Saudi Arabian fashion designer, Arwa Al Banawi, spends her life traveling. Although she was born in Jeddah, she spent much of her childhood in Switzerland, and constant exposure to so much globe-trotting has given her the travel bug — for life.
While most would flock to a capital city’s tourist attractions, Al Banawi prefers an “off-the beaten-path” approach, opting for local’s-only locales and hidden gems. It is in the streets of the world’s most fashionable cities that she finds inspiration for her colorful, wildly patterned, street-chic collections. In her summer travel diary for Savoir Flair, Al Banawi takes us first to New York City, where she hunts down the best late-night underground jazz clubs, downs a donut at Dough, and makes a pit stop for a delicious street hot dog. In Switzerland, she seeks out flea markets for vintage records, and stops by Lake Zurich to feed the birds, while Munich takes her to hiking destinations and tiny coffee bars. Her curiosity and freewheeling approach to exploration lend Al Banawi’s collections a sense of utility and purpose, fostering a jet-set wardrobe that looks fresh no matter where in the world one might find themselves.
Photos: Courtesy of Arwa Al Banawi
From Munich to Zurich, Miami to NYC: Arwa Al Banawi’s Summer Travel Diary
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When it’s summer, I recommend having an Espresso Freddo, which is an iced-shaken espresso at the Baur Au Lac Hotel.
