Saudi designers feature in some of the world’s fashion capitals

Saudi designers are out again in force this season, representing their country in the showrooms and stores of some of Europe’s capitals. Several young Saudi designers have set up shop at La Samaritaine in Paris and Selfridges in London, and have featured in the calendar of Europe’s leading fashion weeks, hoping to catch the eye of buyers.

“Paris is the established heart of fashion design, and the whole world is there during fashion week. It’s the best place to display Saudi creativity. We’re proud to showcase how much our labels have grown, how they are inspired by the whole world, tapping Saudi heritage to develop unique products,” said Burak Çakmak, CEO of the Saudi Fashion Commission. 

First Paris visit

Backed by the Saudi 100 Brands programme, some of these labels have been discovering Paris. For example, designer Reem Al Kanhal and her eponymous women’s ready-to-wear label. Al Kanhal presented her collections in Paris for the first time under La Samaritaine’s majestic skylight. She hails from Riyadh, and started in fashion as a self-taught designer, before attending a course in 2007. Three years later, Al Kanhal founded her label and opened a showroom in Riyadh, which she has since closed, but is now planning to open again. 

“I’ve been in fashion for a long time,” said Al Kanhal. Some of her creations have been worn by celebrities like Princess Reema bint Bandar Al Saud and model Naomi Campbell, and the Saudi Fashion Commission’s support enabled her to gain new visibility by featuring in showrooms, and to train on the financial and administrative aspects of running a label. 

Showing at a fashion week is the dream

“The world of fashion is so vast that you have to establish your own identity if you want to succeed. You can’t make a name for yourself with something that isn’t you, and that isn’t new,” said Al Kanhal. She draws inspiration from her Bedouin heritage, adding to it a contemporary twist, as she did in her 2015 collection, fashioned around the burqa her grandmother used to wear. Al Kanhal was supported by relatives as she started in business, and her label is now present at shopping malls in Saudi Arabia and in pop-up stores, in addition to having its own e-shop. Relying on her almost two decades’ worth of experience, Al Kanhal is now keen to take part in Riyadh Fashion Week. “I feel ready,” she said.

Tala AbuKhaled founded her Rebirth label in 2021. She started her business after training in fashion design and modelling at Esmod Dubai. She too draws her inspiration from Saudi heritage, to which she adds elements of foreign cultures to create women’s ready-to-wear looks featuring lace, embroidery, twine thread and Raffia palm leaves. After taking part in the Red Sea Fashion Week in 2024, Rebirth is now an established name in Saudi Arabia. It operates showrooms in Riyadh and New York, and has exhibited in Italy.

Saudi and global influences

“I design clothes for those who wear them, and for those who see them too,” said AbuKhaled with a grin. With her airy, slightly bohemian luxury style, she has recently returned from Milan, where she presented her collection during the city’s fashion week. AbuKhaled said the feedback was extremely positive, as audiences are in general impressed by the talent of young Saudi designers, who are bringing fresh zest into fashion by tapping their heritage. She said that many fashion brands are currently active in Saudi Arabia, and that it “can only get better.”

Several Saudi labels exhibited men’s and unisex collections at the La Samaritaine showcase, among them Mirai. The latter is the brainchild of two childhood friends, Abdulrahman Tarabeh, who studied engineering and lived in Japan for nine years, and Omar Shabra, who studied medicine. After Shabra visited Tarabeh in Japan, they began to think about clothes inspired by Japanese culture and style. In 2022, they launched Mirai, a unisex ready-to-wear label blending their Saudi roots with Japanese fashion. 

Middle East the main market

Mirai is present in Riyadh and Jeddah with pop-up stores, and a little less than two years ago it also featured in Milan. Shabra and Tarabeh strongly identify with their creations, and they eschew a seasonal logic, releasing products when they feel the time is right. Mirai was soon spotted by fashion aficionados in Saudi cities, who appreciate its timeless garments bearing Japanese names. One of Mirai’s bestsellers is a brown jacket weaved in Japanese fashion, whose name tsuchi means ‘earth’.

Khalid Al Masoud also exhibited at La Samaritaine. He is the creative director and founder of the Awaken label, and came back to Paris a year after showing at Paris Fashion Week. He also showed in his home town during Riyadh Fashion Week in 2024, and is currently distributed in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, at Harvey Nichols. In 2025, Awaken is keen to expand into Europe, notably in France and Spain, as well as Japan and China.

International plans

When Al Masoud launched Awaken in 2019, he decided his influences would be his Arabian heritage and streetwear culture. He wants to design fashion for the whole world, and his creations are a message about openness and contemporary relevance. Awaken is positioned in the premium ready-to-wear segment, chiefly for men, and featured at the Saudi Cup international horse race. It also staged a design competition for saddles for dromedaries.

While Paris is an interesting showcase for the Saudi Fashion Commission, the latter has also been active in other European cities. Six Saudi fashion designers have taken over a space on the second floor of Selfridges in London, aiming to attract new customers and, chiefly, to strike commercial deals. Negotiations are ongoing, and executives at the Saudi 100 Brands programme said their designers have been well received in the UK.