Middle Eastern streamer OSN+ has just launched its first original series called "Fashionista," which its creators say aims to capture social media in a region "where we didn't have Brad and Angelina in the past." Star style. Yosef Al-Kainai.

Filmed entirely in Kuwait with a mostly Kuwaiti cast, "Fashionista" premiered in the region on January 9 and follows the story of Mariam, played by Kuwaiti actress Lulwa Almulla. The story of Maryam, an influential figure in the self-help field who was obsessed with fame and fortune. The six-episode show delves into the influencer phenomenon prevalent in Kuwait and the Gulf region.

It's full of digital drama and cutthroat competition, as Al-Qenaie puts it, but there's also a "human side" to the protagonist's pursuit of celebrity. Next, he type About harnessing the rapidly changing star systems of the Arab world while gently pushing the boundaries.

What attracted you to this project?

This was actually my first foray into television. Before this, I was a talent manager for a social media influencer and YouTuber, so there are some connections there. I grew up in a very traditional Kuwaiti family - going into business and real estate was always the expectation - so I studied finance and economics. But eventually, after graduation, I ended up leaning towards media and film.

How was "Fashionista" born?

It started with a discussion I had with Sheikha Al-Zain Sabah (currently Kuwait’s ambassador to the United States), who I consider a mentor. She was the CEO of NCIG Studios at the time. In June 2020, at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, we discussed making a show that could be shot from the actors’ laptops.

Tell me more about that conversation.

I remember telling her that it would be great if we could find a way to document the rise of social media influencers who weren’t people I’d worked with. I work with people who make YouTube videos, and there's definitely more structure and storytelling there that makes sense. But I wanted to explore people who just go online, talk about products, and have millions of followers.

So Fashionista isn't really about the fashion industry. It’s more about social influencers, right?

Yes. Globally, the term refers to a fashion trendsetter. But when you use it in the Bay Area, it refers specifically to social media influencers, which is interesting if you think about it. In this part of the world, after the rise of social media stars, we don’t call them influencers, we call them fashionistas. I wanted to name this series so we could bring that point up.

How does the show reflect the rise of a new star system in the Arab world?

I think celebrities were not very common before these fashionistas in the area. The world of film and television is slowly becoming more global, so we're starting to be exposed to more and more[celebrities]. But in the past, we didn't really have Brad and Angelina and people that we could follow every day and be interested in their lives, just because it's human nature to want to talk about certain people. In the public eye. These influencers gave us that. I would say starting in 2011 or 2012, for the first time, we had our own celebrities whose names we all heard.

So are the show's protagonists really influential people from the region?

Yeah, we all had this idea that it would be awesome and very meta if we could feature influencers or fashionistas in this collection. I think that’s part of my writing process as well. So I think when we finally reached out, that resonated with them because we do have some actors on the show who are fashionistas but have only recently gotten into acting. Those (in the show) known social media influencers from our region are Bibi Alabdulmohsen, Ascia and Mohammed Mirza. These people definitely gained fame through social media.

Kuwait is known to be a country where Hollywood movies are heavily censored. Does this show break any taboos?

I really don’t want to give too much away because some of it is already being revealed, but there’s definitely something important on a personal level for these characters that we’re talking about. If something is important, we don't shy away from it, but we talk about it with the respect that our community deserves when a topic is raised. Unfortunately, sometimes when you bring up a (taboo) topic in a more conservative society, people tend to do it a little too controversially, and you end up failing overall because you're not letting people actually hear you information. This is definitely something we don't want to do. We hope that people, after watching this series, will learn a thing or two about what we're trying to say and have an open discussion about something.

I think what's amazing for us about working with a platform like OSN+, which is HBO's home base in the region, is that we're empowered to talk about important topics. We have the power to do it in a fun way, but it also makes sense. So I think it's great to work with people who understand what we're trying to do. I think over time, the way we consume content in the region will become more meaningful and speak more to what's deep in our hearts.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.