Saudi Arabia news and archive

Saudi Fashion Awards return as Riyadh stakes claim as regional creative capital

The Saudi Fashion Commission has confirmed the return of the Saudi Fashion Awards for a second edition, to be held in Riyadh on May 22. The announcement comes as Saudi Arabia intensifies its push to position itself as a serious player in the global fashion and beauty industries, and underscores the Kingdom’s ambition to shape its own fashion...

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Business

Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund acquires 40 percent stake in Selfridges Group

The Public Investment Fund (PIF), the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia, has acquired a 40 percent stake in British luxury department store Selfridges and is forming a strategic partnership with Thailand-based conglomerate Central Group, which raised its majority stake in the retailer to 60 percent. In a statement, family-owned Central Group...

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Business|Interview

Burak Cakmak, Saudi Fashion Commission: 'Saudi market opens up to contemporary men’s fashion'

During Paris Fashion Week June, the Saudi 100 Brands event, a fashion show at Paris' Palais de Tokyo and a showroom at the Mona Bismarck hotel, was held. The programme supports fashion companies, brands and designers in their pursuit of expansion, with those selected set to benefit from market-related initiatives that aim to help in brand...

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Fashion|In Pictures

Riyadh Air to revive the golden age of travel with couture cabin uniforms

Riyadh Air, the world’s newest global airline, owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), closed out Paris Haute Couture Week with the unveiling of its cabin crew’s uniforms designed by Saudi Arabian designer Mohammed Ashi, founder of Ashi Studio. “It’s not cabin crew ‘uniforms,’ it’s cabin crew fashion,” declared Tony Douglas, chief...

News

Istituto Marangoni to open campus in Riyadh

Fashion and design school Istituto Marangoni is opening a new higher training institute in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in 2025. The new campus will be in partnership with Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Culture through its Saudi Fashion Commission and will join Istituto Marangoni’s other campuses around the world in Milan, Florence, Paris, London, Dubai,...

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Business

Interested parties begin eyeing Selfridges stake

Following the breakdown of one of Selfridges’ two owners, various parties have reportedly been circling the British department store chain for a potential stake purchase. Gucci parent company Kering and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) are understood to be mulling the acquisition of a stake in the luxury retailer, according to the...

Retail|In Pictures

Lalage Beaumont opens its first store outside the UK

British handbag and ready-to-wear designer Lalage Beaumont London has opened a standalone boutique in Mode Mall in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The opening marks the first Lalage Beaumont store outside the UK, building on the success within the region with stockists Saks Fifth Avenue in Bahrain, Tryano in Abu Dhabi, and Shoes and Handbags Fifty One...

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Saudi probes alleged abuses at Amazon warehouses

Riyadh - Saudi Arabia said on Thursday it was investigating reports of grim conditions for migrant workers at Amazon warehouses in the kingdom, denouncing all labour abuse and exploitation as "unacceptable". The human resources and social development ministry said in a statement to AFP that the investigation began before Amnesty International...

Podcast

Podcast: Examining the complexity of fashion in Saudi Arabia

Both locally and internationally, the fashion industry in the Middle East has experienced significant growth thanks to changing regulations and an influx of creatives. But what does this market look like and what is happening in the region? This podcast zooms in on Saudi Arabia. Source: The Business of Fashion Podcast

Fashion

Saudi Arabia to host first fashion week spotlighting local brands

In what is set to be a first for the country, Saudi Arabia will be hosting Riyadh Fashion Week from October 20 to 23 with a lineup of 30 local brands showcased on the runway. Alongside the inaugural event, which is being led by the Saudi Fashion Commission, there will also be a showroom where local brand products will be housed and displayed to...

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Behind Saudi Arabia's ambitious strategy to promote local fashion

Saudi fashion is determined to expand on the international stage. To this end, the country of Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) recently organised a double event during Men's Fashion Week and Haute Couture Week. Firstly, the operation took place in a showroom set up at the Cité de l'Architecture et du Patrimoine from 24 to 27...

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Clarks to expand into Kingdom of Saudi Arabia via Apparel Group deal

Footwear retailer Clarks is set to embark on a retail expansion into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) with plans to open more than 20 stores over the next five years. The British brand will be carrying out the move through a strategic partnership with Dubai-based fashion and lifestyle conglomerate Apparel Group, which is currently implementing...