Modest swimwear shapes first women-only day at Riyadh's Aquarabia water park
The water park on the outskirts of Riyadh opened for its first-ever women-only day, highlighting the role of modest swimwear in Saudi leisure spaces.
RIYADH: Visitors to Aquarabia at Qiddiya City highlighted the role of modest swimwear in Saudi leisure spaces as the water park opened for its first-ever women-only day on Friday.
The discussion came after the water park on the outskirts of Riyadh officially opened to the public on Thursday and gave visitors a first glimpse at the women-only days, which will take place every Friday.
There was a swimwear presentation by London-based brand Lanuuk, and visitors who spoke to Arab News highlighted the importance of leisure fashion choices that reflect Muslim identity.
Speaking to Arab News, Joury Al-Qunetah, a 22-year-old Saudi, said fashion remains closely tied to social and religious identity despite growing openness in recent years.
"I do think it’s important that what we wear reflects our values as Muslims and as a society in Saudi Arabia.
Over the past few years, there’s definitely been more openness in fashion, which is great, but there’s still a strong sense of identity and modesty that many of us hold onto," she said.
Al-Qunetah added that the dress code at Aquarabia contributed to creating a comfortable environment for visitors.
"I think it’s a good and necessary step.
Having a dress code helps create a space where people feel respected and not out of place.
It also shows awareness of the cultural context, which is important for events like this," she said.
The dress code stipulates that on regular and family days, women are required to wear sleeveless, knee-length swimsuits or burkinis, while bikinis and above-the-knee one-piece designs are not permitted.
When Arab News visited on the women-only day, the guidelines appeared to be somewhat relaxed, although more revealing swimwear remains officially prohibited.
Even with the more modest selection of clothing being presented, some attendees told Arab News that they would not wear the swimwear in gender-mixed environments.
Wejdan Al-Ajmy, a 32-year-old Saudi, said: "I don’t think I would wear most of the pieces in this collection in public settings.
"Some designs feel a bit tight for my personal comfort, even if they’re fashionable.
I would definitely wear them during the women-only day but not in a mixed or public environment".
The pieces combined looser two-piece sets, such as tops paired with wide-cut pants, with longer, mid-thigh tunic styles worn over leggings, as well as loose, below-the-knee kaftan-style outer layers.
Lanuuk cofounder Katleya Nielsen said the brand seeks to offer a range of options rather than define modesty for women.
"I guess from a modesty perspective, we are a multi-coverage brand, so we carry different levels of modesty because we feel that modesty is very unique to each individual and how that’s defined across different cultures and backgrounds," she said.
"So, we don’t want to be the ones to define that for women.
We just want to be here to give options.
That’s why you will see a range of coverage across our collection".
Cofounder Ayesha Mahomed added that the brand aims to combine practicality with design as new leisure destinations emerge in the Kingdom.
"Hopefully, now that we’re here at Aquarabia, people will discover that you can buy swimwear that you can feel good in and use for any space you are going to in terms of water activities," she said.
"I think there are so many leisure activities coming up at the moment, there are these amazing groundbreaking projects.
so I think women should feel empowered to be part of these adventure activities and get out there and feel good and empowered".
Aquarabia, the Middle East’s largest water park, features 22 rides and attractions with eight themed zones spread across 250,000 sq.
meters.
There are also an additional seven dry rides and attractions.
Rides include the Junoon Drop, billed as the world’s tallest and longest water coaster.
There is also Slithereel, the world’s longest slide wheel, and the artificial wave pool Surftopia, in which the size of the waves can be changed for different skill levels.
Standard day tickets to the theme park start at SR275 ($73) for visitors aged 12 and above, and SR170 for juniors between the ages of 4 and 11.
Children under 4 can enter for free after booking via aquarabiaqiddiyacity.com or through the park’s official app.
There is also an annual pass for SR1,200, which allows multiple entries to the park — excluding the Surf Lagoon, Herding Grounds and Aquaticar.
The discussion came after the water park on the outskirts of Riyadh officially opened to the public on Thursday and gave visitors a first glimpse at the women-only days, which will take place every Friday.
There was a swimwear presentation by London-based brand Lanuuk, and visitors who spoke to Arab News highlighted the importance of leisure fashion choices that reflect Muslim identity.
Speaking to Arab News, Joury Al-Qunetah, a 22-year-old Saudi, said fashion remains closely tied to social and religious identity despite growing openness in recent years.
"I do think it’s important that what we wear reflects our values as Muslims and as a society in Saudi Arabia.
Over the past few years, there’s definitely been more openness in fashion, which is great, but there’s still a strong sense of identity and modesty that many of us hold onto," she said.
Al-Qunetah added that the dress code at Aquarabia contributed to creating a comfortable environment for visitors.
"I think it’s a good and necessary step.
Having a dress code helps create a space where people feel respected and not out of place.
It also shows awareness of the cultural context, which is important for events like this," she said.
The dress code stipulates that on regular and family days, women are required to wear sleeveless, knee-length swimsuits or burkinis, while bikinis and above-the-knee one-piece designs are not permitted.
When Arab News visited on the women-only day, the guidelines appeared to be somewhat relaxed, although more revealing swimwear remains officially prohibited.
Even with the more modest selection of clothing being presented, some attendees told Arab News that they would not wear the swimwear in gender-mixed environments.
Wejdan Al-Ajmy, a 32-year-old Saudi, said: "I don’t think I would wear most of the pieces in this collection in public settings.
"Some designs feel a bit tight for my personal comfort, even if they’re fashionable.
I would definitely wear them during the women-only day but not in a mixed or public environment".
The pieces combined looser two-piece sets, such as tops paired with wide-cut pants, with longer, mid-thigh tunic styles worn over leggings, as well as loose, below-the-knee kaftan-style outer layers.
Lanuuk cofounder Katleya Nielsen said the brand seeks to offer a range of options rather than define modesty for women.
"I guess from a modesty perspective, we are a multi-coverage brand, so we carry different levels of modesty because we feel that modesty is very unique to each individual and how that’s defined across different cultures and backgrounds," she said.
"So, we don’t want to be the ones to define that for women.
We just want to be here to give options.
That’s why you will see a range of coverage across our collection".
Cofounder Ayesha Mahomed added that the brand aims to combine practicality with design as new leisure destinations emerge in the Kingdom.
"Hopefully, now that we’re here at Aquarabia, people will discover that you can buy swimwear that you can feel good in and use for any space you are going to in terms of water activities," she said.
"I think there are so many leisure activities coming up at the moment, there are these amazing groundbreaking projects.
so I think women should feel empowered to be part of these adventure activities and get out there and feel good and empowered".
Aquarabia, the Middle East’s largest water park, features 22 rides and attractions with eight themed zones spread across 250,000 sq.
meters.
There are also an additional seven dry rides and attractions.
Rides include the Junoon Drop, billed as the world’s tallest and longest water coaster.
There is also Slithereel, the world’s longest slide wheel, and the artificial wave pool Surftopia, in which the size of the waves can be changed for different skill levels.
Standard day tickets to the theme park start at SR275 ($73) for visitors aged 12 and above, and SR170 for juniors between the ages of 4 and 11.
Children under 4 can enter for free after booking via aquarabiaqiddiyacity.com or through the park’s official app.
There is also an annual pass for SR1,200, which allows multiple entries to the park — excluding the Surf Lagoon, Herding Grounds and Aquaticar.
