Saudi Fashion Commission Launches Educational Programs in Collaboration with French Fashion Institute, ‘Misk’ Foundation

The Saudi Fashion Commission logo
The Saudi Fashion Commission logo
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Saudi Fashion Commission Launches Educational Programs in Collaboration with French Fashion Institute, ‘Misk’ Foundation

The Saudi Fashion Commission logo
The Saudi Fashion Commission logo

The Saudi Fashion Commission launched an educational program initiative for fashion pioneers in collaboration with the French Fashion Institute and the Mohammed bin Salman Foundation “Misk.”

The initiative aligns with the Commission’s goals of empowering the local fashion industry and providing fashion professionals with the necessary tools for creativity and excellence.

The programs follow the Fashion Commission’s announcement of its strategic partnership with the French Fashion Institute in June of this year, including the launch of innovative educational programs. The programs combine the latest knowledge with practical experience and serve as a platform to empower designers, brand owners, and investors to grow in the fashion industry.

The programs launched by the authority include five training courses, including a preparatory course in executive business management in the fashion sector, conducted in three phases: a virtual training program, an in-person training program in Riyadh, and an in-person training program in Paris, culminating in a final project.

The Riyadh program includes introductory sessions on planning, marketing, sales, brand identity, business strategy, planning, visual merchandising, and retail. The training sessions in Paris feature academic elements, including lectures and activities focused on digital marketing, financial management, product development, and production.

The programs include a developmental course on advanced sustainability practices in the fashion industry, conducted in two phases: a virtual training program and an in-person training program in Riyadh. The course covers an introduction to fashion and sustainability, the study of the circular economy in fashion, innovation and technology in sustainable fashion, as well as strategies for implementing sustainability and social responsibility through a business model in the fashion sector.

The programs include a developmental course on exploring advanced research methods in design applications. The course highlights the essential project guidelines that form the preparatory foundations for designing a fashion collection. The six-day program focuses on the exploratory research aspect of a creative project at the intersection of contemporary global fashion, local and heritage materials, clothing, textiles, and local architecture. It will be conducted in two phases: virtual training and in-person training in Paris.

Moreover, the Fashion Commission offers a developmental course on visual merchandising and marketing in the fashion industry, lasting seven days in Riyadh. The course covers the fundamentals of building a fashion brand, marketing basics, visual display techniques, trend analysis, and insights into the fashion business landscape, distribution channels, and shopping strategies.

Additionally, there will be a developmental course in fashion photography, offering participants valuable insights into visual storytelling within the industry. The intensive six-day course, conducted in person in Riyadh, offers a comprehensive exploration of fashion photography, blending theoretical knowledge with practical application.



Designer Rosita Missoni, Pioneer of Colored Knitwear, Dies Aged 93

Rosita Missoni poses before the Missoni Spring/Summer 2018 show at the Milan Fashion Week in Milan, Italy September 23, 2017. (Reuters)
Rosita Missoni poses before the Missoni Spring/Summer 2018 show at the Milan Fashion Week in Milan, Italy September 23, 2017. (Reuters)
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Designer Rosita Missoni, Pioneer of Colored Knitwear, Dies Aged 93

Rosita Missoni poses before the Missoni Spring/Summer 2018 show at the Milan Fashion Week in Milan, Italy September 23, 2017. (Reuters)
Rosita Missoni poses before the Missoni Spring/Summer 2018 show at the Milan Fashion Week in Milan, Italy September 23, 2017. (Reuters)

Italian designer Rosita Missoni, co-founder of the eponymous fashion house known for its bright and patterned styles, died on Thursday at the age of 93, a company official said.

She had launched the business in 1953 with her husband Ottavio Missoni, developing a brand which became popular for its colorful knitwear featuring geometric patterns and stripes, including the signature zigzag motif known as fiammato.

Born into a family of textile artisans close to the northern Italian town of Varese, Rosita studied modern languages.

On a trip to London in 1948 to improve her English, she met Ottavio, who was competing with the Italian 400 meters hurdles team at the Olympics in the city.

The Missoni brand gained international recognition and awards for its distinctive patterns and avant-garde use of textiles and an approach to fashion often compared to modern art.

It was also helped by what was dubbed the "battle of the bras" in 1967.

Missoni had been invited to show at the Pitti Palace in Florence but before the models went out on the runways Rosita noticed that their bras were visible through their tops, ruining the intended color and pattern effect.

She told the models to remove their bras but, under the runway lighting, their outfits became totally transparent and the incident caused a sensation.

They were not invited to return the next year but Missoni was quickly on the covers of big name fashion magazines such as Vogue, Elle and Marie Claire.

Their layered designs, full of patterns, caught the attention of a fashion world that was turning away from high fashion, and became the standard bearer of the so-called "put together" style.

When the company moved its base to the Italian town of Sumirago, north of Milan, the Missonis set up home next door, with most of their windows overlooking Rosita's beloved Monte Rosa mountains.

Rosita remained creative director for the womenswear collections until the late 1990s, when she passed the task on to her daughter Angela.

The couple suffered tragedy in 2013 when Vittorio Missoni, their eldest son and the company marketing director, was killed in a plane crash off the coast of Venezuela.

Ottavio died in May 2013 at the age of 92, four months after their son's plane had gone missing but before the wreckage had been found.

The brand expanded into home collections and hotels. In 2018 Italian investment fund FSI invested 70 million euros in the family-owned company in exchange for a 41% stake, aiming to strengthen the brand abroad.

Missoni picked Rothschild in 2023 as financial adviser to explore a potential sale of the family-owned company.