I'm glad to say I had the pleasure of meeting him, so let me introduce him to you.
Saudi Designer Hatem Alakeel has been hailed a design genius, dubbed the Middle Eastern Tom Ford, crowned THE KING OF THOBES in the region (a "Thobe" being the official menswear in the Gulf Region).
His brainchild and brand, Toby by Hatem Alakeel specializes in men's traditional robes and shirts, yet there is
nothing traditional about these highly crafted fashion items. While
retaining the established feel of the classic thobe, Toby by Hatem Alakeel aims to create highly individual and stunningly
tailored lines from the best materials on the international market.
During the "Dazzle with Crystal" event at Harvey Nichols Riyadh I was introduces to Hatem Alakeel by Marriam Mossalli of Niche Arabia. We got to talking, and I asked him about his recent collaboration with SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS. Hatem confessed that when asked by HRH Princess Reema Bandar ALSaud, CEO of ALFA Group, to take part in this venture, the thought of using crystals in his designs took him a few minutes to think about. Given that he sees himself as a minimalistic designer, he had to tackle this as a challenge. He came up with a line of ready-to-wear that was embellished with SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS, that kept his minimalistic esthetics yet gave it that little extra which will make it stand out.
Moral of this chat with Hatem Alakeel; You can always stay true to yourself
creatively, but it won't hurt to broaden your scoop outside what you're
used to. You might surprise yourself, as well as others.
Here is a glimpse of the collection that is present exclusively at Harvey Nichols Riyadh until December the 21st.
grt
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