Saudi entrepreneur and industry leader Marriam Mossalli, along with the women within the pages of her book: Under The Abaya: Streetstyle From Saudi Arabia; and in partnership with one of the world’s largest cruise brands, MSC Cruise, celebrated five years of female empowerment.
As Saudi’s first not-for-profit female empowerment platform, Under the Abaya (UTA) decided to celebrate this achievement on board the 6000-passenger MSC Bellissima cruise on International Women’s Day along the Red Sea coast, which sailed from the historic port of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to Aqabah, Jordan in a four-day cruise; making it the largest female empowerment event in the region.
Filled with female-led panels, workshops and entertainment, Under the Abaya founder, Mossalli commenced the cruise with the announcement of the platform’s partnership with the city of NEOM. Together, they plan on female contributions for more sustainable practices within the travel, wellness, fitness, and motorsport industries. Additionally, there are plans to offer tourists specially curated trips hosted by local female entrepreneurs, as well as the support of the third edition of the Under The Abaya book and other UTA initiatives. Mossalli then gave the floor to Nada AlNahdi, a sustainable traveler and founder of the travel agency, Qairavan, who spoke about sustainable tourism, highlighting local sites within the Kingdom and her personal experience at NEOM.
It was also announced that funds from the current edition would be used to sponsor the SHERO driving teams: driver Alham Aldosimany and co-driver Saja Kamal, driver Ibtihal Aldosimany and co-driver Hanane Mazouzi, diver Iole De Simone and co-driver Faridah AlBishi, as well as IBEX Team’s driver Manar Alesayi and co-driver Lauren Bradley for the first-ever women-only motorsport event in Saudi Arabia: Rally Jameel. The off-road rally, consisting of more than 30 teams with two female racers each, will start in the north-central city of Hail, passing through Al-Qassim city to the capital, Riyadh, is set to take place on March 16th to 19th.
The opening of submissions was announced for Under The Abaya 3rd Edition, slated for publication on International Women’s Day 2023. This edition will focus on the rapidly diversifying roles of Saudi women aligned with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030.
A slew of female-centric activities was also designed by Under The Abaya during the four-day cruise focusing on wellbeing, empowerment and good old fashion fun!
Heading a series of women empowerment talks was the spokeswoman of the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations, Nina Zandnia, who spoke about overcoming female adversities and the importance of women supporting each other as a means of sustaining female participation in the economy.
In partnership with female-owned WorkshopX, UTA hosted inspirational talks, such as “Her Survival Journey” with inspirational cancer survivors, Reham Afandi, and Hanouf Al Talal, who contextualized their emotional personal journeys, including finding the inner strength to persevere in one of the most trying times of their lives. Andalusia Ladies sponsored UTA’s wellness program with a talk by women’s health advocate Selda Hafez and holistic healer Engy Abuzanadah, who hosted an interactive workshop on wellness and awareness development. Women’s wellness was further highlighted through yoga and moonlight sound bath sessions with local experts in the field: Lana Nazer, Yasmin Kayyat and Bayan Abuzindah. Gifts from L’Occitaine were distributed to each participant. Workout sessions were provided by Sweat Army’s Rania Zahran and Samara Ashour in the ship’s main pool deck.
One of the main highlights of the UTA Cruise was the Femi9 fashion show, which converted the MSC Bellissima’s main pool deck into a celebratory fashion runway. The longest fashion walk on water featured over 15 real women from the book; including a singer, a breast cancer survivor, and SME entrepreneurs signifying each individual’s contribution in their respective fields, while also shining a spotlight on their industries within the Kingdom. The backstage production team included production managers, creative directors and a stylist from the Under The Abaya book.
It’s no secret that part of the Under The Abaya woman is her empowered sense of style. Therefore, the theme of “empowered dressing” continued with daily styling sessions and a panel hosted by DKNY Middle East, who partnered with local stylist Dareen Al Yawar and fashion influencer Jory Almaiman to explore how fashion is another medium of self-expression. A beauty masterclass was also hosted with giveaways by local beauty retail concept, Beauti.
Fuelling the excitement of the celebration were the entertainment itineraries. AlYasra’s Triumph Lingerie flew in Riyadh-based Latin dance instructor, Zenah Kazim to empower cruise guests with her coveted Tango classes. ‘Her Voice: A Concert of Aspiring Talents' featured emerging talents, pop singer Nawell Mossalli and Arabic vocalist Rayana and a live Karaoke night was held in the ship’s 975-seat theater. Closing the four-day itinerary on board the MSC Bellissima was a screening of the short horror film, “Maskoon,” a directorial debut by emerging director Lina Malaika.
Key opinion leaders from all over the Kingdom and the region; including the Emirates, Kuwait and London, flew in to celebrate and support the female empowerment platform. In attendance, as well, were female editors from both local and international media. The #UTAcruise was the most booked trip up-to-date. “Under the Abaya looks forward to more collaborations highlighting the achievements and potential of the women of Saudi,” stated Mossalli. “We are honored to be considered the trendsetters of female empowerment within the Kingdom and we hope we continue to inspire others to support such initiatives.”
