‘Hia Hub’ in 3rd Edition in Riyadh with more Diverse Program

The five-day event will take place in Riyadh’s JAX District
The five-day event will take place in Riyadh’s JAX District
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‘Hia Hub’ in 3rd Edition in Riyadh with more Diverse Program

The five-day event will take place in Riyadh’s JAX District
The five-day event will take place in Riyadh’s JAX District

Fashion lovers, makers and influencers are set to meet at ‘Hia Hub’, one of the largest and most sophisticated fashion forums in the region, between November 3 and 7. The 3rd edition of ‘Hia Hub’ in Riyadh is hosting brilliant figures from the worlds of fashion, art and design, as well as regional and international experts and brands.

The five-day event will take place in Riyadh’s JAX District. Curated in partnership with “Fashion Future”, the event includes a variety of discussions, seminars, masterclasses, workshops, interactive exhibitions and live performances.

Among the prestigious names partaking in the event are iconic model Kate Moss, Lebanese actresses Nadine Njeim and Stephanie Atalla, Co-Creative Directors from Oscar De La Renta, entrepreneur and brand consultant Nojoud Al Rumaihi, Maison Future Bedouin and more. They are set to take part in inspiring discussions and dialogues highlighting the latest trends in fashion, beauty, art and design.

Hia Hub, in partnership with Fashion Futures, the Saudi Fashion Commission’s annual event, have curated a dynamic program of insightful discussions, seminars, masterclasses, workshops, interactive exhibitions and live performances.

Over the course of 5 days, Hia Hub will explore the transformation taking place in the international fashion, beauty and creative industries with global icons and brands, such as YSL Beauty; Jimmy Choo; Hindash, celebrity makeup artist; Yoon Ahn, creative director for Ambush and Dior Homme Jewelry, and Global Women’s Curator for Nike; Karla Welch, celebrity stylist and creative director; Dexter Navy, filmmaker and photographer; Elizabeth von der Goltz, CEO of Browns and chief fashion and merchandising officer at FARFETCH; and Johan Lindeberg, founder of J. Lindeberg and JAY3LLE.

The program will also explore the trends driving the fast-growing local and regional fashion and design industries with the top entrepreneurs, designers and personalities, including Designer Andrea Wazen, Hia Magazine’s Fashion Director Jeff Aoun, CEO and Founder of Yataghan Jewelry Sarah Abudawood, and Actress Stephanie Atalla.

Mike Fairburn, managing director of SRMGx, said: “This year, we have an exciting and dynamic program that is bigger and bolder than previous years. Hia Hub will explore the latest trends and topics, connecting fans with our industry’s leaders who are redefining fashion and beauty. We are excited to introduce the new shopping hub, the Billboard Arabia live music stage, pop-up art installations, immersive luxury brand experiences, as well as a whole host of dining and lounge spaces. We have introduced a simplified range of ticket options, as Hia Hub is a conference for everyone. So, whether you’re interested in mastering the art of influence with leading digital entrepreneur and luxury consultant Nojoud Al Rumaihi, learning about the latest techniques and trends from Celebrity Makeup Artist Hindash, or looking to spend an evening with friends exploring our many experiences, Hia Hub will truly have something for everyone.”

Hia Hub is also focused on inspiring the next generation of fashion entrepreneurs and creatives by providing a platform to learn and interact with leading global fashion and design institutions. The conference will feature masterclasses and talks with Dr. Leyla Neri, head of the Master of Arts Programs at the French Institute of Fashion, Paris; Dr. Andrée-Anne Lemieux, head of IFM-

Kering Research and Chair on Sustainability at IFM & Kering; Adrien Roberts, international director of Education Accademia Costume & Moda, GFF Trustee, GFWi chairperson; Flavia Collatina, senior leather goods designer at ACM; Sonia Veroni, CEO Modateca Deanna and director CKD Master; and Ozlem Cakir, professional image and communication consultant.

Burak Çakmak, CEO of the Saudi Fashion Commission, said: “The Fashion Commission is proud to partner with Hia Hub on this year’s Fashion Futures event. Together we are bringing leading academics and experts from regional and global fashion institutions to foster insightful conversations on how the next generation of entrepreneurs and creative talents can chart a new path, owning their stories and fusing purpose with creativity. At Fashion Futures, our core mission is to educate, facilitate discussions, foster global exchange and create opportunities in our industry. Hia Hub is the perfect platform to do just that.”

“Hia Hub is an amazing opportunity to bring our industry together. Now in our 31st year, Hia Magazine has continually developed new ways to engage and interact with our audience. From regional and global fashion icons and visionaries to the top influencers and leading brands, Hia Hub is a chance to connect with industry leaders and exchange ideas on how to foster the industry’s growth for the better,” said editor-in-chief of Hia Magazine Mai Badr.

“Fashion has a profound influence on every aspect of our lives – art, lifestyle, culture, identity, personal expression, and history. This year, Hia Hub will explore these different and important areas, and showcase the power of fashion.”



