D’NA: Exploring New Horizons in Cross-Cultural Fashion

A style pioneer in the Saudi Arabian fashion scene, Deena Abdulaziz balances a busy, family-oriented personal life with her responsibilities as the owner and lead curator of Riyadh’s lauded lifestyle boutique D’NA. Singling out her classically chic mother as a major source of fashion inspiration, Abdulaziz established D’NA shortly after returning from a luxury goods conference that took place in the metropolitan playground of Dubai in 2005. For many years prior, she had dreamt of launching a high fashion retail concept that would seamlessly integrate beauty, innovation, and creativity, from hand-tailored looks fabricated by top designers to pieces for the home that capture grace in both formal and functional capacities.

Traveling throughout the Middle East and overseas to attend runway shows and liaise with artists and artisans, Deena Abdulaziz found a mentor in Diane von Fürstenberg, the legend who introduced the world to the now iconic wrap dress. With the designer’s encouragement, Abdulaziz decided to make her long held dream a reality. In 2006, D’NA opened its doors to an exclusive clientele and has continued to thrive ever since. Modeled after stores like Milan’s 10 Corso Como, Paris’ Collette, and Maxfields in Los Angeles, the stunning showroom of luxury quickly garnered a great deal of attention from fashion industry heavyweights and women who shared Abdulaziz’s eclectic aesthetic sensibilities.

With international expansion plans for D’NA underway, Deena Abdulaziz continues to play an integral role in sourcing new lines, organizing trunk shows, and promoting the work of rising star designers who have yet to gain prominence outside of the Middle East. To this end, she recently unveiled a collection of Sofia Al Asfoor handbags and hosted a pop-up at the Katara Art Center in Doha, only two of the many exciting events that distinguish D’NA’s truly original conceptualization. Describing her life’s passion as a “21st century salon of ideas, Abdulaziz stands apart as one of the most fascinating women involved in high fashion today.