Shahd AlShehail

Shahd AlShehail is the founder, chief executive and creative director of Abadia, a Saudi and UAE-based luxury womenswear label, which became the first Saudi brand to launch on Net-a-Porter. It’s now stocked at prestige retailers worldwide, including Harrods, Selfridges and Le Bon Marché.

AlShehail, who’s based between Dubai and Riyadh, founded Abadia in 2019. The label focuses on regional craftsmanship, partnering with female artisan communities across Saudi Arabia and the UAE, to reimagine traditional Bedouin techniques into a contemporary luxury language. In 2021, the Saudi Fashion Commission selected Abadia for its inaugural Saudi 100 Brands programme, taking the brand to Paris Fashion Week showrooms. AlShehail staged an Abadia runway show at Riyadh Fashion Week in 2024, and in 2025 was named the only female ready-to-wear finalist at Fashion Trust Arabia.

AlShehail earned a BS in accounting from the University of Evansville and an MBA in finance and entrepreneurship from Johns Hopkins University in 2012. Prior to establishing her own brand, she worked in international development across Rwanda, Armenia, Turkey and India, focusing on social-enterprise-driven supply chains. Following the 2013 Rana Plaza factory collapse in Bangladesh, AlShehail co-founded Project JUST to research garment industry transparency.