Riyadh Fashion Week Emerges as Key Force Shaping Saudi Arabia’s Design Scene

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — The sophomore edition of Riyadh Fashion Week wrapped last week, showcasing not just Saudi Arabia’s burgeoning design talent but also the rapid modernization of Saudi society.

The five-day event featured a curated mix of runway shows, presentations, showroom exhibitions and social activations spread across three distinctive venues — the desert-inspired Tuwaiq Palace, Riyadh’s Digital City with its dazzling lights and skyscrapers and the artsy industrial JAX District.

Riyadh Fashion Week attracted not just the country’s top talent, but the entire fashion ecosystem of both local and international buyers, media and even celebrity sightings. Georgina Rodríguez, model and star of the Netflix reality show “I Am Georgina,” sat in the front row of several shows. Rodríguez lives in Riyadh part time with her partner, superstar soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo. Model Elsa Hosk also attended along with a slew of Middle Eastern actresses and influencers.

Ida Petersson, cofounder of retail development agency Good Eggs and former buying director at Browns in London and Net-a-porter, attended for the second year in a row. “I’ve had the privilege to see the evolution of many of the ‘new’ fashion weeks during my career, such as Copenhagen and Shanghai, and Riyadh didn’t disappoint with its second iteration,” she said. “It’s clear that they want to be taken seriously and that there is muscle behind the operations.”

Establishing a fashion week is a key part of the Saudi Fashion Commission’s aim to cultivate a globally connected fashion industry that resonates both locally and internationally. This aligns with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, an overarching plan to diversify the country’s economy away from oil and promote cultural development. Fashion has been identified as a key pillar of the nation’s creative, cultural and economic development.

Burak Cakmak, chief executive officer of the Saudi Fashion Commission, said this prioritization has been key to the rapid development over the last three years. The event has been able to garner strong government support and resources to build at an impressively fast pace. “Being given the space and the support that’s required to build allows us to dream big, and at the same time we have a deadline that we need to move fast,” Cakmak said, referring to the year 2030 goal the plan is named for.

This year’s shows demonstrated the fruits of the commission’s three-year investment in nurturing local talent through the Saudi 100 program, a mentorship and training initiative. “Many of the designers showing returned just two days ago from Paris because they finished their master’s at IFM. So, while they are creating, what’s amazing is they’re also being educated,” Cakmak said.

Riyadh Fashion Week’s format has been adapted to the unique cultural considerations of the region, rather than emulating the traditional fashion week model. Cakmak explained the schedule caters to local preferences and lifestyles, with shows starting in the evening after sunset and scheduled late into the night. In between the shows the crowd mingled, snacked on our d’ouevres and sipped juices, tea or coffee and water.

He added that since the climate in Saudi Arabia doesn’t vary hugely, rather than making seasonal fashion weeks, Riyadh Fashion Week is held annually. The commission also organizes Red Sea Fashion Week, which is focused on resort collections.

“The idea is also about how do we promote everything else that’s happening in Saudi Arabia,” Cakmak said. “Tourism is one of those key elements. Riyadh is a destination in itself, for business and government relationships, but now it’s becoming a cultural destination, with all of the activations happening for music, entertainment, art. Fashion has to be part of that mix. There are many events now that attract international visitors, and fashion fits into this very smoothly because when people are traveling, they’re interested in not only discovering new locations, but also new products, new creatives, new brands. With Riyadh Fashion Week we wanted to give a sense of the city and blend all these elements together.”

Red Sea Fashion Week, which occurs in the spring, is positioned to capitalize on the country’s growing tourism ambitions, with new five-star resorts opening along the Red Sea shoreline. Cakmak explained, “Through fashion we can highlight what’s happening in the region, attract an international fashion audience to the most stunning locations that have never been seen and create excitement around it.”  

While Riyadh Fashion Week is more urban focused, Red Sea Fashion Week will hopefully become a must-attend destination for resortwear collections, both from local and international brands. “We have the ambition to see this as a destination for resortwear for any brand for resort and any buyer for resort to mark it in their calendar every year.”

Challenges remain as the fashion ecosystem in Saudi Arabia continues to evolve. Cakmak acknowledged the complexities of the retail scene as real estate availability for luxury concepts lags behind the appetite for it. “Saudi’s retail landscape is quite complicated still, and it’s being built up.”

He said designers have to create different retail strategies until the projects in the pipeline come to fruition. But he remains optimistic, emphasizing the importance of flexibility and a willingness to experiment to find the right formula. “Flexibility is the key, but we need to work on all fronts all at once, and then let each feed each other to be able to grow.”

Petersson acknowledged designers from the region are already accomplished in couture and modest eveningwear. “It’s with excitement that I’m watching the new generation take on general men’s and womenswear, whether that is streetwear seen through the eyes of 1886, Hindamme, and Not Boring or brands merging the traditional with the new such as KML and RBA. It’s clear that this is a region with much to give and that the international community should keep an eye on.” 

A highlight of the week was the appearance of Sara, Saudi Arabia’s first humanoid robot, who made her runway debut opening for KAF by KAF. The audience watched and wondered as the hyper-realistic model slowly made her way down the runway, not quite sure whether it was human or not, an ode to the event’s innovative spirit of doing things a bit differently.

Here, a roundup of some of the key moments during the week:

Abadia

Abadia founder and creative director Shahd AlShehail, just back from Paris Fashion Week where she launched her collection at Galeries Lafayette, is arguably Saudi Arabia’s fastest-rising fashion star. She showed a collection of flowing dresses and separates rich in the brand’s signature desert hues, creating a visually striking collection inspired by the lush greenery and underground water sources of her Saudi heritage.

Elements of traditional embroidery of Saudi Arabia were seamlessly incorporated into the collection, on cuffs of jackets and belts. The brand’s signature silhouettes, including its popular drop-waist and belted dresses, were showcased in a range of luxurious fabrics, including newly introduced bamboo, which lent a soft, yet structured, quality to the garments. The collection was the designer’s strongest yet, with effortless elegance and artisanal craftsmanship. In just five years since the brand’s launch, Abadia has managed to strike the balance between commercial viability and artistic expression.

1886

Under the new creative direction of Nicolas Ottersten, who previously worked with Acne Studios, Kenzo, Tommy Hilfiger and Axel Arigato, Saudi’s best-known streetwear label 1886 unveiled a denim-heavy streetwear collection inspired by the underground rave and acid house scenes of mid-’90s England. Treated statement studded jeans paired with utilitarian classics stood out on the runway. 

The collection blended nostalgic subculture with futuristic design, weaving together a storyline of the near-future where traveling back in time becomes essential to correct the mistakes that threaten the future. “It’s like an homage to the past as well as excitement on what’s to come down the road,” Ottersten said.

Through themes of risk-taking and the consequences of human error, the  collection invited reflection on our present responsibility. Founded by Fahad Al-Jomiah and Khalid Al-Jammaz, who conceived the brand while studying in London, 1886 has quickly emerged as one of the hottest brands in Saudi Arabia.  

Mona Shebil