells. “The silhouettes move like water,” Waad said, describing how each looked shifted with light and motion. “We contrasted soft, flowing materials with firm, sculpted pieces to capture that duality between grace and power.”

The show opened with soft ivory tones inspired by natural pearls, then flowed through luminous sky blues, deep marine hues, and finally into sandy neutrals kissed with crystal light, a visual journey mirroring the diver’s descent and return to the surface. Each hue and texture was part of a narrative that celebrated continuity, transformation, and the endurance of Saudi artistry.

Her reinterpretation of traditional motifs and moments further explored Saudi heritage. “Even the traditional Hāmah, once adorning the foreheads of Najdi women as a mark of grace and dignity, was reimagined as a golden couture headpiece, hand-inlaid with mother-of-pearl and natural pearls,” she said. “It symbolises the quiet strength of Saudi women and transforms a heritage adornment into a modern emblem of empowerment and identity.”

“In Yamal, craftsmanship forms the very architecture of design, not an embellishment, but the structure itself,” Waad adds. “Every technique and material was chosen with intention, merging emotion with engineering and fluidity with precision.” The collection’s intricate highlights this. Mother-of-pearl, a recurring motif, was hand-cut and bonded onto fabrics to blend natural rigidity with the flowing nature of couture. Laser-cut shell motifs added a contemporary edge, while pearl and crystal fringes shimmered like ripples on water. “Hand embroidery anchors the collection,” explaining how pearls were “cascading, diffused, or structured to echo the shifting light beneath the sea’s surface.”

Among the standout pieces was Um Al-Samaka, created in collaboration with Saudi artist Sara Al-Abdali. “It bridges couture and visual art,” Waad sais. “Hand-painted with divers, boats, and waves, and embroidered with pearls and crystal droplets, it captures the poetry of the sea in motion.” The design pays homage to the traditional Um Al-Samaka abaya, once worn by women in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province for momentous occasions. “Today, it graces one of the Kingdom’s most significant fashion moments. A symbol of continuity between past and present. For me, true couture is not about excess but about mastery, where every layer, stitch, and reflection becomes part of a living narrative.”

That idea of couture as both an art form and an act of empowerment defines the spirit of Waad Aloqaili Couture. “Since founding Waad Aloqaili Couture in 2019, my vision has always been grounded in the empowerment of women, of craftsmanship, and of purpose,” she said. “We design not only garments but symbols of transformation. Each collection begins with a question or an emotional reflection on resilience, identity, and rebirth. Our philosophy is to create pieces that endure beyond seasons, ethically crafted, deeply personal, and culturally meaningful.”

This mission extends beyond the atelier. “We champion women not only through what they wear but through storytelling, awareness, and tangible support for organisations that foster women’s growth and empowerment,” Waad added. “Waad Aloqaili Couture stands at the intersection of heritage and modernity, where tradition is not preserved as memory but lived as evolution. Every creation becomes a dialogue between who we are and who we are becoming.”

As a voice in a fast-emerging regional fashion movement, Waad sees Saudi Arabia’s creative rise as both historic and inevitable. “The Arab fashion landscape is entering a new era of maturity, one defined by awareness, authenticity, and a refined sense of identity,” she reflected. “In Saudi Arabia, this evolution carries a deeper cultural weight: fashion has become a language through which we express our values, our craftsmanship, and our connection to the world.”

For Waad, we are at a moment of cultural awakening. “What we are witnessing is not only creative progress but the rise of a distinctly Saudi couture movement, one rooted in knowledge, discipline, and an unwavering respect for heritage,” she said. “This moment marks more than growth; it is the beginning of a cultural renaissance in which fashion is no longer an accessory to identity but an extension of it. It is a dialogue between who we were and who we are becoming, a reflection of confidence, authenticity, and the timeless elegance that defines our region.”