Saudi Arabia news and archive

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...

Retail

Lefties opens debut store in Saudi Arabia

Lefties, the lesser known little sister brand of Zara, has opened its debut flagship store in Saudi Arabia, as the value fashion label continues to expand. The new 1,700 square meter store is located in the Al Nakheell Plazam, in Riyadh, the capital of the country. The shopping mall is seen as one of the busiest shopping centers in the region,...

Retail

Anya Hindmarch to open debut store in Saudi Arabia

London fashion week accessories label Anya Hindmarch is set to open its debut store in Saudi Arabia, which will officially open its doors next week Tuesday, August 16. The store, which will span 1,345 square feet and feature the label’s fall/winter 2016 collection, will be located within the luxury shopping centre Riyadh’s Kingdom Centre. It...

Fashion Featured

Budding fashion talents showcase designs in Dubai

Vogue Fashion Dubai Experience opened in one of the world's largest malls on Thursday, showcasing designs by a range of emerging talents from Africa to ultra-conservative Saudi Arabia. Models wearing modern and edgy skirts, jackets, and dresses by eight international designers paraded on the catwalk in the Dubai mall, as shoppers watched. "My...

Retail

Saudi Arabia to lift ban on 100 percent owned foreign retail

London - International brands and retailers will be delighted at the news that Saudi Arabia will lift its ban on 100 percent owned foreign retail in its territory from 2016. The Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA) announced the news to US businessmen during a visit by King Salman to Washington on Sunday, allowing foreign investors...

Retail |REPORT Featured

Middle Eastern visitors head to the UK for Pre-Ramadan Shopping-Spree

Fashion and luxury retailers across the UK can expect a significant increase in Middle Eastern spend over the next week, as shoppers are predicted to hit the high street for the annual pre-Ramadan rush, according to Global Blue, international spend experts. With more Western fashion labels embracing the Holy month and launching exclusive...