She worked since childhood alongside her mother in designing abayas, to chart the way for her dreams of practicing fashion design and delving into the world of fashion and beauty. Ruby Khorshid, a Saudi girl who lived her dreams a reality and excelled in designing abayas to launch her own brand.
* Tell us about Ruby Khorshid from childhood until now?
** I was born in Jeddah, and when I was young, I studied at Dar Al-Huda School and graduated from it to begin my journey at King Abdulaziz University, majoring in psychology. After my graduation, I worked in several sectors; Including health and real estate, and after several years I moved to Dubai for 4 years to work as a real estate consultant and in the hotel sector, which opened great doors for me in the field of public relations and the acquisition of experiences, in addition to building useful social relations in the future, and during my stay in the Emirates I obtained several courses It fuels my hobbies of make-up and fashion, in addition to wig-making courses, which is the trend of the season.
What is the reason for your great interest and passion in makeup and fashion in general?
** It is natural for women to be interested in makeup and fashion, as it is our ideal way to express our personalities, and women were created with a desire to beautify themselves and appear in a decent and tidy appearance, so I am always keen on applying makeup in a good way and obtaining the latest beauty and skin products, I also finish, especially with my fashion, and this is due to the fact that I am a fashion designer and the daughter of a family that loves fashion in general.
* You worked in designing abayas for many years, why did you choose abayas in particular?
** The reason for my interest in designing abayas is inherited from my mother, Dawat Flemban, who is my role model in life. She is an abaya designer and owner of the Dar Al Reem boutique since 1996. She is the main reason for my love for the field of design, and she is also the one who encouraged me to study fashion design and work with her in the boutique.
* In your opinion, what do abayas represent for Saudi women in their shapes and colors?
** The abaya for Saudi and Gulf women is a symbol or a distinguishing mark and an identity that distinguishes them from the rest of the women in the world. It is also considered a national dress and an agreed upon religious custom. Saudi women take the abaya as the most important piece of fashion they own to choose the finest and most luxurious materials for the abaya. her personality.
* Are there certain restrictions that must be followed when designing abayas?
** There are no restrictions when designing abayas, but there are certain basics such as being comfortable, easy, and practical, and at the same time luxurious, sophisticated, and contemporary for the time, and choosing them is due to the woman’s personality and the purpose of wearing them, whether as a daily abaya, an evening abaya, or a formal work abaya.
* What do you think of the current trend of abaya designs in modern shapes that keep pace with international fashion?
** Very beautiful, the abaya is not a new piece for us as Saudi women, and over the years the abaya has evolved to appear in many distinctive designs, and the difference of time and time does not constitute any negative effect on it, but on the contrary increases its beauty.
* What do you think of the elegance of Saudi women in general?
** Saudi women have always been known for being very elegant and loving fashion and renewal, and this is evident in their keenness to follow the latest fashion trends and keep up with them. It has also been shown through a number of statistics that Saudi women are the most consuming of fashion and the strongest in their influence on international designers, given that they are the largest consumer of international brands around The world, and despite the different classes of society in terms of materialism, Saudi women have proven that elegance is not at the material level, but rather it is in general taste and choosing what suits them.
* Do you have a tendency to design fashion other than the Saudi Abaya?
** Design is a big sea, and of course I aspire one day to design wedding and evening dresses and men’s clothing, but I have not taken that step yet, because I am keen to study every step I take in my field of work so as not to allow failure an opportunity, so I must study the extent of women’s demand and orientation To buy evening dresses from local designers instead of international fashion houses, I also have to prepare for marketing methods that differ from marketing abayas.
How did you market your brand over the past years?
** Marketing is not an easy commercial science, especially in the presence of great competition in the market, but my mother established a strong base and a name in the field of abayas, and my sister, Reem Khorshid, is a successful jewelry designer in her field, and she also has a major role in marketing, as she, with her connections and experience, became the marketing manager of abayas Dar Al Reem, in addition to the fact that we have worked on constantly marketing our groups through social media, whether Snapchat or Instagram and others.
* Do you think that social media is the most powerful means of marketing in the current era?
** Yes, the social media is currently the strongest, and although I see from my personal perspective that the real advertising is from the clients who tried our products and got a wonderful marketing experience, but this does not preclude the need to keep up with the times and go to the most prominent methods of marketing, which are through social media and advertisements of celebrities, but Care must be taken to choose the right person to advertise the right product.
* How do you see the empowerment of Saudi women in recent years?
** Saudi women in recent years are the most fortunate and supported among the women of the world, thanks to God and then thanks to the directives and support of King Salman bin Abdulaziz – may God protect him – and his trustworthy Crown Prince, Prince Muhammad bin Salman, which aims to give opportunities and open fields at all levels in investing their energies to serve society and prove Their self in Saudi society, which resulted in a major role in the parallel development of Vision 2030.
* What are your demands as a Saudi woman to empower women in all fields?
** The woman is half of society, and any disruption of her role means a disruption of half of the nation’s energy. My demands today are not from the responsible authorities, but rather to the woman herself, as she must work to exercise all her powers, and spend her energy in building a social, knowledge and scientific ground for her children. The future, and the state stands by every Saudi woman who seeks to empower herself to obtain her rights, whatever they may be.
Dialogue: @Zekraalsolami