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Istituto Marangoni, Fashion Commission Partner on Fashion Education in Saudi Arabia

The Saudi Fashion Commission logo
The Saudi Fashion Commission logo
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Istituto Marangoni, Fashion Commission Partner on Fashion Education in Saudi Arabia

The Saudi Fashion Commission logo
The Saudi Fashion Commission logo

Istituto Marangoni is set to launch its Riyadh campus in August 2025, following in-depth market analysis and assessments conducted in synergy with the Saudi Fashion Commission.

The new Higher Training Institute will offer specialized programs designed to align with the needs of the Saudi fashion and luxury market and contribute to the Kingdom’s economic diversification goals.
The new campus of Istituto Marangoni will be based at King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD), at the Riyadh Creative District (RCD), the new initiative managed and overseen by the Royal Commission for Riyadh City (RCRC).

As the incubator for RCD, RCRC successfully attracted a series of prestigious companies and institutions from the creative industry as tenants for the district.

Instituto Marangoni chose Riyadh as the location of its new campus in the Kingdom because of its dynamic creative ecosystem, growing demand for high-level fashion education, and the city’s strategic role in shaping the future of the industry in the region.

Combining a rich cultural and historic heritage with ongoing technological development and rapid urban transformation, Riyadh is becoming the new hotspot for fashion and innovation, confirming Saudi Arabia’s growing influence on the global fashion industry.

As part of a strategic initiative to support the next generation of Saudi fashion professionals, the Ministry of Culture’s Fashion Commission is supporting Istituto Marangoni in the launch of its new three-year undergraduate Advanced Training Diploma. Istituto Marangoni will therefore provide 50 scholarships for Saudi students enrolling in the program. This opportunity is open to Saudi nationals holding a high school certificate or an equivalent qualification.

On March 17, the scholarship initiative was officially launched on the Istituto Marangoni website through a competitive selection process, giving aspiring Saudi fashion students the chance to receive partial funding for their three-year diploma programs, which will commence in late August 2025.

Istituto Marangoni group managing director Stefania Valenti expressed her gratitude. "A sincere thank you to the Fashion Commission, the Ministry of Culture, the Royal Commission for Riyadh City, and to Ministry of Investment for their invaluable support in establishing this Higher Training Institute,” she said.

“Our mission is to nurture local creative talent by combining global expertise with Saudi heritage, shaping the future leaders of the fashion and luxury industries in Saudi Arabia. This initiative will lay the foundation for developing a new generation of Saudi talents and managers, equipping them with the skills to connect with international markets while embracing the vision of the Fashion Commission and Saudi Vision 2030,” Valenti said.

According to Fashion Commission Chief Executive Burak Cakmak, the partnership “marks a pivotal moment for the Saudi fashion industry.”

“By investing in our local talent and providing them with world-class education, we are not only empowering the next generation of Saudi designers and leaders but also enriching the global fashion landscape with our unique cultural heritage. Together, we are building a sustainable and thriving fashion ecosystem that reflects the ambition of Saudi Vision 2030,” he said.

Strategically located in Riyadh, the institute will offer a diverse range of specialized programs that integrate Saudi heritage with advanced technical and managerial expertise. The three-year undergraduate courses will prepare students for careers in the fashion industry, with programs including "Fashion Design & Accessories,Fashion Communication & Image,Fashion Management,Digital Communication & Media,Fashion Product," and "Fragrances & Cosmetics Management."

The courses will be accredited by the Technical and Vocational Training Corporation (TVTC), the government agency overseeing technical and vocational education in Saudi Arabia.

In addition to undergraduate programs, the institute will provide upskilling and reskilling courses for industry professionals in both full-time and part-time formats. All programs will be delivered by a distinguished faculty composed of both international and local experts, ensuring a high-quality educational experience that meets global industry standards.

To mark this significant partnership, a special Suhoor was held at the prestigious La Petite Maison in Riyadh, bringing together key stakeholders from the Fashion Commission, Istituto Marangoni, and the Saudi creative community.

