Over 40 Saudi designers are set to present their creations at White Milano during the upcoming Milan Fashion Week, renowned for versatile ready-to-wear collections. From September 22 to 25, the Visconti Pavilion will be adorned with a spectacular array of garments, jewelry, and accessories that bear the distinctive touch of Saudi craftsmanship. This event holds special significance as it acts as a crossroads where burgeoning Arab designers converge with influential figures from the fashion industry.
As a key event on the fashion calendar for emerging brands, Burak Cakmak, CEO of the Saudi Fashion Commission, highlighted its role in establishing new brands. The rising global appeal of Saudi fashion has excited consumers and investors, generating anticipation among designers to connect with buyers and pursue business opportunities.
Saudi Arabia's participation in this grand event has been coordinated with the assistance of the Saudi Fashion Commission. This collaboration serves as a facet of the broader Saudi 100 Brands project, an initiative that commenced in 2021. This pioneering venture empowers selected Saudi fashion visionaries with a year-long immersion in an array of enriching experiences. These include masterclasses, personalized mentorship sessions, and workshops delving into facets of design, innovation, sales tactics, and exhibition strategies. Armed with these invaluable insights, the designers are primed to nurture their brands on both domestic and global fronts.
For these designers, the Saudi 100 Brands project serves as a guide for professional growth, supported by an international corps of experts from illustrious fashion houses including LVMH, Kering, Valentino, Chanel, Calvin Klein, Tom Ford, Bulgari, Camper, and Swarovski.
Moreover, lecturers from prestigious institutions deliver the courses, such as the London Royal College of Art, Bocconi University in Milan, the London School of Economics, and Yale University.
The inaugural year of Saudi 100 Brands bore remarkable fruit, as over 5,000 hours of specialized guidance were provided. The designers fortunate enough to be part of this initiative span an age range of 20 to 70 years, with a noteworthy 85 percent being women. Many come from the top design schools in the world, while others have developed their talents through independent work. As they gear up for Milan Fashion Week, these creators stand poised to weave a tapestry of Saudi ingenuity onto the global fabric of fashion.
