Number Plate Shirts All the Rage in Saudi

The latest craze for girls in in Saudi Arabia is shirts decorated with stylised representations of number plates.

Incredibly, women in the Arab kingdom are not allowed to drive and critics of the policy see this as a great way to protest against the rules.

The shirts, which are embroidered with licence plate designs, were dreamed-up by two fashion students at the King Faisal University in Dammam. Noha Berjes and Naglaa al-Oteibi produced he prototypes at home and began selling them to fellow students.

The two girls, who say that their aim is "to give girls the latest in the world of fashion," have produced designs before but the number plate range is by far the most popular among the disgruntled would-be drivers who relate immediately to the message.

Berjes and Oteibi have begun to expand the business and now have their own workshop. They have also started to market the shirts on the social networking internet site, Facebook.

Prices start at 120 riyals (about £22) for the mass-produced printed versions, but hand-painted shirts are selling for as much as 400 riyals - nearly £73.

Back to News Index