Runway Is Set and Racks Are Ready For First Ever Arab Fashion Week in Riyadh

A model presents a creation by MUA MUA Dolls' designer Ludovica Virga during Arab Fashion Week in Dubai on November 17, 2017 (Source: AFP)

The runway is set and the racks are ready as the first-ever Arab Fashion Week in Riyadh, organized by the Arab Fashion Council, kicks off in Riyadh on Tuesday night.

The four-day event, which will run until April 14 in the city’s Ritz-Carlton hotel, will feature runway shows by designers from across the Middle East and further afield

With more than 13 fashion designers taking part — including renowned Lebanese-Italian talent Tony Ward and brands from Kazakhstan, Egypt and the UAE — it is the ideal opportunity to introduce the region’s brightest fashion stars to the Saudi market.

Some of the biggest names in international fashion have confirmed attendance, including Italian fashion house Roberto Cavalli, French couturier Jean-Paul Gaultier and Russian designer Yulia Yanina. British luxury department store Harvey Nichols is also taking part and is set to host a series of trunk shows with the Arab Fashion Council.

The Dubai-based Arab Fashion Council sent shockwaves across the fashion world when it first announced that the event would be held Riyadh earlier this year. Since then, industry insiders have been scrambling to attend the event and it has made headlines around the world.

The shows will be held in the evening for women-only audiences. Attendees can expect an eclectic array of designs reflecting the cosmopolitan character of Arab style and will get a front row seat as the fashion industry’s who’s who from across the Middle East showcase their latest innovations.