Tashkeela exhibition in Riyadh showcases fashion from Saudi Arabia and beyond
Riyadh’s Front Exhibition Center is playing host to a showcase of creativity with the Tashkeela exhibition by Saudi 100 Brands, which is spotlighting 160 Saudibased fashion labels as well as Arab and international designers from March 16-19.
Organized by the Saudi Fashion Commission, which oversees the Saudi 100 Brands program, commission CEO Burak Cakmak told Arab News that the exhibition is geared toward guests discovering new brands.
“We created Tashkeela to offer the variety of designs that exist in the country. That starts with Saudi 100 (Brands), but it even goes beyond. We have close to 200 brands that are represented in this space, so it’s a moment of discovery and also even growing the retail landscape in the country beyond just the brands we know to be able to support the growth of retail as well in Saudi,” he said, referring to the Saudi 100 Brands program that was founded in 2021 to highlight Saudi talent through various means, including traveling exhibitions at the world’s major fashion weeks.
“Our inspiration is to continue to grow these retail locations, and there’s a lot of interest in the retail sector in the country. So, we’re slowly opening up the country as a place where people can learn about the Saudi market, but also do their transactions in the country, in addition to helping Saudi brands to grow,” Cakmak added.
One brand taking part in Tashkeela is Torba Studio, which is showcasing new pieces inspired by the Middle Eastern folktale collection “One Thousand and One Nights.”
The brand’s co-founder, Nazek Al-Khulaifi, told Arab News: “We created this line especially for this.
“It’s very important that designers in our region focus on creating collections for this occasion because it’s very important for Muslims in general, Eid and Ramadan. To have such a thing is a push for designers to make it a seasonal thing that we care and focus on every year.”