"If the electricity grid suddenly lost power, we could simply ask Deena to restart it," reflects a colleague of Deena Abdulaziz, acknowledging the natural force of energy that exudes from the Saudi entrepreneur. "It surprises many because upon first meeting one doesn't expect such power to emanate from someone so graceful and composed."

Deena Aljuhani Abdulaziz is a Saudi-American, born in Santa Barbara. She has lived in Riyadh, Paris, and New York, where she currently resides. Deena is a dynamic entrepreneur focusing on the luxury fashion industry and was the co-founder, alongside her childhood close friend, of the successful Riyadh-based concept store, D'NA. In 2006, Deena became known as a trusted buyer with expertise in bridging Western and Middle Eastern consumer audiences and spotting new design talent ahead of the curve. The Doha store followed thereafter and D'NA became synonymous with introducing emerging fashion talent to the Arabian Gulf region. In 2015, Deena was the founding editor-in-chief of Vogue Arabia, conceptualising its mission statement for the 22^nd edition of Vogue to be a "love letter to the Middle East". Deena has since been honing her craft as a buyer, visiting showrooms and studios across the world, and preparing for her opus magnum moment that will be revealed in strategic drops throughout 2024.

Deena's commitment and passion is laser-focused on her family and nurturing the next generations of image makers and fashion creatives. With a boundless enthusiasm for learning detail, many who know her remark upon the encyclopedic-style knowledge she possesses about popular culture and modern fashion history. Couple that with the buyer's eye she instinctually has, her career thus has been consistent with its focus on celebrating authentic Arab talent and paving a way for more voices to be raised in meaningful dialogue. Deena will launch her landmark podcast series, titled "First" in 2023.

Deena is a revered global style icon leading sartorial trends; she is a consistent street style reference on the fashion month circuit having been photographed by the likes of Sandra Semburg and Phil Oh, delivering fresh outfit inspiration to multiple generations.

Aged 6, Deena opened the pages of her mother's copy of British Tatler, and so a love story began between the young girl living between two cultures and fashion photography. In those foundational early years, as she witnessed the graceful way her mother would ritualistically practice self care and dress daily; an understanding that clothing is important to a person's well-being and self expression was formed in Deena. No less, a lesson in elegance being something one naturally has, irrespective of wealth or wardrobe depth, was clear. Magazines became the window to the fashion world for teenage Deena, her bedroom walls pasted in tear sheets from iconic shoots: Peter Lindbergh and Horst P. Horst photographs, and the Supers would catch her gaze as she paced around her space dreaming up her own vision that future children wouldn't be dancing in concentric circles bordering East and West... Fashion would one day be truly universal and speak to all cultures with respect. And these iconic images would have fresh meaning one day soon.

With the advent of digital media, the world has become smaller and more complex but there is one modern woman who can lace it all together without forgetting the excellence of fashion's past. The mission is simple but bold, to challenge the perceptions of the Gulf in the West via new modes of storytelling that will inspire today's global citizen. Elegance is all.

Deena is listed in the Business of Fashion's BoF 500.

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