Reem Al Kanhal always knew she wanted to be a fashion designer. The Saudi creative, who established her namesake womenswear label in 2011 in Riyadh, developed a passion for the construction of garments from a very young age. While growing up, she would observe her mother dress up with her friends, and make mental notes of how she would style the pieces they were wearing. This interest in clothing led her to experiment with cutting, sewing, and fitting before enrolling at the Art and Skills Institute in Riyadh, where she sharpened and perfected her garment making-skills, culminating into her very own label one-year after her graduation in 2010.
The demi-couture brand, which is currently only available through her website or special order online, focuses on the most fundamental aspects of clothing, such as construction and form. She is also known for her asymmetrical, sculptural dresses and separates made to mix and match. She launched her brand with a modular ready-to-wear collection of clothes and accessories crafted to fit and flatter any woman’s body, which she achieves using draping, layering, and cutting techniques. Her aesthetic is unmistakable— When you see one wearing her designs, you immediately know that it’s a Reem Al Kanhal creation. She designs beautifully minimalist treasures each hand-made in Barcelona like shirt dresses with puffy capes and tassels, voluminous harem pants that can double as a jumpsuit, and shirts with detachable sleeves that could be deconstructed into three different lengths.
Al Kanhal also draws from her Saudi roots when she’s designing, churning out traditional closet essentials and referencing Bedouin style albeit with a contemporary twist. There’s the hand-cut farwa (a traditional fur-lined winter cloak worn by Bedouin men in the Saudi desert) with ribbons hand sewn onto it, the kaftan shirt dress with contrast piping, a satin Horaba coat inspired by the traditional Saudi sword dance, and the 100% silk dupion dress with a detachable head scarf, which is made to order in Reem’s atelier by hand over 17 hours. “I am continuously inspired by stories and styles that are a part of my heritage, and I try to rework them for our modern sensibilities,” she says.
Her tightly edited collections have earned her praise both regionally and internationally. She won the award for Best Female Designer at the KSA Arab Woman Awards in May 2015. That same year, she was chosen by the late Franca Sozzani to participate in the Vogue Fashion Dubai Experience to present her Tunisia-inspired Spring collection. Al Kanhal was also chosen as an International Woolmark Prize finalist for the Middle East in 2016.
