RIYADH: Sweater shirts with hoods, baggy pants and shirts with marks of paint as if worn by an artist who had just come out of the studio — these were some of the looks by cutting-edge Saudi streetwear brand 1886 shown at Riyadh Fashion Week.
Male models were dressed in what appeared to be nonchalant, casual looks, with baggy jeans or army pants, topped with a large, short or long-sleeved t-shirts. In their hands, some models carried a hammer, a large bundle of rope on one shoulder, or a hard hat.
“Inspired by the Industrial Revolution, this collection represents human resilience against AI automation in the fashion industry. It pays tribute to hard working individuals across diverse fields who are not afraid of getting their hands dirty,” the label wrote on Instagram after the show.
The collection elevated ragged, everyday wear to new heights in an entirely contemporary language. A few seeming nods to traditional Gulf male attire could be found in a long trench coats and shirts coupled with a sporty vest.
In line with 1886’s avant-garde streetwear aesthetic, accessories were in the form of innovative sportwear or travel duffle bags, some emblazoned with the 1886 logo while others interestingly utilized scraps of t-shirts to create a fun and playful bags.
The latest collection reflects the aims of the founders of 1886 Fahad Al-Jomiah and Khalid Al-Jammaz, who devised the concept of the brand in their dorm rooms while studying in London.
Launched in 2016, the two friends sought to create a brand that united tradition, pop culture and urban wear. As they previously told Arab News, their aims are to “bridge fashion to the future by uniting the tradition of urban wear with tomorrow’s innovations and technical aesthetic.” The collection presented at RFW did exactly this: It uplifted casual everyday wear to new heights, while still retaining reverence for tradition and, importantly, playfulness.
