Dr. Arwa Khamis: Saudi Fashion’s Past is a Priceless Asset, and We Must Provide a Sophisticated Product Combining Tradition and Contemporary!

Arwa Khamis has embarked on a journey of creativity, authorship, and writing through childhood memories during a dreamlike period, and she was immediately enthralled with a love of reading and education.

She earned a PhD in fashion history from King Abdulaziz University’s College of Design and Arts, where she learned to design and embroider clothing via the tradition of motherhood in houses of nurturing pride, knitting threads, and spinning wool in her mother’s hands.

Interviewed by: Mohsen Hassan

She established the Arwa Arab Publishing House to achieve a qualitative leap in the production, publishing, and production of children’s books under the most recent standards of quality and mastery because she was dissatisfied with limited and conditional ambition and because she had her groundbreaking feminist experience in the face of the tyranny of professional and creative masculinity.

A pioneer of the golden generation of modern Saudi women, Dr. Arwa Khamis is an assistant professor at King Abdulaziz University and an associate professor at Jeddah University’s College of Design and Arts. She perceives Saudi fashion as a valuable asset that should project the Kingdom’s civilised image to the rest of the globe.

She also utilises her innovative approach in children’s literature to overcome narrative and storytelling challenges, focusing on a literary and linguistic style that transcends advising and pedagogical approaches.

Consequently, she views herself as a writer and inventor rather than an advisor and educator, even though she incorporates these concepts into her artistic and creative endeavours.

Arabisk London interviewed the Saudi author and publisher Arwa Khamis about the Kingdom’s history, publishing difficulties, and other topics.

Initially, did you begin your artistic path with a passion for writing and composition or fashion? And what was your final method of settling down?

My love of writing and composition, along with my enthusiasm for reading and learning, started when I was about sixth grade in elementary school. I had my books and library, which allowed me to read many stories and relate to them on an emotional and sentimental level.

I read different kinds of literature depending on the period and stage of life I was in. Meanwhile, my mother, who was talented in handicrafts and crafts like knitting and embroidery, along with everything associated with clothes and housework, also introduced me to the world of fashion and apparel from a young age. I thus admired all of these abilities that she had given me.

Why was there a particular tendency towards writing for children?

I can’t say that there is a single, obvious explanation for why I tend to write for children, but I can say that it happened naturally and unintentionally. Maybe what stayed with me from my early years and the stories my mother told me, combined with my affinity for the book and its setting, is what sparked my later creative tendencies towards all things related to children and childhood, especially given how much I was drawn to this magical, suspenseful, and exciting world.

Additionally, children’s writing permits a great deal of creative license in selecting themes, styles, and narrative structures, which I adore since it always makes writing and working more enjoyable and richer. I began my journey through the realm of children and childhood for all of these reasons together.

What, though, were the biggest obstacles Arwa Khamis faced in the printing and publishing sector?

My challenges stemmed primarily from the fact that I write for children out of a love of literature and linguistic proficiency rather than from an educational or advisory standpoint. Moreover, the field of children’s writing is not one of the literary genres that the world of criticism and critics considers, in contrast to well-known literary genres like poetry and novels, so I suffered greatly from the modesty of the view of what I write.

As a writer, author, and often educational figure, my intention with my writings was never just to teach children; rather, even if they served the purpose of young readers, my goal was to elevate them to a level of artistic excellence and linguistic skill in addition to their spiritual and emotional content.

The absence of Saudi printing presses that could produce children’s books with the calibre I desired presented unique challenges for me at the printing level. Although we have excellent printing presses for Qurans, religious texts, and other materials, I wish there were also printing presses that could create children’s books that were as well-printed as the foreign books I saw and studied, in terms of content and printing techniques.

As an illustration, I studied at British publishing firms, which are, incidentally, entirely distinct from Arabic editions.
Therefore, I frequently produced my books in Lebanon, where, despite certain logistical issues brought on by the country’s conditions, I discovered printing facilities of a very high calibre.

