Eye-catching designs, Arabic calligraphy, and funky colors. The new, and I’m proud to say, local Saudi “Kalimah” jeans brand has never failed to turn heads since its launch in summer of 2008.
Who would have thought that Arabian coffee dallahs infused with pink would make an exotic, yet stylish combination? And how about traditional Arabic sayings on polo shirts? Or even better, colorful Najdi flats! Well, a group of young Saudi designers from Jeddah did, and by the end of 2007, the “Kalimah” brand was born.
Kalimah (Arabic for ‘word’) is a Saudi self-distributed brand that revolves mostly around casual t-shirts and accessories like caps and scarves. What makes it unique from other local brands is that the traditional shimagh is used as a factor of design in most of the pieces, adding a Saudi or even a Khaleeji flare to them.
The garment and materials are chosen very carefully, with the use of a lot of embroidery, print, and hand stitches that give value and high quality to the brand. Still, despite this workmanship, all the pieces are affordable and fairly priced.
With Kalimah t-shirts sold in many countries around the world, such as London, Geneva, and Montreal, as well as in Gulf boutiques in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE, Kalimah’s designers are very proud of the level of popularity the brand has achieved.
In spite of their huge following and brand status, they still work day and night to reach an even higher goal, which is to go global and make Kalimah an international Arabic brand. The result of their efforts and hard work has been fruitful with the “Kalimah” brand set to debut in a number of fashion shows in Paris, Berlin and Amsterdam this summer.
We hope that this will pave the way for many future successes and accomplishments, as well as encourage those with talents to pursue their dreams!
To shop Kalimah t-shits, visit their online shop here.
– Hind AlGhamdi
