Follow Vogue Arabia

Saudi Creatives Lead Fendi’s FF Vertigo Camper Tour in Aseer, Saudi Arabia

Photo: Courtesy of Fendi

Italian luxury fashion house Fendi has enlisted Saudi “cool kids” and content creators Tamtam, Lina Malaika, Rawkan Binbella, and Ali Cha’aban to take on the FF Vertigo Camper Tour across the Aseer region in Saudi Arabia. FF Vertigo, Fendi’s Summer 2021 capsule collection in collaboration with New York-based visual artist Sarah Coleman, released on the label’s website and in boutiques worldwide in May this year.

00:00 / 00:00

Set in the untapped landscape of Aseer with its billowy clouds, Red Sea coastline, and inland desert, the campaign clip shows the creatives losing themselves in the mist-cloaked valleys of the mighty 3000-meter Soudah Mountain in Aseer National Park. The stars soak in the wild nature and mystical breeze, donning accessories and ready-to-wear clothes from the collection. With pleasant weather conditions and visible constellations in clear mountain skies drawing in hikers, campers and stargazers, the west of Soudah is also home to “the historic village of Rijal Alma.”

Read on to know all about the exciting Fendi FF Vertigo KSA Camper Tour.

The travelers

Riyadh-based R&B and pop singer and songwriter Tamtam is a recipient of the National Cultural Award in Saudi Arabia for her grand achievements in music and has numerous milestones and collaborations under her belt. The June 2021 cover star is no stranger to dedicating her projects to social issues and good causes, with her earliest 2015 single We’ve Got Wings promoting a Saudi breast cancer awareness organization founded by princess Reema Bint Bandar, and Gender Game about her journey as a Saudi woman pursuing a music career. In 2019, she performed her song One Earth at the Global Goals World Cup in New York City.

Tamtam. Photo: Courtesy of Fendi

Rawkan Binbella is a multi-faceted Saudi artist, and his biggest venture began with his role in the Kingdom’s first commercial feature film Born A King as the young king and founder of Saudi Arabia Abdulaziz. He hasn’t stopped since, branching out as a model, singer, songwriter, and fashion designer, with his stunning clothing line Meoji.

Rawkan Binbella. Photo: Courtesy of Fendi

Born and raised in Saudi Arabia, Lina Malaika has established herself as a freelance visionary artist with over a decade of acuity in fashion, film, and graphic design. She is known for craftily portraying Saudi landmarks with a unique, aspirational, and nostalgic touch, always assimilating her deep cultural roots in her photographs and paintings.

Lina Malaika. Photo: Courtesy of Fendi

Ali Cha’aban is a Lebanese-Saudi artist born and raised in Kuwait. Arab culture and tradition are the themes often apparent in his work, and with his background in anthropology, he has been proclaimed a pop-culture analyst. Cha’aban’s work revolves around the idea of nostalgia, with which he aims to challenge socio-political issues such as Arab identity and the state of dystopia.

Ali Cha’aban, TamTam and Rawkan Bilbella. Photo: Courtesy of Fendi

The region

The talent-studded campaign brings light to the land of Aseer, the largest area of all-year-round green vegetation in Saudi Arabia. With over 4000 historical villages, Aseer is the Home of Unesco-registered Qatt Art, a form of Arabic artwork incorporating the geometric patterns plastered and painted by women of the region across their homes. It also houses many other forms of bohemian art, with the beautiful little Al Muftaha Village around a mosque covered in calligraphy. Local creativity in this village dates back 260 years, with small galleries showcasing the colorful work of regional craftspeople and artists.

The region boasts vibrant folklore of traditional dances, arts, poetries, and literature. For instance, Flower Men in the village of Rijal Alma, appropriately nicknamed after the floral wreaths and crowns they adorn themselves with, dress in the traditional “fouta” attire, a wraparound skirt with stripes. The Flowerman Festival, a lesser-known Saudi tradition, takes place every year, swanking the fascinating values of the indigenous Aseri tribe that populates the blocky stone buildings in the village.

Photo: Courtesy of Fendi

The wardrobe

Fendi’s joyful, vintage-like collection celebrates the summer season with sophisticated bags, accessories, and irresistible prêt-à-porter pieces for women, men and children in acidic yellow and vibrant blue tones, fused with retro references that evoke the desire to be at a beach party in Miami in the 90s. Coleman, after her hugely successful partnership with Fendi during Design Miami, joined forces with Menswear Artistic Director Silvia Venturini Fendi to work on FF Vertigo, a new magnetic motif twisting up Fendi’s classic FF logo pattern, and revisited through a 70s psychedelic filter. The intentionally kitschy vibe of the collection is channeled through Coleman’s signature manipulation of designers’ materials that help repurpose everyday objects with an ironic filter.

The new motif is the face of a range of new limited-edition items, designed for the coolest outdoor adventures, such as instant cameras, camping equipment, and backpacks. Fendi also infuses a free-spirited and bold vibe into a range of crochet bag styles, with a gush of glistening sequins or detailed blossoming embroideries.

Read Next: Meet the Creatives Behind Vogue Arabia’s Latest Saudi Issue

Photography: Rayan Nawawi
Style: Latifa Bint Saad
Hair and makeup: Nadine Tabbara
Creative Director: Ali Cha’aban
Cinematography: Aspeer Luces
Producer: Ruby Kreidieh 

Suggestions
Articles
View All
Vogue Collection
Topics