Charting Her Own Path: Princess Loulwa’s Inspiring Journey As An Entrepreneur and Fashion Advocate

She’s determined for people to see past her title and discover a woman ready to take on the world…

Princess Loulwa kickstarted her career while studying Law at university back when she was 19 years old. “When I was young, I was very argumentative. Everybody told me I was made for this field. [But] despite my good performance at university, I just wasn’t seeing myself in it. During my second year, I realised that it wasn’t for me,” recounts the Princess of that pivotal moment.

Instead, Loulwa found a passion in entrepreneurship. One of the early start-ups she created was called Gotrend.com, a shopping platform based out of Egypt that was sparked by her own firstperson experience of trying to shop in the country. “During that period, I used to go to Egypt frequently to visit my dad. I used to shop online from KSA because I didn’t find what I wanted in Egypt. This is how I came up with the idea to create the platform,” she says of the site’s origin story.

The process of building Gotrend.com lit a fire for entrepreneurship in the Princess and it was a zeal that others took note of almost immediately. Abdelhameed Sharara, the founder and CEO of Egypt’s Riseup Summit, reached out to her and asked Loulwa to participate in the event. “Mr Sharara was among those who believed in me as an entrepreneur, despite not even turning 20 yet,” she recounts. But he wasn’t the only one who spotted her drive and innovative spirit.

Loulwa credits her first meeting with Marwan Moukarzel, the CEO of the International Cenomi Group, as instrumental in shaping her current career path. “I met [him] when he was the CEO of a company that manages brands in the region. We became closer, and we started supporting each other on a personal level until he offered me a job as his consultant. This was the first time I got a job offer, so I asked my father for his opinion and he was very supportive. He didn’t hesitate at all, as he was always in support of us working hard and proving our worth without the royal titles,” explains the Princess.

Over the next few years, in her role as a consultant, she found herself shadowing Marwan as he went about his work and got to see up close how things were done in the world of business. “He used to invite me to attend meetings with other CEOs who held major positions. On top of that, he gave me the space to speak freely even if I didn’t have much to say. He was one of the first people who helped empower me in that field. I learned a lot from listening to his advice and observing his actions. Today, he is a partner in my latest project that we launched, +966 Consultancy,” reveals Loulwa.

The 23-year-old Princess’ curiosity about business in general, brand-building and storytelling has resulted in her keen ability to look at projects in insightful ways both on a macro and micro level. But, considering that she has already launched a shopping website and started her own consultancy, is there one arena or project that she finds herself particularly drawn to?

“My favourite project is each one of them before launching,” she says with a smile. “I just love the excitement that drives you to seek knowledge in many different fields, and the anticipation that takes hold of you before that stage. This feeling you get, the fear of the unknown. I find myself wondering, what if it doesn’t work out?” And even when one of her entrepreneurial endeavours doesn’t pan out, Loulwa sees her quote-unquote failures as just opportunities to learn and grow as a businesswoman. “I started accepting the idea of failing. I established a logistics company under the Gotrend platform. But, as I did not give it enough attention, it failed. I learned much from this experience, most important of all is that failure is the first step to success,” she says.

Loulwa knows that with her title comes many preconceived notions about who she is and what she is supposed to represent. But the Princess is determined to show people her true nature as an individual that is resolved to make her own way in the world. “It is important for me to prove myself and my ability to achieve. My title is my greatest pride, but it is also my biggest obstacle because of the perceptions that some people may have,” she says. “I received messages from those who accused me of using connections in my work, others pity me for needing to work. Therefore I took it upon myself to change these perceptions, and honourably represent the women of this family.”

The Princess reflects on how growing up she was surrounded by a family of hard workers. Besides the work ethic of her father and grandfather, she looks to her grandmother, Princess Samira Bint Abdullah Al-Faisal, and her tireless involvement with charitable works as a shining example of following a passion and making it a lifelong calling. “She is the director of Saudi Schizophrenia Association’s board, and the founder of the Charitable Society of Autism Families,” says Loulwa. “I learned from my family to trust in myself and my choices and to focus on working hard and ignoring empty criticism. For this particular reason, I never once thought of not using my last name. My father always advised me not to forget where I came from and what my ancestors did to build this Kingdom.”

As the Princess devotes more of her time towards KSA’s growing fashion industry, helping to expand the fashion landscape in the Kingdom, she sees a future where she might just be able to guide her nation in this endlessly creative and inspiring field. As she reflects on what is yet to come – what possibilities remain to be explored in regard to fashion and design in her birthplace – she gives voice to her own wish saying, “A day may come to pass where I lead the global landscape of the Saudi fashion industry”.

With Thanks to Mona Kattan and The Luxury Closet.

Photography: Efraim Evidor. Styling: Poucy Elshahawy.

From Harper’s Bazaar Saudi’s Summer 2023 issue.