Razan Alazzouni: Saudi’s Rising Designer Star

By: Nesima Aberra

Whimsical. Dreamy. Feminine.

Saudi-born designer Razan Alazzouni, 25, encapsulates all these words in her clothes, making her an up-and-coming sensation in the fashion world and on the red carpet. Alazzouni was born in Alkhobar, Saudi Arabia, a country she says is filled with opportunities but is still in its infancy in regards to becoming a flourishing center of artistic creation like New York or Tokyo. She says that because the education system in Saudi Arabia concentrates mostly on languages and science, “growing up with artistic tendencies was harder to accommodate and conform to the norm around me.”

Thanks to a supportive circle of family and friends, Alazzouni was able to pursue her love of arts in Boston, Massachusetts at The School of Museum of Fine Arts, where she was exposed to different mediums and an expanded definition of what art could be.

“The most important lesson I learned in college is that art is everything around us. There is art in nature, manmade art,” she says.

“I started to look for art in anything around me and the way I look at the world through my eyes has changed forever.

Sculpture, papermaking and screen-printing are some of the unique mediums Alazzouni worked with and became the foundation for her approach to fashion design. In her senior year, she designed a few dresses for a friend and then in 2009, after Alazzouni graduated, she officially launched her line with 13 innovative pieces for the winter 2010 collection.

Alazzouni’s first big break was in March of 2011 when she dressed Anna Sophia Robb for the Independent Spirit Awards. Robb wore a short white dress with delicate beading by Alazzouni paired with a denim jacket. The buzz over the outfit echoed over the Internet and since then actresses Emma Roberts and Ariel Winter have also been spotted in Alazzouni dresses. The designer says getting this exposure is “a thrill.”

“Every time I am notified that one more celebrity wore another Razan Alazzouni piece I start screaming and jumping with excitement and joy,” Alazzouni says.

She doesn’t have any particular person she would like to see the face of the brand, but hopes that it will be a “young powerful woman.”

Alazzouni could even be called a face of the brand, since she says she mostly wears and models the clothes she makes and models them for its website.

“My line is a reflection of my personality,” she says.

Even though she was educated stateside, Alazzouni now works with thirteen people at her business’s headquarters in Alkhobar.

“In my region women have always been up to date and are trend setters themselves. I think there is a very promising future for this industry in my side of the world and many talented people will shine in this field,” she says.

Alazzouni has even lent her talent as a fellow at Keystone, a youth innovation center within The King Abdulaziz Center for Knowledge and Culture (also known as Ithra) that will open in Saudi Arabia in spring 2012. She is also an art director for the Saudi Cancer Foundation, helping with planning and organization the art for events and fundraisers.

“It has been a rewarding experience where I am constantly learning more and getting exposed to new things. It has also helped me connect with different people in my community and in the world that have influenced my work and business,” she says on her time in both of those positions.

After her first collection, Alazzouni has debuted Spring/Summer 2011, Autumn/Winter 2011 and is working on the Spring/Summer 2012 collection. With each collection, she sees the development of her craft. She’s experimenting with embroidery now, but still keeping her feminine, soft qualities in the designs.

The Razan Alazzouni line is stocked in the Sufana store in Bahrain and the Tifa Boutique and Cream boutique in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, but the plans are for it to expand abroad.

“I hope that my clothes will be acceptable internationally. As a woman, I believe you dress based on your personality and not your location,” Alazzouni says.

“Any woman that wears Razan Alazzouni should think of the piece she is wearing as a reflection of her identity and the way she would like the world to perceive her.”