Editor’s Letter

June 12, 2024

Deena’s 1st of Many Firsts

“This is for the people seeking a true representation of Arabs in the global picture”

Deena Aljuhani Abdulaziz in Porto Ecole photographed by Sultan bin Fahad

Elegance shouldn’t be considered a term belonging to the past. It’s not ‘long evening gloves’, nor is it a soft alluring turn on a runway. Elegance is an enduring and endearing term belonging to a person who understands the complex formula of grace, magic, style, and timelessness, with the opportunist’s ability to render all of those things into a way of being comfortable in one’s own skin. Elegance does not require one to ask for permission ‘to be’; it is just being, and knowing how one can just be in any setting. Here is the paradox that few can comprehend - elegance doesn’t disrupt its surrounding environment, but it can conjure up a pause in any room. It is discreetly, but absolutely, unforgettable.

After many years moving subtly in the rooms of the fashion world, I will not hold back anymore.

Look 31/49, Thom Browne Autumn/Winter 2024. Shutterstock

Look 42/49, Thom Browne Autumn/Winter 2024. Shutterstock

Look 4/62, Dior Haute Couture Autumn/Winter 2024. Shutterstock

Look 48/62, Dior Haute Couture Autumn/Winter 2024. Courtesy of Dior Haute Couture

Look 28/31, Schiaparelli Haute Couture Autumn/Winter 2024. Courtesy of Schiaparelli Haute Couture

Look 30/31, Schiaparelli Haute Couture Autumn/Winter 2024. Courtesy of Schiaparelli Haute Couture

Look 33/47, Zuhair Murad Autumn/Winter 2024. Shutterstock

Look 11/33, Jean Paul Gaultier Couture by Courrèges’ Nicolas Di Felice Autumn/Winter 2024. Courtesy of Jean Paul Gaultier Couture

Look 17/33, Jean Paul Gaultier Couture by Courrèges’ Nicolas Di Felice Autumn/Winter 2024. Courtesy of Jean Paul Gaultier Couture

Look 29/33, Jean Paul Gaultier Couture by Courrèges’ Nicolas Di Felice Autumn/Winter 2024. Courtesy of Jean Paul Gaultier Couture

Look 10/29, Ashi Studio Autumn/Winter 2024. Shutterstock

Look 14/29, Ashi Studio Autumn/Winter 2024. Shutterstock

Look 3/32, Stéphane Rolland Autumn/Winter 2024. Shutterstock

Look 22/32, Stéphane Rolland Autumn/Winter 2024. Shutterstock

Look 20/35, Giambattista Valli Autumn/Winter 2024. Shutterstock

Look 32/35, Giambattista Valli Autumn/Winter 2024. Shutterstock

Look 39/46, Chanel Autumn/Winter 2024. Courtesy of Chanel

Look 43/46, Chanel Autumn/Winter 2024. Shutterstock

Look 26/42, Alexis Mabille Autumn/Winter 2024. Shutterstock

Look 46/90, Armani/Privé Haute Couture Autumn/Winter 2024. Shutterstock

Look 69/90, Armani/Privé Haute Couture Autumn/Winter 2024. Shutterstock

Look 89/90, Armani/Privé Haute Couture Autumn/Winter 2024. Shutterstock

Look 22/65, Elie Saab Couture Autumn/Winter 2024. Shutterstock

Look 28/39, Balenciaga Autumn/Winter 2024. Courtesy of Balenciaga

This new-era letter is the first I’ve penned in full freedom to be just me. I’m inviting you to be just you, but with elegance in mind. After many years moving subtly in the rooms of the fashion world, I will not hold back anymore. I’ve loved this world since I was a little girl and it kissed my cheek in the form of my friendships with the greatest people I’m privileged to have met.

I'm taking a stand in all of the editorial pages, podcasts and collaborations that I now place my name next to. They are for the next generations of talent, people seeking true representation of Arabs in the global picture, and the curious audiences that want to know more about the people behind new culture across the Middle East. Deena1st celebrates all of the world’s most iconic fashion moments through a fresh lens, and establishes for future talent, of any age, that true elegance is very much alive today - more than ever before, 'future iconic' actively includes the Gulf!‍