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Fashion lovers from across the world along with top designers, models and other style moguls set their sights on Saudi Arabia as the conservative kingdom recently staged its first ever Arab Fashion Week.
The glamorous April event, which was organised by the Arab Fashion Council (AFC) and held at the Ritz-Carlton, Riyadh was headlined by Italian designer Roberto Cavalli and included 14 fashion designers such as renowned Lebanese-Italian talent Tony Ward and brands from Kazakhstan, Egypt and the Gulf region.
Princess Noura bint Faisal Al-Saud, AFC’s honorary president, told reporters: “We have so many talented designers in this country and such a love for fashion. The idea is that they will be able to do this in their own country.
“Arab people care about wearing stylish clothes every day. We love to dress up, to show our sense of fashion, and that is really appealing for designers.
“Many travel to Europe and the US to buy clothes. This was the ideal opportunity to introduce the region’s brightest fashion stars to the Saudi market and what we did was open doors to so many other things as well.
“It’s not just about women buying clothes. It’s about the knowledge that they can gain by being creative, challenging people to think ‘outside the box’ and bolstering creative industries across the board.”
The event kicked off with a dazzling opening ceremony with French couturier Jean-Paul Gaultier and Russian designer Yulia Yanina making an appearance, with British luxury department store, Harvey Nichols, hosting a series of trunk shows.
There were numerous other shows and workshops as well and models taking to the runway in sequined gowns and loose fitted clothing.
According to one online statistic portal, our neighbouring kingdom has always been a lucrative market with revenues from the fashion segment set to reach $1.9 million in 2018. A report by Thomson Reuters also showed that globally, Muslims have spent about $243 billion on clothing in 2015 while the revenues from ‘modest fashion’, particularly popular in the Middle East for cultural reasons and catching on across the globe, reached $44 billion.
