Inside Saudi sneakerhead Mashari Alomari’s passion
DUBAI: For Saudi creative Mashari Alomarai, shoes are more than just an everyday article of clothing. To date, Alomarai has amassed 450 pairs of sneakers. And he says this is just the beginning.
It started with a birthday gift from his mother: a pair of Nike Cortez shoes. From there, Alomarai quickly realized he had a passion for style and began searching for more shoes to add to his collection.
“Having more kicks meant more options to develop my own style,” he tells Arab News. “Fashion is a combination of science and art — the clothes and accessories we need, and the way we express who we are individually and socially, how we feel, how we wish to communicate. It’s how I want the world to look at me. Fashion communicates values and tastes, thoughts and ideas, form, and function, how we work, how we play… our joie de vivre,” Alomarai says.
“I love pieces that are colorful and outspoken,” he continues — and his collection includes several bold pieces such as MSCHF red boots, Vandy The Pink Skeleton Clarks and a pair of Caveman slippers by Imran Potato, probably the weirdest shoes he owns. “I like to put together my outfits with any accessory that looks like it pops or stands out.”
Given his love for vibrant fashion and his enthusiasm for skateboarding, many are shocked to learn that Alomari is a lawyer. Born in Riyadh but raised in Pennsylvania, education was important to him, he says, but so was style.
Mashari also uses fashion as a way of remaining in touch with his culture. “I own some clothing from well-known designers such as Noble&fresh and Torba Studio,” he says. “I find them highly connected to Arab culture.”
