Having reimagined one of the country’s most essential fashion pieces, Saudi designer Zahar Al Sayed offers a glimpse into her daily life. Photo: Omaima Alshareef When not working at her full-time job as a public relations and events manager at Seven, creative and cultural consultant Zahar Alsayed is busy designing clothing for The Abaya Factory. Having founded it in the summer of 2012, Alsayed says of her company, “We were one of the first brands that introduced colored abayas when all women used to wear black abayas.
” Photo: Omaima Alshareef With a master’s degree in graphic branding and identity from London College of Communication, Alsayed broke into the world of fashion by complete coincidence. “I was introduced to my (now) husband Ahmad Angawi, a product designer, who had a brilliant idea of an abaya that turns into a jacket by removing from its sides, adding functionality to the design,” she says. At that time, in 2012, her husband needed a graphic designer who could help him brand the idea and make it come to life.
Alsayed was interested not only in the brand’s identity, but also in the creative direction and fabric selection process, and the rest is history. Photo: Omaima Alshareef Today, when the Jeddah-based designer is not working from her space in Zawiya 97, she’s in her office located near her home where her tailors are based. The creative shares that she enjoys the process of making a mess and reorganizing everything.
Her atelier is full of sampl.