Saudi Fashion Commission Concludes 'Building a Fashion Brand' Program in Partnership with Fondazione Sozzani

 The program concluded with an official ceremony at the Future Creative Residence, where participants received certificates of completion - SPA
The program concluded with an official ceremony at the Future Creative Residence, where participants received certificates of completion - SPA
TT

Saudi Fashion Commission Concludes 'Building a Fashion Brand' Program in Partnership with Fondazione Sozzani

 The program concluded with an official ceremony at the Future Creative Residence, where participants received certificates of completion - SPA
The program concluded with an official ceremony at the Future Creative Residence, where participants received certificates of completion - SPA

Saudi Arabia's Fashion Commission successfully concluded its five-day intensive program titled “Building a Fashion Brand,” held at the Future Creative Residence (FCR) in Riyadh.

According to a press release issued by the commission today, the program aimed to empower ambitious Saudi talents and equip beginner designers with essential knowledge, strategic tools, and practical guidance to support the development and launch of their own fashion brands. It was delivered in partnership with Fondazione Sozzani, an international institution dedicated to preserving culture and creativity and promoting sustainable fashion.

The program highlighted the intersection between fashion, visual culture, and sustainability. Participants engaged in a rich week of lectures, workshops, one-on-one sessions, and brand development activities led by international experts, SPA reported.

The program was supervised by Creative Director of Fondazione Sozzani Sara Sozzani Maino, one of the world's most prominent advocates of responsible fashion known for her work with Vogue Italia and Vogue Talents, alongside Riccardo Terzo, stylist, editor, and creative director of DUST China, who has extensive experience in talent scouting and the history of fashion imagery.

The two experts presented an integrated curriculum covering brand identity, storytelling, visual language, portfolio development, responsible fashion practices, and the evolving landscape of global fashion culture.

Participants were offered a continuous creative journey, exploring the foundations of defining personal and brand identity, developing integrated visual and written narratives, understanding contemporary fashion imagery and communication methods, and building a design approach rooted in sustainability, responsibility, and professional ethics.

They also enhanced their ability to develop strategies through research and moodboards, explore collaboration opportunities, and build integrated creative ecosystems, in addition to benefiting from individual mentoring sessions focused on refining vision, strategy, and identity.
The release added that their perspectives were further broadened through documentary screenings, open discussions, and analytical studies of global brands such as Jacquemus, Wales Bonner, and the Fashion Revolution movement, contributing to strengthened awareness of contemporary international trends.

On the final day, participants presented their developed brand concepts before a panel of experts, showcasing identity statements, visual visions, and strategic foundations for each brand. The program concluded with an official ceremony at the Future Creative Residence, where participants received certificates of completion.

The “Building a Fashion Brand” program reflects the Fashion Commission’s commitment to empowering the new generation of Saudi designers, enhancing global creative exchange, and building a sustainable fashion ecosystem that meets future needs within the Kingdom.

Through its strategic partnerships with leading international institutions such as Fondazione Sozzani, the commission continues to develop specialized programs that support emerging talents and elevate the fashion scene in Saudi Arabia.

In this context, the Sozzani Foundation is preparing to launch another program under the supervision of the Fashion Commission titled “Content Creation in Fashion,” scheduled for December 15, 2025, in Milan. A group of Saudi designers has been selected to participate, including one designer nominated from the previous program to ensure continuity of learning and deepening of acquired skills.



Stella McCartney Marks Year of the Horse with Equestrian Paris Fashion Week Show

 Models present a creation by Stella McCartney for the Women's Ready to Wear Fall/Winter 2026-2027 collection fashion show as part of the Paris Women Fashion Week, in Paris, on March 4, 2026. (AFP)
Models present a creation by Stella McCartney for the Women's Ready to Wear Fall/Winter 2026-2027 collection fashion show as part of the Paris Women Fashion Week, in Paris, on March 4, 2026. (AFP)
TT

Stella McCartney Marks Year of the Horse with Equestrian Paris Fashion Week Show

 Models present a creation by Stella McCartney for the Women's Ready to Wear Fall/Winter 2026-2027 collection fashion show as part of the Paris Women Fashion Week, in Paris, on March 4, 2026. (AFP)
Models present a creation by Stella McCartney for the Women's Ready to Wear Fall/Winter 2026-2027 collection fashion show as part of the Paris Women Fashion Week, in Paris, on March 4, 2026. (AFP)

Stella McCartney, known for her commitment to animal rights and sustainability, put horses at the center of her eponymous brand's Paris Fashion Week show set in a riding hall in Paris' Bois de Boulogne.

Five black horses and five white horses charged in and began performing an intricate equestrian choreography, walking in circles and weaving around each other, before the first ‌models emerged on ‌an oval catwalk surrounding the ‌sandy ⁠ring.

The winter 2026 ⁠collection continued the equestrian theme, with thigh-high riding boots, and suit trousers or jeans fashioned into stirrup pants and paired with bright preppy sweatshirts.

"There's a lot of new innovations in the show," McCartney told Reuters in an ⁠interview after the show. "Everything's plant-based, vegan, so ‌there are no ‌animal glues, there's no dead animals.

"That's why I always ‌like to sort of remind people and celebrate ‌and bring animals into the conversation," she added, saying the show also honored the Lunar New Year of the Horse.

Dresses and skirts covered ‌in plastic-free sequins featured hip bustles, pleats and bows, while multicolored crochet scarves ⁠provided a ⁠pop of color to tailored suits.

