Saudi Arabia news and archive

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...

BusinessFeatured

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...

Business

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...

Culture

BFC partners with Film AlUla to support female filmmakers and creators

The British Fashion Council (BFC) has struck up a new partnership with Film AlUla as part of the film agency’s newly launched AlUla Creates platform, created to empower future generations in film, the arts and fashion. The initiative comes as part of the Saudi Arabian firm’s efforts to encourage female filmmakers and creatives in the region to...

Fashion

Male model dismisses gender norms in an evolving Saudi Arabia

With his hot pink hair extensions and leopard print pantsuit, model Ziad al-Mesfer was bound to turn heads during his recent public photo shoot in deeply conservative Saudi Arabia. Passers-by began sneaking pictures on their mobiles merely minutes after Mesfer emerged from his white luxury car onto the cobbled sidewalks of a high-end cafe...

Fashion

Saudi Arabia’s Fashion Commission to support local designers with new initiative

Saudi Arabia is looking to boost local brands in the global fashion industry with a new initiative, Saudi 100, a specifically designed programme to help designers and brands “achieve their full potential”. Unveiled by Saudi Arabia’s Fashion Commission, Saudi 100 will provide fashion brands with a one-year brand developmental programme with...

People

Saudi Princess Noura: made to measure fashion ambassador

A young Saudi Arabian princess inspired by her time living in Tokyo is the new face of fashion in an ultraconservative kingdom, where dramatic reforms have sparked equal parts optimism and scepticism. Princess Noura bint Faisal Al-Saud, the great-granddaughter of Saudi Arabia's founder, was named honorary president of the Arab Fashion Council in...

Fashion Featured

Rebellious fashion: Saudi women embrace sports abayas

Colourful and oozing defiance, a sports-friendly version of the abaya gown was once considered a symbol of cultural rebellion in conservative Saudi Arabia, but it is fast becoming the new normal. Pictures of female athletes running in the garb in the Red Sea city of Jeddah went viral last month, setting off a new debate on sartorial freedoms for...

Fashion

Saudi Arabia hosts its first Arab Fashion Week

Jean Paul Gaultier and Roberto Cavalli are in Saudi Arabia -- headlining the kingdom's first ever Arab Fashion Week, an event that opened Tuesday to equal parts excitement and controversy. Two weeks later than initially planned, the Saudi Arabian edition of Arab Fashion Week joins designers from Europe and the Arab world over the course of four...

Fashion

Saudi Arabia to host first Arab Fashion Week

Saudi Arabia is set to host in March its first ever Arab Fashion Week, the Arab Fashion Council announced Monday, overturning decades of draconian policies on arts and entertainment. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the powerful heir to the Saudi throne, has been leading a drive to reform the country's dependence on oil, including expanding the...