Middle East streamer OSN+ just dropped its first original series titled “The Fashionista,” which aims to capture the flavor of social media stardom in a region where “in the past, we didn’t really have our Brad and Angelinas,” says its creator Yousef Al-Qenaie.
Shot entirely in Kuwait and featuring a largely Kuwaiti cast, “The Fashionista” – which premiered across the region on Jan. 9 – follows Maryam, played by Kuwaiti actress Lulwa Almulla, an aspiring influencer in the self-help sphere who becomes obsessed with fame. The six-episode show dives into the influencer phenomenon pervading Kuwait and the Gulf region.
It’s packed with digital drama and cutthroat rivalry, but also the “human side” of the protagonists pursuing celebrity, as Al-Qenaie puts it. Below, he speaks to Variety about tapping into the Arab world’s rapidly changing star system while also gently pushing boundaries.
What drew you to this project?
This is actually my first foray into TV. Prior to this, I was a talent manager for social media influencers and YouTubers, so there is a bit of a tie-in there. I grew up in a very traditional Kuwaiti family – going into business and real estate was always the expectation – and so I studied finance and economics. But ultimately, after graduation, I ended up leaning toward media and film.
How did “The Fashionista” originate?
It began with a discussion I had with Sheikha Al-Zain Sabah [who is now Kuwait’s ambassador the the U.S.], whom I consider my mentor. She was the CEO of NCIG Studios at the time. We had a discussion during the early days of COVID, in June 2020, about creating a show that we could potentially film from the actor’s laptops.
Tell me more about that conversation.
I remember telling her it would be so awesome if we could find a way to document the rise of the social media influencers who weren’t the ones that I worked with. I worked with people who created YouTube videos, and there was definitely more of a structure there and a storytelling form that made sense. But I wanted to explore the ones who would just go online, talk about a product and have millions and millions of followers.
So “The Fashionista” is not really about the fashion world. It’s more about social influencers, right?
Yes. Globally, the term refers to a fashion trendsetter. But when you use it in the Gulf, it specifically means a social media influencer, which is fascinating if you think about it. Here in this part of the world, after the rise of social media stars, we don’t call them influencers, we call them fashionistas. And I wanted to name the series that, just so that we can raise that point.
How does the show reflect the rise of a new star system in the Arab world?
I think celebrity just wasn’t very prevalent prior to these fashionistas in the region. The world of film and TV is slowly becoming more and more and more global, hence we are starting to get more and more of [celebrity]. But in the past, we didn’t really have our Brad and Angelinas and people whom we could look to on a day-to-day basis and be interested in their lives, just because it’s human nature to want to discuss certain people who are in the public eye. And these influencers gave us that. I would say that from 2011 or 2012 onwards, for the first time we have our own celebrities whose names we’ve heard of.
So the show features real influencers from the region?
Yes, we all kind of had this idea that it would be awesome and very meta if we could get influencers or fashionistas themselves in this series. And I think this was also a part of my writing process. And so I think that struck a chord with them when we did ultimately reach out, because we do have a few actors on our series who are fashionistas but have as of late come into the acting world. Those [in the show] who are known to be social media influencers from our region are Bibi Alabdulmohsen, Ascia and Mohammed Mirza. Those are people who have definitely gained their fame from social media.
Kuwait is known to be a country where Hollywood movies are heavily censored. Does this show break any taboos?
I don’t really want to give too much away because part of it is in the reveal, but there are definitely some important things on an individual level for these characters that we do talk about. We didn’t shy away from something if it was was important, but we talked about it with the respect that our community deserves when it comes to bringing up a subject. Sometimes, unfortunately, when you bring up a [taboo] subject in a more conservative society, people tend to do it a little too controversially, and you end up losing out overall because you are not letting people really hear your message. That’s definitely something we don’t want to do. We want people to come away from the series having maybe learned to thing or two about something we’re trying to say and to have an open discussion about certain things.
And I think what was amazing for us in working with a platform like OSN+ – which is the platform that is the home of HBO in the region – is that we are empowered to talk about important topics. We are empowered to do it in a way that is entertaining, but that also has meaning. So I think it was nice to be working with people who understood what we were trying to do. And I think that with time, the way we consume content in the region will become more meaningful and will convey the messages that we hold close to our hearts [even] more.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