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Fashion

Shein Openings Across France Delayed After Shoppers Balked at Paris Store Prices

Customers shop on the opening day of Asian e-commerce giant Shein's first physical store at the Bazar de l'Hotel de Ville (BHV) department store in Paris on November 5, 2025. (AFP)
Customers shop on the opening day of Asian e-commerce giant Shein's first physical store at the Bazar de l'Hotel de Ville (BHV) department store in Paris on November 5, 2025. (AFP)
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Shein Openings Across France Delayed After Shoppers Balked at Paris Store Prices

Customers shop on the opening day of Asian e-commerce giant Shein's first physical store at the Bazar de l'Hotel de Ville (BHV) department store in Paris on November 5, 2025. (AFP)
Customers shop on the opening day of Asian e-commerce giant Shein's first physical store at the Bazar de l'Hotel de Ville (BHV) department store in Paris on November 5, 2025. (AFP)

The opening of five new Shein concession stores across France has been delayed, department store owner Societe des Grands Magasins said on Friday, as it adjusts its strategy after some shoppers found prices at the Paris store too steep.

The online fast-fashion retailer's first physical shop opened at the SGM-owned BHV department store in Paris last week, drawing thousands of bargain-hunters and triggering widespread backlash from other retailers.

Some shoppers at the Shein store in Paris on opening day were surprised by higher prices than they were used to seeing online.

The concession offered fake leather shorts for 41.03 euros ($47.7), a knitted cardigan for 22.99, and a jacket from Shein's more expensive MOTF brand for 64.99, for example - prices more comparable to Zara, and higher than similar items on Shein's French website.

SGM and Shein are walking a fine line, as the Chinese firm's rock-bottom prices are a core part of the criticism levelled at it by French retailers and politicians, but are also a key draw for loyal customers.

SGM AIMS FOR BIGGER SPACES, CHEAPER PRODUCT RANGE

SGM aims to secure bigger spaces for Shein in its regional department stores so that it can offer a broader range of cheap products alongside more "premium" clothing such as Shein's MOTF brand, an SGM spokesperson told Reuters.

"We prefer to push the openings back by a few days, to get around the table, improve the range, expand the spaces, and offer lower prices," the spokesperson said.

SGM previously said it would open Shein stores at regional department stores over the coming weeks, with the first set to open in Dijon, Reims and Grenoble in November, and Angers and Limoges in early December.

"With SGM, we have chosen, for the time being, to focus our efforts on enhancing the experience offered in the BHV Paris store, which has been a strong success since its opening," Shein said in a statement on the postponement.

No revised dates have yet been decided for the opening, SGM and Shein spokespeople said.

Fashion

Zalando Turns to EU Top Court in Fight over Online Content Rules

A person stands next to the logo of fashion retailer Zalando in Berlin, Germany, November 13, 2025. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner
A person stands next to the logo of fashion retailer Zalando in Berlin, Germany, November 13, 2025. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner
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Zalando Turns to EU Top Court in Fight over Online Content Rules

A person stands next to the logo of fashion retailer Zalando in Berlin, Germany, November 13, 2025. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner
A person stands next to the logo of fashion retailer Zalando in Berlin, Germany, November 13, 2025. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner

Zalando, Europe's biggest online fashion retailer, on Thursday took its fight against EU online content rules to Europe's highest court, saying that a lower tribunal had erred in throwing out its challenge.

Zalando had sued the European Commission after it was designated as a very large online platform (VLOP) under the Digital Services Act (DSA) in the same group as Alphabet's Google and Meta and subject to onerous requirements.

The Luxembourg-based General Court in September rejected its argument that it is a hybrid service which sells its own products as well as those provided by partners, making it different from other online giants.

"The General Court's ruling creates an overly broad and incorrect interpretation of what third party content is, impacting many industries across Europe's economic landscape," Zalando said in its appeal to the EU Court of Justice (CJEU).

Reuters quoted it as saying that such a broad interpretation would subject nearly every online service, from media, to supermarkets and tourism to the DSA's rules.

The appeal also argued that the lower tribunal has unfairly flipped the burden of proof by forcing VLOPs to prove they should not have been classified as such in the first place.

The company said the tribunal uses a flawed definition for counting active recipients of the service which decides whether a company is a VLOP or not.

