Eighty Indian fashion designers and lifestyle labels are headed to the Harvey Nichols store in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia a two month-long pop-up shop.
Organised by writer and filmmaker Mozez Singh and creative consultant Anita Horam in association with Princess Reema Bint Bandar Al Saud, CEO of ALFA International (which runs Riyadh's Harvey Nichols), the event -- Caravan 2014 -- starts on June 15 and coincides with the popular Ramadan shopping season. This is the first time the city is hosting such an event on this scale.
Among the participating names are Anamika Khanna, Manish Malhotra, Tarun Tahiliani, Abu-Sandeep and Sabyasachi, with lifestyle brands like Forest Essentials and Good Earth as part of the mix as well.
Singh says the organisers used imagery from sources like One Thousand and One Nights to transform the massive three-storey luxury department store into an authentic Indian fashion and shopping experience.
"We've taken the 'caravan' metaphor and created installation-style display stations that play with the idea of travel and movement, from custom-made rickshaws and hand-carts to souped-up autos," says Singh.
He adds that the biggest challenge was getting the right kind of merchandise for their customers. "From fashion to home décor, we had to make sure that everything we were taking there would work well for Saudi sensibilities," he says.
In the spirit of the experience, some of the fashion designers have even reworked the abaya -- the over-garment or robe worn by women in the country.
Look out for: one-off home décor pieces by Sussanne Roshan, Ambika Hinduja, Klove, Maheep Singh and Jean François Lesage, along with special jewellery pieces created by Hanut Singh.