What is the synopsis of your fashion history PhD dissertation, Arwa Khamis? Using this overview, how may the history of Saudi clothing advance?

My PhD dissertation focused on restoring and documenting traditional attire in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The apparel under consideration was about 150 years old.

I brought it in collaboration with Princess Noura University’s Dr. Laila Al-Bassam, my supervisor. Subsequently, we performed restoration work on this clothing, which involved working in chemical laboratories with an Egyptian colleague, Dr. (Ferial Al-Tayra).

The documentation process was then conducted using different patterns that describe how to document traditional clothes in museums, including the writing or exhibition technique, the discourse language, and all the necessary elements. The experience was delightful, lovely, and more akin to a story—the story of a clothing whose disparate pieces were pieced together to create its narrative and decades-long journey.

Arwa Khamis is currently satisfied with the Saudi national heritage in fashion design, however, is there room for improvement to make it more attractive and modern?

I’m not quite content since it appears that the heritage lines would be under scrutiny because there are a lot of places in the Kingdom with notable and striking fashion variances.

In general, I can say that the legacy of Saudi fashion is like an endless treasure, and we must draw from it with all our energies and creative skills. A new design or decoration that works for general design, fabric printing, embroidery, and many other things that may be impacted by those lines and elements can be made by developing, modernising, and expanding upon each aspect.

How certain are you that the Kingdom’s heritage fashions can expand their horizons thanks to economic influence?

Indeed, following the recent fashion displays by the Saudi designers and the Lebanese designer Elie Saab, I anticipate that the Saudi national authorities will elevate the fashion sector to a very high level of support and help at all levels.

Particularly in terms of investment, financial, and economic assistance, given that we have all the resources necessary to introduce a novel and refined product that combines contemporary and traditional.

Here, we must pick up where others have left off to propel this sector to new heights both economically and artistically. We can do this by creating Saudi fashion designs that are deserving of being bought, worn, and appreciated by prominent people throughout the world, including presidents, artists, and others.

In your opinion as a scholar and designer, which Saudi heritage patterns best capture Saudi Arabia’s refined image in the eyes of international designers?

The models’ cuts and fabric kinds are the first of these designs as they offer a lot of room for imagination, ingenuity, and rejuvenation. I find the world of embroidery and the unique crafts of Saudi apparel to be fascinating. It’s a genuinely lovely universe, full of absolute expertise, the harmony of proportions and measures, accuracy, and a variety of colours.

You may see, for instance, the patterns of the burqas, head coverings, sleeve endings, vests, bishts, and much more that we have and must display as they capture the true, heritage-based, and civilised face of all settings, people, and places in the Kingdom.

Do you think the Arab world’s children’s book publishing industry is experiencing a production crisis? What about the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf area in this context?

Yes, I can attest that we are experiencing an Arab production problem in the children’s book publishing industry, particularly in the Gulf area, as compared to international markets. In this regard, the Arab nations—whether in Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Jordan, or Iraq—have made relative progress in comparison to the Gulf nations.

We Gulf citizens are still at the beginning of the road when it comes to the quality of texts, drawings, and artwork in the Arab world and the Gulf, however, we must recognise the tremendous efforts made by rulers and government representatives to support the printing and publishing industry as well as the cultural and creative sector.

These efforts include workshops, rehabilitation programs, and all-encompassing support for all creators in all genres as well as cognitive and cultural activities, such as translation and children’s writing exercises.

Through the Literature, Publishing, and Translation Authority, the Kingdom’s Ministry of Culture has made significant progress in putting the Saudi cultural industry and its creators in a suitable position. With God’s blessing, I anticipate this position will grow during the next phase of Vision 2030 and beyond.

What innovative role did Arwa Publishing House play in fostering Saudi creative talent with a focus on children’s literature?

When the opportunity presents itself, we at Arwa Publishing House offer the best initiatives to support young talents and competencies in the field of children’s literature. We are always eager to apply the highest quality standards in everything we provide in support or assistance, both in quantity and quality. As such, we occasionally offer writing or drawing workshops, or even direct and design.

