MASISA

Designer

Samirah Mohammed Ali Alotaibi was born in Taif city, Saudi Arabia. She perused her bachelor's degree in Home Economics in 2005. Samirah has worked as a teaching assistant at Taif University since 2005. In 2015, she graduated from East Carolina University with MFA in Textile Design. In Spring 2016, Samirah began a new journey pursuing her PH.D. in Textile, Merchandising, and Fashion design specializing in Apparel Design. During her residency in the United States, Her work has been featured numerous times as a part of runway shows and fashion events presented to the university as well as to the local community. Samirah has been the recipient of several prestigious monetary awards for outstanding apparel designs from the department including an award at the Biennial Student Juried Exhibition (2017) and twice at Omaha Fashion Week (2018 & 2019). Samirah was awarded the Sarah Douglas Fellowship for Professional Promise at the International Textiles and Apparel Association conference in November of 2019. She presented her designs in many galleries and shows such as Greenville, Omaha, and Kansas City. Her design works have been featured and published in art magazines such as Rebel, the International Textile and Apparel Association design catalog, and Omaha Fashion week Magazine.

Brand

In Saudi Arabia, the embellished ethnic garment holds significance and diverse cultural meanings, differentiates each tribe from one another, represents a woman's reproductive capabilities, shows a woman's skills in making those garments and connects the new generation to their ethnic identity as well as their cultural heritage. In fact, this collection translates the heritage of Hijaz culture in a contemporary style that combines both traditional and modern design elements. It specifically translates the historical Saudi identity in a new way and reinforces the value of the ancient, traditional clothing of western Saudi Arabia. Furthermore, this collection is developed to demonstrate creative and innovative ways to incorporate ancient techniques in a contemporary design and to change how we view the current existing fashion paradigm. Specifically, from outdated, rigid designs to support consumers’ demand for more unique, fashion trend products that inculcate craft culture.