The country’s inaugural fashion week will be held in the capital of Saudi Arabia starting on Friday.
King Abdullah Financial District will host the event, which is being organized by the Fashion Commission of the Ministry of Culture, from October 20 to 23. It will serve as the launchpad for a new fashion hub in the Middle East.
According to Burak Cakmak, the chief executive officer of the Saudi Design Commission, “Riyadh Fashion Month is a chance to nurture Saudi Arabia’s emerging fashion sector through establishing Saudi companies with both domestic and foreign buyers.”
“We have the creative talent, data, cutting-edge facilities, and innumerable educational programs in the fashion industry. Now, in order to spotlight Saudi designers and open up new commercial opportunities, Riyadh will also host an annual trade event.
The first fashion week aims to develop the Saudi fashion sector domestically, regionally, and internationally. It will also be livestreamed.
A showroom will include products from regional brands, providing domestic and foreign customers with a glimpse into the expanding Saudi fashion industry and its variety of styles.
A number of emerging and well-known fashion designers from the Kingdom will be on display during the week, including Honayda Serafi, who created clothing for Jordan’s Crown Highness Rajwa Al-Saif, and Mohammed Ashi, whose recently made history by becoming the first Gulf designer to exhibit at Paris Haute Couture Week.
Saudi designer of clothes Mona Alshebil said Arab News, “I am thrilled and humbled to be a part of the landmark occasion, the opening Riyadh Fashion Week.”
There will be a collection on display by Alshebil that was motivated by “The Saudi Dream.”
Based to the Fashion Commission’s “State of Fashion in the State of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (2023),” Saudi Arabia’s retail fashion sales are predicted to reach $32 billion by 2025.
The Kingdom’s expected economic growth and expanding population are predicted to fuel this rise, with clothes, accessories, footwear, and luxury products all expected to see large increases. In the GCC, purchases of high-end clothing totaled $9.6 billion in the year 2021.
The goal Saudi Arabia has to lessen its dependency on imports from outside and promote indigenous designers will also be included in the report.
“Vision 2030 aims to diversify the country’s economy away from oil, and in only a few short years, Saudi Arabia’s fashion industry has emerged as a major economic force.