Outstanding Arab Women: Deena Abdulaziz We continue our regul | Job for arabists

Outstanding Arab Women: Deena Abdulaziz

We continue our regular column with stories of outstanding Arab women.

Some ladies are born to become fashion queens. Arab Princess Deena Abdulaziz is for sure one of them. Her story, like a fairy tale, began in 1998, when she married the Saudi Prince Sultan bin Fahd bin Nasser bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. Today, Deena is not just one of the main fashionistas of the Middle East – she is a model of elegance, a fashion innovator and a truly strong woman.
Deena al-Juhani (@deenathe1st) was born in California in the family of an economist. As a child, the girl often accompanied her father on business trips between the Middle East and the United States, and studied at several American universities. In 1996, she met Saudi Prince Sultan bin Fahd bin Nasser bin Abdulaziz Al Saud in London, whom she married two years later. For the wedding, she ordered a dress from Azzedine Alaya.
How do you imagine the life of an Arab princess? In any case, Deena definitely doesn't fit into the usual format. Like all members of the royal families, the lady diligently performs social duties, but, unlike other wives of monarchs and princes, Deena is also a successful businesswoman and a truly influential figure in the fashion world. For two years in a row, Her Highness was included in the influential "BoF 500" list – a list consisting of 500 people who determine the vector of the world fashion industry, according to "The Business of Fashion".
She became interested in fashion after seeing at six years old a copy of the British "Tatler" magazine. "I was studying every magazine from cover to cover, I was eager for everything related to fashion", she says. After attending several international fashion shows, she decided to open her store "D'NA" in Riyadh in 2006, which can only be visited through a personal invitation from Deena Abdulaziz. In 2013, a branch of the store opened in Doha, Qatar. After a decade of successful business in the Gulf region, Deena Abdulaziz launched an e-shopping website called DNACHIC.com . Her boutique features models from such fashion brands as Miu Miu and Haider Ackermann, M2Malletier and Maison Martin Margiela.
The princess is not just engaged in the fashion business, but also tries to support young talents, for example, Jason Wu and Marie Katranzu achieved their success thanks to this Arab lady. And it was on her initiative that the Dubai Design and Fashion Council started its work in Dubai, one of the main goals of which is to financially support young talented Arab fashion designers.
Against the background of most Arab princesses, Deena with her short hair gamine looks extravagant and fresh. Some respected families in Riyadh did not accept the image of the princess at first, but in general, Her Highness perfectly manages to maintain a balance between the fashionable traditions of the West and the East. According to Deena, her sense of style is built solely on intuition.
The Arab princess usually prefers stylish and at the same time restrained outfits. A typical image of a lady is a Prada blouse, Miu Miu shoes and a Hermès bag. Meanwhile, the princess is not averse to playing with style - for example, to bet on slightly whimsical silhouettes from Rosie Assoulin and Rodarte. Thanks to her bright appearance and photogenicity, Deena Abdulaziz became a favorite of photographers in a short time - pictures of the princess at Fashion Weeks became mandatory in the fashion chronicles of leading publications, and without exaggeration, Deena became a real face of the fashion in the Middle East.
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