Stella McCartney, founded 25 years ago, became fully independent once more last year after McCartney bought the minority stake held by LVMH back from the luxury group.

A few seats down from Stella's father, former Beatle Paul McCartney, LVMH heir Antoine Arnault was among the front row guests at the show, seated next to his wife, model Natalia Vodianova.


Adidas Expects Operating Profit to Rise to 2.3 Bln Euros in 2026

An Adidas logo is seen at the new Futurecraft shoe unveiling event in New York City, New York, US, April 6, 2017. (Reuters)
An Adidas logo is seen at the new Futurecraft shoe unveiling event in New York City, New York, US, April 6, 2017. (Reuters)
TT

Adidas Expects Operating Profit to Rise to 2.3 Bln Euros in 2026

An Adidas logo is seen at the new Futurecraft shoe unveiling event in New York City, New York, US, April 6, 2017. (Reuters)
An Adidas logo is seen at the new Futurecraft shoe unveiling event in New York City, New York, US, April 6, 2017. (Reuters)

German sportswear maker Adidas on Wednesday said it expected its operating profit to increase to around 2.3 billion euros ($2.7 billion) this year, despite around a 400-million-euro impact from US tariffs and unfavorable currency developments.

Currency-neutral revenues were expected to ‌increase at ‌a high-single-digit rate in ‌2026, ⁠adding another 2 ⁠billion euros in revenue, it said in a statement, as it forecast to grow at a low-double-digit rate in North America and Greater China, among others.

It added ⁠it expected currency-neutral net ‌sales to ‌keep growing at a high-single-digit rate in ‌both 2027 and 2028, with operating ‌profit rising a mid-teens compound annual growth rate over the three-year period from 2026 to 2028.

In 2025, ‌it reported sales of 24.8 billion euros and operating profit ⁠of ⁠2.06 billion.

Management proposed a dividend increase of 40% to 2.80 euros per share for 2025.

In a separate release, Adidas proposed Nassef Sawiris as its new chairman and extended the contract of CEO Bjorn Gulden to 2030.


Gabon Fashion Designer Brings Traditional Raffia to Paris Runways

Gabonese fashion designer Chouchou Lazare sketches a design for a dress inside his tailoring workshop in Libreville on February 9, 2026. (AFP)
Gabonese fashion designer Chouchou Lazare sketches a design for a dress inside his tailoring workshop in Libreville on February 9, 2026. (AFP)
TT

Gabon Fashion Designer Brings Traditional Raffia to Paris Runways

Gabonese fashion designer Chouchou Lazare sketches a design for a dress inside his tailoring workshop in Libreville on February 9, 2026. (AFP)
Gabonese fashion designer Chouchou Lazare sketches a design for a dress inside his tailoring workshop in Libreville on February 9, 2026. (AFP)

Strands of raffia dry outside in the sun at the studio of Gabonese fashion designer Chouchou Lazare, who has made a name for himself using the natural fibers to craft his award-winning garments.

The natural material derived from palm leaves -- and traditionally reserved for Gabon's nobles and village chiefs -- gained international attention on the runways of the world's fashion capital last week.

"This is raffia from Gabon, it's special, it's woven very finely, it's a textile that deserves to be shown," the self-taught designer told AFP at his workshop in the capital Libreville.

Whether braided, sewn or glued to bustiers or skirts, nearly all of Lazare's dresses incorporate raffia.

Lazare was only nine years old when he began helping out his mother with her sewing to make ends meet.

He went on to organize his first fashion show in high school and has never received formal training in fashion.

Now in his 50s -- he chooses to keep his exact age under wraps -- Lazare says he learned his craft by designing dresses for the two most important women in his life: his mother and grandmother.

"She was very tall; to me, she was like a queen," he said of his mother.

And in readying his latest collection for the show in Paris on February 28, she remained his inspiration.

"When I prepare my shows, I want to see queens, women who fully own who they are," he said.

Although the signature material is used throughout his collection, the natural fibers are never dyed.

In the central African country, raffia has special significance.

"It's a traditional fabric that is part of the spirituality of our country, that speaks to the ancestors," the designer said.

- Like 'diamonds' -

Nowadays no longer just for nobility, raffia features at Gabonese traditional weddings and Indigenous bwiti spiritual ceremonies.

"Raffia represents a natural resource to be preserved, contributing to the influence of Gabonese and African cultural heritage," the ministry of sustainable tourism and crafts said on social media earlier in the year.

But that does not mean it should only be worn by Gabonese or African people, Lazare said.

"It's for everyone," he stressed, checking whether a bunch of the fibers laid out on his balcony were dry.

In 2002, Lazare won first prize for fashion at the Saint-Etienne International Design Biennial in France.

More than two decades later, he presented his creations to French President Emmanuel Macron during a state visit to Gabon in November.

A photograph of Lazare with Macron and Gabon's President Brice Oligui Nguema now proudly hangs in his workshop, a reminder of "a great moment", he said.

While raffia may seem a familiar textile to people in Gabon, Lazare said that upon seeing the presidents' reactions to his creations, "I felt like they were diamonds."

Glittering in his "diamonds" -- a raffia-decorated hat and tunic with a gold suit jacket -- Lazare picked up an achievement award in Paris at last week's Fashion Annual Show, which for more than 25 years has been honoring African designers.

As the president of the Association of Gabonese Stylists and Creators, he is also paving the way for other designers through teaching and mentorship.

Lazare said he hoped to see raffia recognized "as a treasure for Gabon".