'Saudi Arabia is the future': Robot models, collaborations and Georgina Rodriguez at Riyadh Fashion Week

The five-day event marks a celebration of the kingdom's youthful energy

The 'Saudi Arabia is the future T-shirt' worn by Mishaal Tamer and Taleedah Tamer on the runway. Photo: Riyadh Fashion Week

Hindamme captured the mood when the brand sent a T-shirt emblazoned with "Saudi Arabia is the future" down the runway on the final day of Riyadh Fashion Week. Made in collaboration with the filmmaker Lina Malaika, the top perfectly summed up the air of optimism and creativity of the capital's second event of its kind.

The top was worn by two models – Saudi pop star Mishaal Tamer and Saudi-Italian model Taleedah Tamer – walking arm in arm. The fact that the models were of different genders, though clad in pop necks and long gloves so only their faces were showing, outlines how far and fast the kingdom has shifted, while offering a glimpse into a fledgling industry in the ascendancy.

Showing across five days, there was a wealth of glamour and innovation at the event, which played out in front of a largely homegrown crowd, as well as the likes of Georgina Rodriguez, Cristiano Ronaldo's partner and fashion editors.

Saudi brand KAF by KAF unveiled its highly anticipated sportswear collaboration with adidas for spring/summer 2025, as a parade of layered, colourful, co-ed looks. Vibrant and authentic football shirts were tied around waists and MMA-style gloves covered hands. It was youthful and buzzing and was followed just days later by KAF by KAF’s separate ready-to-wear show.

Staging two collections back to back is no mean feat for any brand, but for one at the start of its international journey, it is impressive indeed. With a totally different mood, this second show was focused on occasion wear, such as a top and skirt set smothered in flower-shaped beads. Yet with an eye on the future, the show also featured Sarah, the first Saudi-made robotic humanoid that took a turn down the runway wearing a custom embroidered coat.

In a show called simply “Wild” ArAm by Arwa Alammari spun a collection around the wildlife of Saudi Arabia, that featured plenty of leopard print in honour of the critically endangered Arabian leopard. What could have been overblown was instead handled with lightness, so that looks shifted from a drop waist dress in brocade leopard print to a snappy bomber jacket with the same print exploded across the lower half. Switching neatly from day pieces to sultry going-out looks, complete with models carrying leopard masks, this was sharp and fresh.

Abadia, meanwhile, focused on the role of the date palm in traditional life for its collection, with notions of protection and comfort told via fluid pieces in warm, natural tones, with many intricately pleated to flow around the body.

Sticking with dressy looks, Atelier Hekayat started the week on a high note with its heavily ruched and ruffled looks, which felt like the 1980s revisited in the very best of ways. MD29 showcased clever deconstruction, taking apart items such as a trench and turning it into a coat, while jeans became a dress.

For menswear, Mazrood delivered functionality injected with a buzzy Los Angeles street vibe, with a boiler suit worn open-fronted and rakish, while a shrunken bomber jacket was worn with straight-leg trousers and a baseball cap that felt resoundingly now. A suit meanwhile was paired with an oversized hoodie, while a jersey top took on new dimensions with sculpted shoulders.

This new male silhouette can be taken as a barometer of the event in its entirety. Big, bold and reaching for new heights, it offers something fresh and unexpected, proclaiming that Riyadh Fashion Week has staked its claim and Saudi Arabia is now a fashion force to be reckoned with. Maybe the T-shirt slogans are onto something.