The fashion industry in Saudi Arabia is in a non-stop search for creative ways to discover, polish, and promote new talents.
Established in 2020, the Saudi Fashion Commission has so far launched two initiatives, “Saudi 100 Brands” and the “Fashion Future Conference”, with which it managed to catch the global industry’s attention, and ensure the participation of those it believes in their skills and talents in global events such as the fashion weeks in New York and Milan.
However, the fashion industry cannot be complete without a local infrastructure, and this is what the commission is currently working on by setting strategies for design, production, and development starting by the idea and ending by delivering the product to the customer, in addition to providing the required materials and equipment that ensure the implementation of these ideas and aspirations.
The Fashion Commission recently made the first detailed demonstration of its strategies for the future, including the product development studio.
During an event held at the Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Nonprofit City, Riyadh, over 200 figures from the private and public sectors attended to witness the launching of these strategies, exploring the proposed plans to discover and support local creatives, as well as building partnerships with local and global brands, and educational institutions, in order to push the Saudi fashion industry forward.
And because the infrastructure is at the heart of talent hunting, the inauguration of the product development studio was on the top of these strategies. During the launching ceremony, Fashion Commission CEO Burak Çakmak and CEO of Nonprofit City, David Henry set the cornerstone of a 1,000 square meter studio that accommodates the latest equipment and technology, including a 3D knitting machine, laser cutting machine, leather stitching and industrial sewing machines and fabric digital printers.
The studio will also have an extensive range of kit for jewelry making, including a Formlab 3D printer and a die cast metal stamping machine.
The studio will be used by the designers selected to participate in the “Saudi100 Brands” initiative.
Princess Reema bint Bandar, who sits on the commission’s board, said she’s optimistic about the future of fashion in Saudi Arabia.
“This next generation of fashion designers and their innovative designs are absolutely enchanting. Their creative energy is evident and waits for discovery,” she noted, adding that over 1,300 people applied to participate in the Saudi 100 Brands program, which is an indication of the vast promise of this industry. “All this will help us tell our story of change and the transformational impact of Vision 2030 in our language,” she concluded.
For his part, Burak Çakmak said “fashion is a key interest in the Saudi Vision 2030, and there are indeed tremendous potentials that should be supported and motivated locally and abroad.”
Although the Saudi fashion sector has witnessed a major progress in the few past years with training programs including Saudi 100 Brands, Fashion Futures, and Elevate, the launching of the product development studio in Riyadh is the most significant step so far, as it opens the door for a local industry that exploits its own resources and potentials on the right bases, instead of searching for them abroad.
