< Previous8888 Bag, QORMUZ 88 082-091_VISION_VOL2_BAGS_V2.indd 8818/04/2024 22:12Bag, DANIA SHINKAR 89 082-091_VISION_VOL2_BAGS_V2.indd 8918/04/2024 22:12Bag, SAJAS 90 082-091_VISION_VOL2_BAGS_V2.indd 9018/04/2024 22:13Bag, SARAH FAISAL 91 082-091_VISION_VOL2_BAGS_V2.indd 9118/04/2024 22:1392 092-093_VISION_VOL2_PARIS OPENER.indd 9218/04/2024 22:1593 PARIS 092-093_VISION_VOL2_PARIS OPENER.indd 9318/04/2024 22:1594 WORDS Claire Carruthers, Olivia Morris, & Alison Tay PHOTOGRAPHY François Goizé 094-107_VISION_VOL2_EMERGE.indd 9421/04/2024 20:16N O B LE & F R ESH 094-107_VISION_VOL2_EMERGE.indd 9519/04/2024 15:5196 Place Vendôme stands proud as the jewel of Paris, home to many a storied luxury maison. It’s also the address where six Saudi streetwear talents rewrote the fashion narrative, thanks to the Kingdom’s inaugural catwalk show at Paris Fashion Week Men’s in June 2023. Setting the pace, Loïck and Emerick Gene – better known as hip-hop dance duo Les Gamal – glide onto the catwalk in slo-mo dressed in Noble & Fresh, no less, to a synth-driven soundtrack with a haunting Arabic vocal composed by Grammy Award-winning producer and creative director Henri Scars Struck. The confl uence of fashion, music, and street dance is exactly what Noble & Fresh’s founder Naif Al-Haif had intended for his brand. “From my point of view, streetwear is a collective term that isn’t limited to clothing. It includes culture, vibe, and a unique aesthetic. It’s a common tongue that speaks to everyone and has almost no rules. This provides a tremendous space for creativity and expression.” Naif ’s manifesto is attracting like-minded creatives. As if on cue, also sporting Noble & Fresh, is London-based female rapper Laughta, accompanied by musicians from the Kingdom’s National Orchestra, invited by the Music Commission. Laughta also closed the EMERGE show, which was masterminded by the Saudi Fashion Commission and MoCX, the Saudi Ministry of Culture’s General Department of Innovation, and art directed by NY-based consultancy The Other Side of the Brain. In the founder’s own words, Noble & Fresh is “luxurious streetwear merging authenticity with contemporary fashion” but what sets the brand apart is the way Naif ’s devotion to his hometown of Diriyah is literally sewn into every garment. “The Najd region, and specifi cally Diriyah, holds a signifi cant value to me, since they are the place of my birth,” he reveals. “I have created an entire collection inspired by Salwa Palace and Diriyah. I also incorporate various symbols in the brand’s visual identity and designs that represent the captivating architectural heritage found in the embellishments of the traditional mud houses in the region, such as triangles, dots, geometrical fl owers and the zig-zag lines indigenous to Al- Zaraniq tribe.” Putting a distinctive Saudi stamp on streetwear and proving that the Kingdom has a unique point of view to offer the world, coloured stitching echoes the undulating walls of Salwa Palace, the original home of the Al-Saud royal family, while straight edges on denim jackets are replaced with battlement-inspired buttonholes. Not content to stop at Paris Fashion Week Men’s, the next big runway moment for Noble & Fresh was at the fi rst Riyadh Fashion Week – October 2023’s four-day showcase of 30 Saudi designers, including a one-off collection from Ashi Studio, plus couture, womenswear, and menswear brands, set against the futuristic backdrop of King Abdullah Financial District. With standing-room only, Naif presented 30 looks for Spring/Summer 2024 as a collection entitled REBORN, complete with a show-stopping fi nale with models frozen in time. “This collection symbolises the passion I’ve always had for designing,” he refl ects. “I merged my fashion vision with my origins in Diriyah by visualising Salwa Palace and Diriyah and projected their unique aesthetics onto these designs.” Haute on the heels of his Paris show’s success, he adds, “It was a great pleasure to present my work in my homeland. It’s a dream come true for me, and for the other Saudi designers as well. This opened a window for the entire world to look at fashion from our perspective. We made history that’s going to live forever!” The meaning of the moment for Noble & Fresh – and the nation – is assured. Beyond the Kingdom, Naif ’s infl uences span from East to West. Among his inspirations, he cites Korean pioneer of street tailoring Juun.J, former Burberry Creative Director Riccardo Tisci, Balenciaga’s Demna Gvasalia, American rapper A$AP Rocky, and the late Virgil Abloh. What’s next for Noble & Fresh? Crediting the Fashion Commission and the Saudi 100 Brands programme, now in its second season, for “putting us on the map and providing us with various opportunities on both regional and international levels”, Naif continues, “Our future goals mainly focus on expanding the brand market locally and internationally, expanding into more categories and, of course, having our own retail stores.” Yet despite the global success Naif is surely destined for, the heart of Noble & Fresh will always belong to Saudi. EMERGE – the fi rst ever runway show spotlighting Saudi designers in Paris – came to disrupt Paris Fashion Week Men’s, and it didn’t disappoint, opening with a dynamic debut from Noble & Fresh Noble & Fresh 094-107_VISION_VOL2_EMERGE.indd 9619/04/2024 15:51094-107_VISION_VOL2_EMERGE.indd 9719/04/2024 15:51Next >