Saudi fashion goes global

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Models present creations from Burberry at London Fashion Week. Efforts are underway to stem the exodus of design talent from the Kingdom to Dubai, London and Paris. (Reuters)
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Arab Fashion Council Honorary President Princess Noura bint Faisal Al-Saud said the new Riyadh office will be a boost for the regional creative economy. (Photo courtesy of Arab Fashion Council)
Updated 24 December 2017
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Saudi fashion goes global

LONDON: The rising stars of Saudi fashion may soon have more reasons to strut their stuff at home as much as abroad.
The Arab Fashion Council’s plans to open a regional office in Riyadh, which is set to stem the exodus of design talent and spur the growth of creative industries in the Kingdom.
With few platforms for fashion at home, aspiring Saudi designers have typically gone to Dubai, or further afield to Europe and the US to achieve their ambitions.
Now, more will be encouraged to pursue their ambitions locally, opening up opportunities previously confined to a select few who could afford to launch their careers abroad.
“It’s a very positive and a very bright step and I’m excited to see further developments in the region,” said Alia Khan, chairwoman of the Islamic Fashion and Design Council, which is also planning to open an office in the Kingdom.
“There’s a wonderful appetite for style and elegance in the Saudi market and we’d love to be a part of that,” Khan added.
Heading up the new Riyadh office as country director Layla Issa Abuzaid said the “council would open the doors to the foreign investment flow into the country.”
The move feeds into Vision 2030 ambitions to diversify its economy and nurture new industries while harnessing the energy and aspirations of a young population.
“Fashion has always been important to Arabs and our designers are definitely benefiting from the beginning of a proper fashion infrastructure,” said Marriam Mossalli, a well-known Saudi fashion editor and founder of luxury consulting firm Niche Arabia.
“We are seeing the creative sector in Saudi grow exponentially.”
“With a population that has 70 percent under the age of thirty, we are about to see an influx of of new careers, and most importantly new creative industries.”
Saudi Fashion designer Arwa Al-Banawi, who regularly exhibits at Paris Fashion Week, said the council’s presence will mean that young Saudi designers no longer have to put their dreams on hold.
“I’m seeing a lot of designers coming out of Saudi Arabia and it’s about time we had this platform to showcase our work.”
Until now, fashion shows in the Kingdom have been largely private, women-only events, with few opportunities for designers to mingle with buyers or display their work to international brands.
Last year marked a rare exception when high-profile members of the international fashion elite, including Naomi Campbell, Alberta Ferretti and Delfina Delettrez Fendi jetted into Jeddah for the first ever Vogue Fashion Experience, hosted by Vogue Italia.
Razan Alazzouni, a successful Saudi designer, who has dressed celebrities including Elizabeth Banks and Paris Hilton, told online fashion portal Fustany that being based in Saudi Arabia and breaking into the international market was one of the greatest hurdles she had to overcome in establishing her career.
“I felt I had to prove myself more than a European designer might have needed to.”
But Al-Banawi believes there is plenty of scope to establish a flourishing fashion industry in the Kingdom. “I’m really excited this is finally happening in my country.”
“There’s so much talent and so many buyers and beautiful boutiques in Saudi — we have the right people that can actually make this happen and make it a hub.”
The Arab Fashion Council office will encourage the development of a sustainable fashion infrastructure in Saudi Arabia by supporting local talent and partnering with international designers interested in entering the market.
“We are working on a strategy that will strengthen the creative ties between the four main fashion capitals and Riyadh, which will allow us to promote Arab designers at a global level,” said Jacob Abrian, founder and CEO of the Arab Fashion Council.
Recent reforms, including lifting the ban on female drivers, have broadened the country’s appeal on the global stage and with its strategic location at the crossroads of Asia, Europe and Africa, the council sees Saudi Arabia as uniquely placed to become a center for the fashion industry.
“The new office in Riyadh will act as a main pillar in supporting the growth of the creative economy in the entire region,” explained Princess Noura bint Faisal Al-Saud, the Arab Fashion Council’s honorary president.
“The Vision 2030 is based on three main pillars: A vibrant society promoting culture and entertainment, a thriving economy that boosts the small businesses and productive families as well as attracting the right talents and an ambitious nation that engages everyone.”


KSrelief delivers food and dates in Yemen, Chad

Updated 6 sec ago
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KSrelief delivers food and dates in Yemen, Chad

  • This assistance is part of the relief and humanitarian efforts provided by Saudi Arabia, represented by KSrelief

Saudi Arabia’s aid arrives in northern Gaza to assist Palestinians

Updated 35 min 13 sec ago
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Saudi Arabia’s aid arrives in northern Gaza to assist Palestinians

  • Wednesday’s delivery of essential food and other supplies is a part of KSrelief’s ongoing campaign to provide support for Palestinians

RIYADH: Several trucks with aid, provided by Saudi Arabia’s humanitarian agency KSrelief, have arrived in the northern Gaza Strip via Jordan.

Wednesday’s delivery of essential food and other supplies is a part of KSrelief’s ongoing campaign to provide support for Palestinians, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The northern Gaza Strip is currently facing severe challenges, exacerbated by the ongoing war and the closure of border crossings, making this aid critical to helping the population cope with the crisis. (SPA)

The aid was scheduled to be distributed through the Saudi Center for Culture and Heritage, which serves as the executive partner of KSrelief in the area.

The campaign to assist Palestinians, initiated by King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has raised over $186.3 million from over 2 million donors.

