PARIS – Saudi Arabia’s designers are strutting their stuff here with two dedicated showrooms aimed at raising the country’s fashion profile on the international stage.
The showrooms are part of Saudi 100 Brands, an initiative backed by the Saudi Fashion Commission, which is working to promote local talent at home and abroad.
The first showroom, which focuses on ready to wear, will run until Tuesday at the Cité de l’Architecture et du Patrimoine.
The second will highlight couture designers and take place from July 3 until July 5 at the headquarters of Paris auction house Artcurial, not far from Avenue Montaigne.
The rtw showroom kicked off over the weekend with a cocktail and fashion show, while an invitation-only presentation to mark the opening of the couture showcase will take place at the Ritz hotel on July 3 at 8 p.m.
These Paris showrooms, which offer a mix of retail and wholesale, are a first for Saudi fashion. Their opening coincides with a debut report about the country’s burgeoning fashion industry, which is projected to grow to more than $32 billion by 2025.
At home, that growth will be fueled in part by a youthful population. More than 50 percent of the country’s denizens are under 25 years old, and they’re just as passionate about couture as they are about streetwear, according to Burak Cakmak, chief executive officer of the Fashion Commission.
“There is a big focus on elegance in Saudi. The women are beautifully dressed and elegant. It’s very much the norm, and I think there are a lot of markets out there interested in this way of dressing,” said Cakmak in an interview.
He added that young designers are also employing local artisans and traditional skills in their work.
“There is an existing base of quality tailoring in the country, an element of embroidery, and then there are historic skills, such as weaving techniques, from Bedouin culture,” said Cakmak, adding that one of the brands, Abadia, is using an old technique that incorporates date pits into the fabric.
It’s shaping up to be a big year for Saudi fashion.
Saudi 100 Brands will have a presence at Milan Fashion Week in September, while Cakmak plans to spearhead a roadshow in the U.S. aimed at drumming up business, and investment, for the Saudi designers.
“We are focused on building the value chain, and there are a lot of opportunities for partnerships investments,” said Cakmak, noting that the Saudi brands are pitched at lower price points than their Western counterparts, and are keen to carve a niche in the market for quality, tailored clothing at accessible prices.
Going forward, he added that the Fashion Commission would continue to work on a multi-pronged approach, supporting designers from a creative and business point of view, as well as marketing their brands in Saudi Arabia, and internationally.
“Paris is a big step for us. We really want to understand what works best for our designers – and we want to keep in Paris every year. We’ll continue to tweak our presence and brand mix. We want to understand which brands are appropriate to which moments on the calendar,” said Cakmak.