Humaidi designs and sells dresses via the Internet — and shows other women the ropes By Amal Al-Sibai Saudi Gazette As early as 13 years old, Shaikhah Al-Humaidi has had an eye for art, fashion and color mixing. Before that, she had been interested in drawing and painting. Growing up, she got encouraged by her father's constant praises for her artwork. From middle school onward, she would design her own dresses that she would wear for special occasions, and her mother would ask for her opinion when shopping for clothes. Gradually, family members and close relatives started asking Al-Humaidi to draw exceptional gowns to be tailored at the local dressmaker's shop. Although Al-Humaidi studied history in university, it was her passion for art and fashion that lingered on. She recalled, “After I got married, I continued to create my own dresses. It was my husband who first encouraged me to expand my horizons and to take my talent for design beyond my immediate circle of family and friends. “He developed a website for me that included pictures of the most glamorous gowns I had made and he named the website ‘Mozhelah,' meaning ‘Amazing.' Much to my surprise, I received immense positive feedback from site visitors, and started getting official orders and requests to design dresses.” To keep up with her customers' demands, Al-Humaidi set off to learn everything there is to know about digital designing, the most modern computer software in the field, fabric textures, embroidery, cutting materials and more. Thus her online fashion design business was born. Al-Humaidi became one of the first Saudi women to design, custom-make, and sell dresses via the Internet. Asked to describe what she does, Al-Humaidi said: “Digital fashion designing is convenient and it saves time and energy for both the designer and the client. What is special about digital designing is that the electronic model of the gown can be easily adjusted and played with until you meet all your client's desires and until she is 100 percent satisfied. The client can see a three-dimensional image of what her gown is going to look like, the details, and from all angles, unlike the drawing on paper which is very limited.” The young Saudi fashion designer, who is also mother to a little girl, specializes in evening gowns and wedding gowns. She also aspires to launch her own lingerie line. Al-Humaidi believes in empowering other young Saudi women, teaching them the secrets of the trade, and giving them wings of their own for them to take off in the booming industry of digital fashion design. She was one of the first women in any Arab country to offer courses and train other women in this new field, teaching them how to use the software tools for designing. Once her business was up and running, Al-Humaidi decided to open her own “fashion academy” and share with other Saudi and other Arab women her skills in digital fashion design. Al-Humaidi said, “The women who completed the digital designing course are extremely gifted and they are competent enough to compete with the most prominent names in the world of fashion. Digital designing allows the Saudi woman to realize her dreams without leaving the privacy of her home. It shows women how to make wise use of their free time, maximize their potential, become productive, and nurture their talents. Digital fashion design serves all members of the community.” The talented designer's next big step is to participate in a magnificent, star-studded fashion show in Dubai scheduled in October. She is currently working on several exquisite evening gowns to display on Dubai's catwalks. Shaikha Al-Humaidi's website can be found at www.shaikhah