The northern Gaza Strip is currently facing severe challenges because of Israel’s ongoing war on the Palestinians, which includes the closure of border crossings.


Saudi man arrested for $131m bank fraud

Updated 07 November 2024
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Saudi man arrested for $131m bank fraud

  • Oversight and Anti-Corruption Authority announce new cases
  • Includes arrests for tobacco smuggling, roadworks scam

RIYADH: A Saudi man has been arrested for illegally obtaining SR493 million ($131 million) of bank financing.

The Oversight and Anti-Corruption Authority (Nazaha) worked with the Presidency of State Security and the Saudi Central Bank to arrest Khalid Ibrahim Al-Jraiwi.

He was arrested for “working with a bank employee in deceiving the banking regulations and obtaining an illegal bank financing of SR493 million,” Nazaha said on X.

It was one of a number of criminal cases announced on Wednesday by the authority, with legal proceedings underway.

Al-Jraiwi submitting a financing request containing false property deeds and fake contracts indicating investments in those properties by government entities.

The bank employee connected to Al-Jraiwi accepted the request and sent an email to the relevant departments at the bank confirming that the documents were valid. After receiving the financing, Al-Jraiwi transferred SR100 million abroad to purchase properties, registered under the names of his relatives.

Three men from the General Directorate of Passports were also arrested for facilitating the illegal entry and exit of Al-Jraiwi in exchange for money. The accused individuals admitted the charges and have been referred to court for prosecution.

In another case, Nazaha officials cooperated with the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority to arrest Saudi man Mohammed Ghazi Mohammed Al-Sayed and two Yemeni residents, Abdulmalik Ahmed Qaid and Abdullah Abdu Qasim, for smuggling a container of cigarettes from Jeddah Islamic Port.

The men were “caught in the act” of paying SR1.5 million to smuggle the container without paying a SR7.2 million tariff, by claiming that the cigarettes were paper tissues.

Investigations into the case are continuing ahead of the appearance of the accused in court.

The Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority also helped Nazaha arrest Sudanese man Osman Mohammed Naeem Abdulrahman for using a car and SR20,000 to pay for smuggling four tons of tobacco from Jeddah Islamic Port.

In another case, Al-Jouf Municipality official Khalaf Saleh Marzouq Al-Khaldi was arrested for receiving SR8 million from Yemeni resident Mohammed Ali Omar Al-Saqaf to issue invoices worth more than SR17.6 million for roadworks projects in the region that were not executed.


Saudi stories pique audience interest, says Bloomberg Media MD

Updated 07 November 2024
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Saudi stories pique audience interest, says Bloomberg Media MD

  • Visiting the Athar Festival of Creativity in Riyadh, Amit Nayak told Arab News: “We’ve seen a real appetite from our global audiences for content from here”

RIYADH: Stories and articles about Saudi Arabia and the region are among the most widely read by audiences, according to Bloomberg Media’s managing director in the Middle East and Africa.

Visiting the Athar Festival of Creativity in Riyadh, Amit Nayak told Arab News: “We’ve seen a real appetite from our global audiences for content from here.”

He said that with such a large and diverse team based in the Middle East, Bloomberg Media was able to bring local insights and perspectives to provide content based on what audiences wanted.

“We remain focused on deeply understanding our Middle Eastern audience, fostering direct relationships, and delivering trusted news and insights tailored to their needs,” he said.

“We work with leading entities across the region, such as Saudi Tourism Authority and Red Sea Global, using custom content across different platforms to help tell their stories to regional and global audiences.”

The use of smart technology has been big part of Bloomberg’s strategy for over a decade, with The Bulletin being a predominant feature on the app. Launched by Bloomberg’s Media Innovation Lab in 2018, it provides single-sentence summaries of the top three stories.

“We leverage first-party subscriber data through our AI-powered Audience Accelerator platform,” added Nayak. “This allows us to precisely target key demographics to inform machine learning models that predict the population of users on the site, enhancing campaign performance and building brand credibility.”

In 2022, Bloomberg Media Studios opened a regional studio in Dubai and earlier this year launched “Bloomberg Horizons: Middle East & Africa,” a flagship morning program.

Bloomberg News also launched the Mideast Money newsletter, which focuses on “the intersection of wealth and power, and the impact of regional sovereign investors and dealmakers in global finance.”

Evolving as a commercial team that, 10 years ago, predominantly sold advertising, Nayak said that as clients became more sophisticated and keener to reach global audiences, Bloomberg Middle East was fostering internal talent to better collaborate with them.

“We were well placed because we have invested heavily in our teams on the ground here — whether that’s expanding sales, building a client marketing team, or hosting events on the ground in the region,” he said.


Saudi national guard minister holds talks with South Korean president in Seoul

Updated 06 November 2024
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Saudi national guard minister holds talks with South Korean president in Seoul

  • Meeting takes place during official visit by Prince Abdullah bin Bandar to attend a military parade

SEOUL: Prince Abdullah bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz, Saudi Arabia’s minister of national guard, held talks on Wednesday with President Yoon Suk Yeol of South Korea in Seoul, during which they discussed bilateral relations and ways in which ties between their countries might be enhanced.
It came during a visit by the prince to attend a Korean Ministry of National Defense military parade, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Prince Abdullah conveyed greetings from King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and their best wishes for the continued progress and prosperity of the president and people of South Korea. The president passed on his own greetings and message of appreciation to the king and crown prince.