What to expect at Riyadh Fashion Week 2024: From streetwear to couture and everything in between

Now in its second year, the runway event is proving to be a lure for a wide range of designers

Thirty brands will show their collections across the five-day event. Photo: Riyadh Fashion Week

Despite being a new addition to the global fashion calendar, Riyadh Fashion Week is already proving to be popular. From tomorrow, 30 brands will showcase their collections across the five-day event.

Covering ready-to-wear, street fashion, couture and bridal wear, the event shines a light on Saudi designers. Hindamme, for example, takes its inspiration from different cities and describes its co-ed designs as bridging East and West, while Abadia creates contemporary womenswear infused with elements of authentic Saudi handcraft in its designs.

Razan Alazzouni will bring its sleek women's tailoring, while Kaf By Kaf – already busy with a collaboration with adidas that is set to be released on Wednesday – will unveil a new collection of intricate handworked women's wear, such as fully beaded skirts, macrame skirts and hand crocheted cardigans.

Looking to streetwear, House of Cenmar will present its latest round of hoodies, tracksuit trousers and t-shirts for both genders, while in the couture category, Tima Abid will be showing its dressy occasionwear and womenswear, while Fatima Alabdulqader will present her signature elevated bridal wear.

Also showing wedding gowns is Dar Alhanouf, while Atelier Hekayat, which took part in the inaugural Riyadh event, will bring its volume-filled occasionwear to the runway once again.

Riyadh Fashion Week is an initiative of the Saudi Fashion Commission, established to develop the fashion industry within the Kingdom. It includes the Saudi 100, a platform to introduce Saudi designers to an international audience and organised the first Red Sea Fashion Week in May of this year.

Speaking ahead of the first Riyadh Fashion Week event in 2023, Burak Cakmak, chief executive of the Saudi Fashion Commission explained its importance. “Riyadh Fashion Week stands as a landmark event in Saudi Arabia’s cultural and economic evolution. By uniting industry professionals from around the world, it aims to inspire future generations and establish Saudi Arabia as a dynamic force in the global fashion landscape.”

To back up that claim, the inaugural event had 29 brands participating, across a total of 15 shows, including the Saudi designer Mohammed Ashi, who with his brand Ashi Studio is the first Saudi invited to join haute couture in Paris. The event was also his first fashion show in Saudi Arabia.

Riyadh Fashion Week will take place between November 17 -