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Makkah: Saudi designer Saliha Al-Shahrani is powerful force in the Kingdom’s fashion world who uses her work to reimagine the rich culture of the country’s south.

Hailing from the mountainous region of Asir, she has forged a unique creative path drawing on local traditions.

Al-Shahrani spoke to Arab News about how her connection to southern Arabia is a natural extension of her identity.

The designer’s deep-rooted bond with Asir led her to reimagine traditional clothing, creating designs that appeal to a wide audience while authentically representing her homeland.

“I merge modernity with authenticity through the use of colors and materials, without ever compromising the spirit of southern attire,” she said.

A cornerstone of her collections is the Asiri dress — known as “al-Muzanad or Al-Mujanab” — a signature piece worn during national celebrations, including Founding Day.

Al-Shahrani particularly enjoys working with velvet, although she uses a range of materials to represent the different climates of Asir.

She said that her designs are inspired by natural landmarks such as Mount Dhirah (the Green Mountain), Jabal Al-Janoub in Asir, and the Sarawat Mountains in Abha.

The designer highlighted her well-known design, Dhirah, inspired by the mountain, which has become a signature piece in her collection.

She said that her participation in international exhibitions has brought positive feedback, with designs garnering widespread acclaim and being embraced by a diverse global audience.

This experience reaffirmed her belief that Saudi heritage has immense artistic value, especially when reimagined with a contemporary perspective and presented with professional finesse.

Al-Shahrani praised ��������’s Vision 2030 for removing many obstacles, particularly by empowering women, and highlighted the need for continued support of international exhibitions that promote Saudi cultural identity on a global scale.

In a message to aspiring designers, she urged them to break free from convention, move beyond imitation, and carve their own creative paths, adding that success on a global scale begins with thoughtfully crafted local excellence.

Al-Shahrani’s ambition is to launch a boutique in one of the world’s leading fashion capitals, where she can present the heritage of southern �������� to a wider audience.

JEDDAH: One year after its debut in Historic Jeddah, TeamLab Borderless continues to draw curious visitors into a world where digital art responds to movement, light and season.

As ��������’s first permanent digital art museum, it has welcomed visitors from more than 25 countries — especially young people and art enthusiasts.

It is serving as a cultural hub that reflects their aspirations and introduces new ways of engaging with contemporary art.

The museum has an open layout allowing for exploration and engagement. The interactive artworks respond to their movements and evolve with time, ensuring no two visits are the same.

In an interview with Arab News at the museum’s launch, Toshiyuki Inoko, TeamLab Borderless’ founder, explained the concept behind the museum, noting that “everything is in a continuous relationship.”

“Even though each element is independent, there are no boundaries in between, and they even influence each other,” he said.

Many of the installations reflect natural rhythms. In “Proliferating Immense Life,” for example, the flowers change with the months.

The “Forest of Lamps” and “Flowers in Infinite Transparency” installations also shift with the seasons, while “Memory of Topography” presents a static landscape that subtly transforms through movement.

Inoko also revealed that several artworks were developed exclusively for the Jeddah museum.

“(One) work that is very unique to Jeddah is the work of the staircase, where you see the cascading waterfall of sand,” he said.

“Through that sand falls, you see gigantic flowers persistently trying to grow very powerfully. They keep growing, they keep falling, and they continue that cycle forever.”

TeamLab Borderless is a part of ��������’s Ministry of Culture’s broader initiative to activate heritage sites as platforms for contemporary art.

These efforts align with Saudi Vision 2030, which seeks to empower the cultural and creative sectors and elevate the Kingdom’s position as a global hub for art and technology.

The museum stands as an example of this ambition, a space where art is in constant motion and where every visit becomes a unique, personal journey.

“The message that we wanted to convey to the world and the visitor is that the world itself is in a continuous relationship, and everything affects each other,” Inoko said.