The new lifestyle show hopes to capitalise on the growing interest in fashion among female audiences in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Broadcasting Authority has joined forces with Dubai production house Art Format Lab to launch a reality show on fashion and lifestyle titled Yalla Nyghayer (Let’s Change) that spotlights three Saudi women entrepreneurs who have achieved major success in their careers as designers, stylists and beauty specialists.
Mona Al-Noman, Banan AlJefri and Noha Al-Sindi have a beauty and lifestyle consultancy centre in Riyadh under the brand Yalla Nyghayer – and the reality show, which airs every Wednesday (first aired January 12, Wednesday) on free-to-air channel SBC at 9:30 pm Saudi time, follows the daily life of the three fashionistas and their team of specialists, with four clients seeking a makeover, beauty treatments or a lifestyle consultancy. With twelve 30-minute episodes, the show is presented by AlJefri, a TV anchor and fashion blogger; AlNoman, a professional makeup artist; AlSindi a professional stylist and fashion consultant; and actress Saraa AlOtaibi, who plays a comic receptionist.
Targeted primarily at women, the show will also seek to showcase the spring/summer 2022 collections of popular prêt-à-porter and haute couture brands, including accessories, the latest evening wear, wedding gowns and chic sportswear. The show is shot entirely in Riyadh, at various locations such as a beauty centre, a coffee shop, a medical clinic and newly fashion stores in the Qurtuba neighbourhood.
“This is the first Saudi makeover show with a fully local cast,” claimed Khulud Abu-Homos, CEO of Art Format Lab. “This show has premiered at a time when the Kingdom is witnessing a lot of changes with serious initiatives to establish the fashion industry, with plans to open doors for modelling, design and fashion business initiatives. This, in turn, supports the Saudi leadership’s 2030 vision.”
The import market within the fashion industry in Saudi Arabia is estimated to be more than USD 2.9bn. A study indicates that spending in the Islamic fashion sector is expected to increase from $270bn to almost $361bn by 2030. The show has tried to capitalise on this peaking interest.
“A team of more than 50 people are participating in the production of this programme since early December. Michal Sosna, a very well-known international DoP, has joined this show along with other experienced crew members to help take this to air. Long hours of preparation, talent scouting and rehearsals with the cast, as well as booking locations, renting gear and scheduling properly, has helped us make this possible. As a makeover show, there are a lot of challenges, like a need for expertise in beauty shooting. This particularly has been a huge learning experience for our three cameramen working with Sosna. The other major challenge was having to shoot our makeovers in real-time, which almost takes five to six hours each.”
While Abu-Homos concedes that there are a lot of makeover shows, she claims this is an original format developed by Art Format Lab and implemented for the first time in Saudi Arabia.
