The Saudi Fashion Commission has confirmed the return of the Saudi Fashion Awards for a second edition, to be held in Riyadh on May 22. The announcement comes as Saudi Arabia intensifies its push to position itself as a serious player in the global fashion and beauty industries, and underscores the Kingdom’s ambition to shape its own fashion narrative outside the orbit of the traditional powerhouses.
Following the inaugural event in 2024, this year’s awards will feature an expanded programme, introducing new categories and placing greater emphasis on the beauty sector — a move reflective of the region’s growing investment in adjacent creative fields. The event will honour leading figures in design, styling, photography, and modelling, and will include internationally focused awards backed by WWD to spotlight innovation and cross-border collaboration.
Riyadh’s bid for creative relevance
Saudi Arabia's investment in fashion is not merely symbolic. The country has earmarked fashion as a cornerstone of its Vision 2030 economic diversification strategy, with Riyadh emerging as the epicentre of its cultural and creative industries. This is not a sudden pivot; it is a calculated campaign to build long-term infrastructure and legitimacy in sectors once considered peripheral to the Gulf’s economic priorities.
“Riyadh is proudly emerging as the capital of fashion, beauty, and the future of the creative industries in the region. Its transformation from promise to global presence on red carpets, runways, and retail spaces reflects the ingenuity and dedication of a new generation of trailblazers redefining regional and international fashion standards,” said Burak Çakmak, CEO of the Saudi Fashion Commission. “
Beyond the Big Four
Saudi Arabia’s growing role raises a broader question: can global fashion genuinely evolve if it continues to orbit the same four cities — London, Paris, Milan, and New York?
By recognising and platforming emerging regional talent on home soil, the awards help to rebalance an industry long criticised for its concentration of attention, capital, and credibility. Localised platforms like Riyadh’s allow designers to develop within their own cultural and economic contexts, fostering aesthetic innovation that doesn’t rely on validation from European or American institutions.
This approach is already attracting a new generation of designers and creatives who are rooted in the Gulf but increasingly international in outlook. Many see Riyadh not only as a launchpad but as a viable long-term base for careers that once required relocation to fashion’s traditional capitals.
A stage for regional soft power
Events like the Saudi Fashion Awards are also part of a broader soft power strategy. By investing in cultural infrastructure — from fashion weeks to design schools — Saudi Arabia is crafting a narrative of modernisation that extends beyond oil, real estate, and tourism.
Whether Riyadh becomes a permanent fixture on the global fashion calendar remains to be seen. But for now, it is offering a valuable reminder: creative talent exists far beyond the industry’s historic centres, and increasingly, so do the audiences, markets, and institutions ready to support it.