Taleedah Tamer
The fashion industry is all about diversity at the moment, and we’re so here for the fact brands have started looking towards Arabian shores too. The latest model making waves is Taleedah Tamer, the first Saudi to walk, not to mention open, a couture runway show. The aspiring model just nailed her catwalk debut at the Antonio Grimaldi show during Paris Haute Couture Week. Tamer, 17, looked gorgeous in a white trouser suit with a cape-like jacket and shimmering strapless silver dress with feather detail.
Thanks to her strong, distinct features and unique beauty, Tamer is also the first model to appear on the cover of an international magazine. The recent British International School of Jeddah graduate graced the cover of the July/August issue of “Harper’s Bazaar Arabia.”
Tamer, the daughter of Ayman Tamer, the chairman of Tamer Group, has an Italian mother, and as a result of this exotic mixed background, she has the kind of mesmerising look that’s perfect for the cameras and catwalks. The fact modelling runs in the family can’t do any harm either. Her mother, Christina, was a model, living in places like New York, Tokyo and Miami before she got married. And Tamer says it’s Christina, who worked for brands like Giorgio Armani, La Perla and Gianfranco Ferre, who mostly influenced her to join the fash pack. “She has taught me so much. I remember seeing all her photographs and hearing about her modeling experiences, and wishing how one day I could replicate such beautiful pictures,” she said to “Arab News.” Tamer also sited Gisele Bundchen and Imaan Hammam, who has a mixed Arab and European heritage too, as inspirational during her interview with the Saudi English language daily.
The alluring beauty’s parents’ support has been the key to her early success. However, Tamer, who was born and raised in Jeddah, knows there will be obstacles ahead. While there have been many positive changes for women in general, including being allowed to drive, she knows there will still be some conservative critics. Thankfully though, Saudi women are known to be fashion lovers and people have come to understand the power of fashion, with the Kingdom even hosting its inaugural fashion week. Tamer encourages girls to do what they love if it’s done respectfully. “If there are other girls who are Saudi and who potentially want to do this, it would be amazing if they can feel more empowered to do it,” she told British newspaper “The Telegraph."
Tamer, who is a photography aficionado and has a penchant for androgynous fashion, has modelled for Karloff jewellery and Rubaiyat, a leader in the Saudi Arabian luxury fashion market. While she works on building her modelling portfolio, she aims to study Business Marketing in Milan, the perfect place for a model’s rise to stardom.
Featured photo Via Harper's Bazaar Arabia
