These stylish Saudi women entrepreneurs mean business

Jeddawi fashionistas and beauty gurus recently attended a women-only event, in which three Saudi female entrepreneurs got a complete makeover that aims to make them look their best when doing the job. The occasion was to celebrate the Women Appreciation Month (WAM), which was initiated in 2011 by leading Saudi fashion brand Femi9.
The event was organized by JeddahBeauty.com, which was also celebrating its one million views on its website.
Saudi women entrepreneurs were asked to apply through the WAM website during March 1-15 to an awards contest called the “Growing Initiative Awards.” The awards is an activation fully dedicated to support women in the start-up phase of entrepreneurship. This concept revolves around taking proactive action toward ambitious women who are trying to effectively contribute to society.
The judging panel for the Growing Initiative Awards comprised Dr. Arwa Al-Aama, vice mayor of Jeddah Municipality; Eyad Mashat, CEO of Femi9; and Abdulla Al-Ghaddooni, member of Glowork. The three winning newly started initiatives will now receive funds, business consultation and professional makeover along with other key support.
The criteria for the applicants was to come up with a new and creative project, based and running in Saudi Arabia, lead and initiated by a woman and the business should be either static or at a growing phase. “The three women who won the prize went through a process of a makeover where they competed against each other with a businesswoman look. The point of this event was to help those women to look their best when doing the job,” said Youssra Elawi, head of marketing at Femi9. “We want to give them the chance to feel good inside out with a look that fits a woman with a busy schedule. The judges were fashion and beauty experts,” she added.
Each of the three entrepreneurs had the chance to pamper herself in the Jeddah-based Eve Salon. They were treated to a package that included a massage, hair color/cut and styling, facial and nails. To get the final look Femi9 provided them with stylish clothing, while some Jeddah-based designers sent over abayas to complete the look for each applicant.
The final round of the competition was held at a venue in Tujar Jeddah. The event was private, with only 30 women in attendance. All these women displayed a strong passion for fashion. They also enjoyed a photo booth by celebrated photographer Reem Bajabaa and a makeup booth where famous makeup artist Inas Hammoud offered makeup tips to the attendees. A lucky draw was held in which a few happy women took home beauty- and fashion-related gifts.
The Saudi businesswomen were judged by TV presenter Dina Ali Reda, fashion guru Marriam Mosalli, beauty expert and editor in chief of Jeddah Beauty Blog Nilo Haq, fashion designer Yossra Ifaoui, fashion photographer Reem Bajabaa and makeup expert Inas Hammoud. The winner of the best makeover category was Nahed Al-Hubail, who is the owner of Sky Touch, a creative gift-wrapping business.
Beauty expert Haq of the Jeddah Beauty Blog said this was a great opportunity for businesswomen to learn how to look beautiful, stylish yet professional throughout a typical busy day. “The winner deserved the title as she was genuine and showed great enthusiasm,” she said.
“Her look was actually something you would wear to work and to a meeting and it suits an entrepreneur,” Haq added.