This is on top of the consulting services we provide to authors and writers about their different works, including whether they are appropriate for us or maybe other publishing organisations.

How do you Arwa Khamis, as a writer, designer, and creative, feel about Saudi women working in these three sectors together?

Despite the intense competition from male designers, Saudi women are prevalent in the design industry. Regarding children’s literature, Saudi women authors, creators, and publishing house proprietors have far more recognition than men.

It’s not only me who runs a children’s publishing firm. Whether in the Eastern Province, here in Jeddah, or Riyadh, other female writers and artists operate publishing firms throughout the Kingdom.

They are all talented and imaginative. Since males control the great majority of children’s publishing businesses worldwide, female brilliance here marks a quantum leap. Generally speaking, the Kingdom’s children’s publishing and literary industries lack a strong masculine voice.

What is the most notable aspect of Saudi fashion’s legacy, and do you think it merits special attention and autonomy in contrast to other cultures’ fashions?

The combination of great beauty and simplicity is a traditional element of Saudi fashion. The key to sophistication, richness, and depth in any high-level classic fashion is elegance and simplicity, which are provided by the delicate details, harmonised artistic aspects, and harmonious overall look of women’s and men’s garments, despite their tendency to be broad.

Will the emphasis continue to be on children and childhood, or will Arwa Khamis be able to transition to writing women’s novels in the future?

Naturally, I will probably start writing literary novels instead of women’s novels. This is because, as I previously stated, I write children’s literature, and this connection to the literary field allows me to pass the experience of narrative fiction despite the significant differences between the mechanisms of writing novels and those for children.

Thus, given its artistic framework, I see a future opportunity to go through such an experience and perhaps succeed.

What about the trailblazing initiatives that blend children’s literature with fashion design? Do you have any creative suggestions for these?

Although projects that integrate various creative genres—particularly fashion design and children’s literature—exist and are ongoing within the framework of my academic and artistic work at the university, they are not yet able to be categorised as large projects because they are limited and diverse endeavours that may be developed and modernised in the future.

For instance, I released a book in my area of expertise, fashion history, that was the outcome of a Princess Noura University study on children’s books that included traditional women’s attire.

The outcome of this project was a children’s story about traditional Saudi Arabian women’s attire. Using the resources, I teach at the university; I also gave the students the task of encouraging kids to draw the things they are passionate about and turning them into thread-embroidered paintings and drawings.

This was one of those creative experiences that was enjoyable and practical. At one point, we used textile techniques to create the covers of some well-known children’s books.

Using embroidery methods or embroidery with colours and beads, including the illustrations in these two volumes, I have created and published two books. I teach all of these skills both artistically and practically.

What is your most crucial piece of advice, Arwa Khamis, for female entrepreneurs who are just starting out in children’s literature and fashion design?

I would advise all female entrepreneurs to focus on reading extensively about the specifics of the artistic fields they wish to specialise in, locally and internationally. Given the exciting opportunities that cyberspace presents for education and experience in the domains of fashion design, children’s literature, and other specialisations, this is highly significant.

Every woman entrepreneur must pick up where others have left off and strive for artistic and creative distinctiveness and individuality to create a fresh, unusual, and untested product rather than relying on replicating past experiences.

What new objective do you, Arwa Khamis, want to achieve in the future, to sum up?

Having a comprehensive library that contains all valuable and award-winning books—especially those that make me feel happy, free, and liberated from restrictions when I read them and embrace their world—rather than just Arabic publications or children’s books is one of my sincere goals.

In addition to offering the required and proper hospitality for such a high-end library, which I hope to own someday, this library should include a dedicated space where people may practise different hobbies in a comfortable setting and enjoy learning novel concepts and the arts.

Read more: Nada Thabet, One of the Founders of Britain’s “Liblib Publishing House”: An Amazing Journey Through the Tales of Arab Children Worldwide!