With every recent story written about Saudi Arabia, we see the same narrative: a country that has gone through centuries of change within a few years, a country that has restrategised all of its industries over night. But the angle that we’re most proud to take, is how the country has been the nucleus of so much female talent; one of which is Saudi female entrepreneur Marriam Mossalli.
Mossalli is the founder of Niche Arabia, a major luxury consultancy business based in Saudi Arabia. She is also the proud mother to a son, and a dedicated wife to a husband. Her list of vocations and talents are endless, and one thing that is evident in everything Mossalli does, is her dedication to supporting Saudi and Arab females.
“Being an entrepreneur is very similar to being a gambler. It’s all about taking risk, and the more risk the more the reward.”
“I have a great appreciation for women; being a working woman in my 20s and getting married in my 30s, every time I add a new dynamic to my life, I just have more and more appreciation for females.”
Marriam recalls the most proud moment in her stellar career, “If I had to choose I would definitely say organising the first women’s sports day. I actually cried that day because I was so proud that we could pull it off, it was on women’s day in 2017. It was quite an emotional day, just seeing so many young girls that were so grateful and excited over something as simple as physical education, it’s truly humbling. A lot of times we forget how diverse our country really is.”
Another one of Mossalli’s ventures is Under The Abaya: Streetstyle from Saudi Arabia, a non-profit book which she founded in 2018 that’s purpose is solely to celebrate Saudi females, “Under the Abaya is a celebration of women’s empowerment in its purest form: it allows the women of the Kingdom the opportunity to narrate their own stories through authentic representations of themselves,” says Mossalli.
It’s no secret that the Saudi business woman is one of many talents, and today she embarks on a new journey in the Red Sea (pun intended).In partnership with Neom, Mossalli along with the women within the pages of Under The Abaya are celebrating five years of women empowerment onboard a luxury cruise.
“For this edition, we have used the funds to support women in various industries, from renting shelf space in female-owned retail concepts for other female entrepreneurs to sell their items; to our biggest endeavour yet: sponsoring female rally drivers to participate in Saudi’s first Rally Jameel this March 16.”