Tradition Meets AI in Nishijinori Weaving Style from Japan’s Ancient Capital 

Hironori Fukuoka, the fourth-generation successor to his Nishijinori business, looks at the fabric that is a collaboration with AI in Kyoto, western Japan on July 3, 2025. (AP)
Hironori Fukuoka, the fourth-generation successor to his Nishijinori business, looks at the fabric that is a collaboration with AI in Kyoto, western Japan on July 3, 2025. (AP)
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Tradition Meets AI in Nishijinori Weaving Style from Japan’s Ancient Capital 

Hironori Fukuoka, the fourth-generation successor to his Nishijinori business, looks at the fabric that is a collaboration with AI in Kyoto, western Japan on July 3, 2025. (AP)
Hironori Fukuoka, the fourth-generation successor to his Nishijinori business, looks at the fabric that is a collaboration with AI in Kyoto, western Japan on July 3, 2025. (AP)

Nishijinori, the intricate weaving technique for kimonos that dates back more than a thousand years in Japan’s ancient capital of Kyoto, is getting a high-tech collaborator: artificial intelligence.

The revered colorful weaving style associated with “The Tale of Genji” of the 11th-century Heian era, has gone through its share of ups and downs. But its survival is more perilous than ever today, as demand for kimonos nose-dives among Japanese grappling with modernization.

Hironori Fukuoka, the fourth-generation successor to his Nishijinori business, is determined to keep alive the art he’s inherited, even if that means turning to AI.

“I want to leave to legacy what my father has left for me,” he said in his rickety shop in the Nishijin district of Kyoto, a city with statue-filled temples and sculpted gardens that never seems to change.

“I’ve been pondering how the art of Nishijinori can stay relevant to the needs of today,” said Fukuoka.

Besides the AI project, Fukuoka is also working on using his weaving technique to make super-durable materials for fishing rods and aircraft.

Where tradition and technology meet

Giant looms clatter at his shop, called Fukuoka Weaving. The patterns on the gorgeous fabric, slowly turning out from the loom, are repetitive and geometric, which makes it conducive to translating into digital data. Deciding which hand-dyed color thread goes where to make the patterns is much like the on-or-off digital signals of a computer.

Such similarity is what Fukuoka focuses on in exploring how AI might work for Nishijinori, with the help of Sony Computer Science Laboratories, an independent research arm of electronics and entertainment company Sony Corp.

AI only makes suggestions for the designs and doesn’t do any of the actual production work. But that doesn’t bother Fukuoka or the researchers.

“Our research stems from the idea that human life gets truly enriched only if it has both what’s newly innovated and what never changes,” said Jun Rekimoto, chief science officer at Sony CSL, which is also studying how AI can be used to document and relay the moves of a traditional Japanese tea ceremony.

“We don’t believe AI can do everything. Nishijinori is a massive, complicated industry and so it starts with figuring out where AI can help out,” said Rekimoto, also a professor at the University of Tokyo.

What has come of it is a startling but logical turn in thinking, fitting of the art adorning kimonos worn by Japan's imperial family.

The AI was fed various Nishijinori patterns that already existed and instructed to come up with its own suggestions. One was a bold pattern of black and orange that seemed to evoke a tropical motif.

Striking a balance

To Fukuoka, some of AI’s ideas are interesting but simply off. The difference between AI and the human effort is that the former can come up with multiple suggestions in a matter of seconds.

Fukuoka immediately gravitates toward the one that uses a motif of a leaf to define the angular lines of a traditional pattern, something he says a human wouldn’t have thought of. He finds that ingenious.

The kimono the AI collaboration has produced is a luscious soft green, although it doesn’t have a price tag and isn’t in production yet.

The weaving is carried out by the old-style machine under the guidance of the human artist in the traditional way.

Nishijinori kimonos sell for as much as a million yen ($6,700). Many Japanese these days don’t bother buying a kimono and may rent it for special occasions like weddings, if at all.

Putting one on is an arduous, complicated affair, often requiring professional help, making kimonos even less accessible.

A creative partnership

Dr. Lana Sinapayen, associate researcher at Sony CSL, believes AI often gets assigned the creative, fun work, leaving tedious tasks to people, when it should be the other way around.

“That was my goal,” she said in an interview at Fukuoka Weaving, of her intent to use AI in assistant roles, not leadership positions.

Digital technology can’t automatically represent all the color gradations of Nishijinori. But AI can figure out how to best do that digitally, and it can also learn how the human artist fixes the patterns it has produced.

Once that’s all done, AI can tackle arduous tasks in a matter of seconds, doing a pretty good job, according to the researchers.

Artificial intelligence is being used widely in factories, offices, schools and homes, because it can do tasks faster and in greater volume, and is usually quite accurate and unbiased, compared to human efforts.

Its spread has been faster in the US and other Western nations than in Japan, which tends to be cautious about change and prefers carefully made, consensus-based decisions.

But the use of AI in arts and crafts is promising, such as text-to-image generative AI for the creation of visual images from text prompts, according to a study by Henriikka Vartiainen and Matti Tedre, who looked at the use of AI by craft educators in Finland.

“As computers have taken over many routine-like and boring tasks that were previously performed by people, the computer revolution has also been said to liberate time and offer new opportunities for human imagination and creativity,” they said.