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Fresh from the success of the Heritage Exhibition at The Saudi Cup in February, designers from the Kingdom returned in full force for the Saudi 100 Brands Ramadan Pop-Up in Riyadh, the latest initiative from the Ministry of Culture of Saudi Arabia’s Fashion Commission.
Burak Çakmak, the Fashion Commission’s visionary CEO explains, “We curated the Saudi 100 Brands’ Ramadan pop-up to give the public a chance to buy Saudi fashion and connect directly with our designers to see just how talented they are.”
To the soothing sound of strings from a live oud performer, and the enveloping scent of bakhoor, a 10,000 square metre space in Riyadh Front provided the backdrop for the three-day Saudi showcase of womenswear, couture, perfume, jewellery, footwear, accessories and menswear, complete with henna artistry, an iteration of the Japanese restaurant Nozomi, bakery Elba Riyadh, plus homegrown café concepts That and Bafarat.
Participating in the pop-up were designers such as Abadia, Noura Al Sheikh, Mona Alshebil, Sadeem, Not Boring, Noble & Fresh, 1886 and Qormuz from the year-long programme plus Las Boutique and No Bad Vibez among those from the newly launched six-month intake, showing surprisingly diverse expressions of the Saudi design vocabulary from extravagant kaftans to conceptual streetwear via fine jewellery.
“This is a dream to have a retail moment in Saudi with all Saudi brands, and Ramadan is the best time to do this as it’s the biggest shopping season,” Burak remarks. “We are so proud to be able to bring our second season of Saudi 100 – 160 brands – to the Saudi audience, and all the brands impressed all of us and all the customers shopping,”
And such was the pulling power of the pop-up, the glittering guest list of industry experts and influential profiles who joined the event from across the GCC and beyond included Brenda Bellei Bizzi, CEO of WHITE Milano, vintage expert Rae Joseph, Dima Alsheikhly, Alaa Bakhli, Nada Baeshen, Alanoud Badr, Abdulla AlAbdulla and Fatima Almoamen, all in their Ramadan finery, of course.
According to Brenda Bellei Bizzi of WHITE Milano, “It was a very interesting idea to have all the designers and brands together in this pop-up to create an inspiring atmosphere and enhance originality. I was very surprised to find a wide selection of products belonging to different categories, including perfumes, accessories, shoes and jewellery. Furthermore, I perceived an innate creativity that is spreading in harmony with the development plan of Saudi Arabia.”
Burak agrees. “It was a standout success with 20,000 people browsing the immersive exhibition of 160 brands – and several of our designers completely sold out.” Pointing out the true power of the pop-up, he continues, “This marks a shift – Saudi’s large and overwhelmingly young domestic market are taking note of the county’s growing fashion scene across both women’s and men’s collections.”
The Fashion Commission CEO adds, “I want to say how proud I am of our designers. We launched Saudi 100 Brands in 2021, and they have captured hearts and minds at home and abroad while using fashion as a powerful storytelling tool to celebrate Saudi’s rich culture and history.”
Greater than a success story of its own making, the Saudi 100 Brands initiative serves as an artistic interpretation of Vision 2030, the Crown Prince’s modernisation strategy for the Kingdom. And the Saudi 100 Brands Ramadan Pop-Up is just one of the Fashion Commission’s dynamic calendar of events both in the Kingdom and in fashion capitals around the world that forms part of its pioneering mentorship programme.
And momentum is building. “The second season of Saudi 100 started in a big way which we’ve proved with the 160 designers showcasing their products at the Ramadan Pop-Up,” reflects the former Dean of Fashion at New York’s Parsons School of Design at The New School, “but keep in mind that we’re going through a very robust journey in the selection and education process with all these individual companies – the first season we reviewed over 1,300 brands, the second season, over 800 – and as a result, this 160 is just a small selection of what the country has the offer. That in itself says so much.”
In season one, the designers of the Saudi 100 Brands exhibited their designs in Riyadh and New York, and participated in a showroom as part of WHITE Milano during Milan Fashion Week, and Burak hints to expect an equally exciting adventure “not only in Saudi but internationally” for the second season.
Burak observes, “Thanks to all the designers out there, we are putting Saudi on the map as a creative hub and showcasing their original ideas inspired by their heritage, families, traditions, way of living, and a new perspective to the world around what fashion is.”
Today Riyadh, tomorrow – quite literally – the world.