Fashion

From Gowns to Pantsuits, Michelle Obama Explains her Iconic Fashion Picks in a New Book

FILE - President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama dance at the Obama Home States Inaugural Ball in Washington, Jan. 20, 2009. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)
FILE - President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama dance at the Obama Home States Inaugural Ball in Washington, Jan. 20, 2009. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)
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From Gowns to Pantsuits, Michelle Obama Explains her Iconic Fashion Picks in a New Book

FILE - President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama dance at the Obama Home States Inaugural Ball in Washington, Jan. 20, 2009. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)
FILE - President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama dance at the Obama Home States Inaugural Ball in Washington, Jan. 20, 2009. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)

On any day during her eight years as first lady of the United States, Michelle Obama said she could go from giving a speech to meeting with a counterpart from another country to digging in her vegetable garden with groups of schoolchildren.

And her clothes had to be ready for that. There was too much else to do, including raising daughters Sasha and Malia, and she said she did not have time to obsess over what she was wearing.

“I was concerned about, ‘Can I hug somebody in it? Will it get dirty?’” she said Wednesday night during a moderated conversation about her style choices dating to growing up on the South Side of Chicago to when she found herself in the national spotlight as the first Black woman to be first lady. “I was the kind of first lady that there was no telling what I would do.”

Obama would become one of the most-watched women in the world, for what she said and did, but also for what she wore. She chronicled her fashion, hair and makeup journey in her newest book, “The Look,” written with her longtime stylist Meredith Koop and published earlier this month.

The sold-out conversation was taped as part of “IMO: THE LOOK,” a special, six-part companion series to the IMO podcast she hosts with her brother, Craig Robinson.

She wanted her clothes to be welcoming as well as versatile.

“The thing about clothes that I find is that they can welcome people in or they can keep people away, and if you’re so put together and so precious and things are so crisp and the pin is so big, you know, it can just tell people, ‘Don’t touch me,’” The Associated Press quoted her as saying.

She said she would not wear white to events with rope lines in case someone wanted a hug.

“I’m not going to push somebody away when they need something from me, and I’m not going to let the clothes get in the way of that,” Obama said.

Here's what she said about a few of her notable fashion choices:
The gown for Obama's first inauguration The white, one-shoulder chiffon gown was designed by Jason Wu, then an unknown 26-year-old who was born in Taiwan. But when she stepped out at the inaugural ball wearing the gown, the moment changed Wu's life. That was by design, she said.

“We were beginning to realize everything we did sent a message,” Obama said, speaking of herself and her husband, former President Barack Obama. “So that's what we were trying to do with the choices we made, to change lives.”

She would continue to help launch the careers of other up-and-coming designers by wearing their creations.

Chain mail state dinner gown Obama wore the rose gold gown by Versace for the Obama administration's final state dinner, for Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi in October 2016.

“So that was a kind of a, 'I don't care' dress,” she said of the shimmery, one-armed gown.

“I put that on. I was like, ‘This is sexy.’ It's the last one,” she said, meaning their final state dinner. “All of my choices, ultimately, are what is beautiful — and what looks beautiful on.”

Pantsuit worn to Joe Biden's inauguration “I was really in practical mode,” Obama said, explaining why she chose the maroon ensemble by Sergio Hudson with a flowing, floor-length coat that she wore unbuttoned, exposing the belt around her waist with a big, round gold-toned buckle. Her boots had a low heel.

“The sitting president was trying to convince us that Jan. 6 was just a peaceful protest,” she said.

The inauguration ceremony at the Capitol was held two weeks after the Jan. 6, 2021, riot there by supporters of President Donald Trump who had sought to overturn Biden's victory.

She said she had been thinking about the possibility of having to run if something else had happened that day.

“I wanted to be able to move. I wanted to be ready,” she said. But she and her team “had no idea” the outfit “was going to break the internet,” she said.

White House East Wing Obama also spoke about the East Wing, the traditional base of operations for first ladies that Trump last month tore down to make room for a ballroom he had long desired.

Obama described the East Wing as a joyful place that she remembers as full of apples, children, puppies and laughter, in contrast to the West Wing, which dealt with “horrible things.” It was where she worked on various initiatives that ranged from combating childhood obesity to rallying the country around military families to encouraging developing countries to let girls go to school.

She said she and her husband never thought of the White House as “our house.” They saw themselves more as caretakers, and there was work to do in the mansion.

“But every president has the right to do what they want in that house, so that’s why we’ve got to be clear on who we let in,” Obama said.