With no warning, planning or prior announcement, the egyptian star Nelly Karim appeared in one of the most important shows of Riyadh Fashion Week, to announce herself for the first time as a model!
After years in which Nelly was classified as a ballet dancer and then an actress, entering the field of fashion was not a dream or a planned step for her, but her friendship with the saudi fashion designer Honayda Serfi is what led to this surprise that the designer did not even announce to attend the show, and she surprised everyone by Karim walking on the carpet by the end of her show.
Nelly said in a statement to The Master Scene about this experience:
Joining the show was basically Honayda’s idea, as I have been following her as a designer for a long time, and I have worn many of her designs before, but this time she offered me to participate with her in the fashion show, so I told her without thinking “I am coming to you” and I liked the idea, and Honayda herself was a surprise to me, as she is known for her elegance and the entire collection is femininity and beauty, as she had attended Fashion Week before in Paris, but this was my first time walking on the “Catwalk”.
Karim did not hide her feeling of fear when she entered in front of the audience, saying: I was not afraid at first because the stage is not strange to me, but when I thought that I would appear in a dress as a model in a fashion show for the first time, I felt some fear and said to myself “This is not you”, and I am usually not afraid of the stage and I love fashion very much and watch it at every possible opportunity, but I did not imagine that one day I would be part of a show and participate in it in front of people. But in general, fashion is an art and acting is an art, and all arts are linked together and the experience is a masterpiece for me.
She talked about backstage in Riyadh, saying: Honayda is the one who chose the dress, and the whole collection is wonderful in everything.. its color palette, design, and accessories, and each dress has a different and distinctive personality, and I personally enjoyed the whole day and all the shows in it very much, especially since I attended backstage and watched the models during their preparations and with them the look designers working on the smallest details in their appearance and keen that each girl comes out looking beautiful, and until the last moment they work on the smallest details in the clothes and accessories.. Very beautiful details that I witnessed and lived.
Who is Honayda?
Looking for the well tasted fashion designer who convinced Nelly to go for the world of fashion for the first time, she is one of the most prominent Saudi designers who came out and achieved global success during the last decade. Her most recent show was to launch the Spring/Summer 2025 collection during Riyadh Fashion Week, and was led by the famous American model “Jasmine Sanders” AKA “Golden Barbie”, who closed the show with Nelly Karim in an exceptional celebration that concluded Honayda’s first day of Riyadh Fashion Week, where she launched the “Icons of Creativity” collection for Spring/Summer 2025.
Since the beginning, the show highlighted the brand’s identity in the denim look consisting of shorts and a jacket, with an embroidered cape attached to a hand-crafted head accessory. From soft pastel colors and floral prints to royal red and imperial black, the runway witnessed a dynamic mix of looks decorated with huge floral crowns that expressed the essence of a woman with distinctive elegance. The show also witnessed the launch of a new line of denim for the first time.
As the looks continued in the show, Honayda’s vision was evident in her masterful blending of heritage and modernity, as Nelly Karim concluded the show with an exceptional look inspired by Saudi heritage, embodying the spirit of cultural unity with eye-catching elegance, as the iconic Najdi headdress was decorated with three-dimensional flowers handcrafted in a mix of red, gold, silver, and black colors, and was coordinated with a tight black dress with a long red rose extending along the look.
The Spring/Summer 2025 collection drew its inspiration from the timeless elegance of singing icons such as Umm Kulthum, Fairuz, Atab, Ibtisam Lotfy, Mina Doris, Edith Piaf, and Ella Fitzgerald, and the designs reflect their bold personalities and blend them with the musical sophistication they are known for.
Published Oct 19, 2024.
