Shahd AlShehail anchored her fall-winter 2025 collection for Abadia in a family memory that spoke to universal themes of courage and transformation.

The Saudi designer opened her show at Riyadh Fashion Week with a striking theatrical performance by multimedia artist Munirah AlShami, who performed Samri, a traditional dance expressing longing and resilience.

The inspiration was deeply personal. AlShehail’s grandfather ventured to sea as a young man to try his hand at pearl diving — a dangerous career choice, but a bid to prove his independence. “It was his way of proving he was ready to carry the weight of responsibility,” she explained after the show.

That narrative of choosing courage became the collection’s throughline. But AlShehail expanded beyond the adventure story to explore what

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