Kuwait is emerging as a key fashion and luxury market in the GCC. Insights from Oud Fashion Talks 2025 reveal prestige growth and future trends for 2026
Why Kuwait Is Becoming a Key Player in the GCC Luxury Market
The future of luxury in the Middle East is becoming ever more strategically relevant. As growth in established markets softens amid macroeconomic uncertainty, geopolitical tensions, and shifting consumer priorities, global fashion and beauty players are reorienting their focus toward the GCC. Here, demand is driven by experiential consumption, cultural proximity, and innovative business models—positioning the region as a key growth engine for 2026.
Within this landscape, Kuwait is emerging as one of the most strategically underestimated luxury markets in the Gulf. Often overshadowed by its larger neighbours, the country is nonetheless demonstrating sustained, data-backed momentum. In prestige beauty alone, Kuwait recorded +4 per cent growth in make-up and +9 per cent in skincare year-to-date to September 2025, reflecting resilience and strong alignment with the region’s ongoing premiumisation trends. As brands recalibrate their Middle East strategies, Kuwait’s role in shaping the next wave of GCC luxury growth warrants renewed and focused attention.
Oud Fashion Talks: Measuring Kuwait’s Fashion Influence
Against this backdrop, industry-defining platforms and thought-leadership moments are playing an ever more pivotal role in how luxury brands, creatives and investors assess the region’s future. Oud Fashion Talks, in particular, has emerged as a barometer of Kuwait’s growing influence within the Middle East’s fashion and luxury ecosystem.
On 29 November 2025, Oud Fashion Talks—Kuwait’s pioneering fashion conference—returned for its fourth edition, reaffirming its status as a catalyst for the region’s creative economy. Hosted at The Arena Kuwait, the event brought together emerging talent, established creatives and international industry leaders through a curated programme of panels, workshops and exhibitions. More than a cultural gathering, the conference serves as a strategic stage where conversations around fashion, beauty, retail, and media converge, highlighting emerging trends poised to shape the GCC luxury landscape in 2026.
Luxury Icons at Oud Fashion Talks 2025: Speakers Driving Kuwait’s Market
This year’s edition brought together an exceptional line-up of speakers, including Elie Saab and Elie Saab Junior of the Elie Saab Group; Patrick Chalhoub, Executive Chairman of Chalhoub Group; Imran Amed, Founder and CEO of The Business of Fashion; Abdullah AlJulaibi, CEO of Boutiqaat; artist and entrepreneur Balqees Fathi; and Anna Zinola, Education Director at Istituto Marangoni Riyadh. Their presence underscored Kuwait’s ability to attract high-level voices and position itself as a central hub for luxury discourse in the region.
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Highlights from the panel programme provide a snapshot of the key themes explored—from the evolution of luxury consumption in the GCC to the role of creativity, education, and digital platforms in shaping the next generation of fashion and luxury markets.
Elie Saab Opens Kuwait Flagship: GCC Expansion and Luxury Strategy
Renowned as one of the defining fashion designers of our century, Elie Saab captivated the audience with personal reflections on his journey, highlighting that success is rooted as much in patience as it is in talent.
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Speaking openly about the importance of perseverance, Elie Saab shared insights he also discussed on Anas Bukhash’s AB Talks, a widely followed Middle Eastern podcast. He recounted how, as a young man, his ambition to become a tailor was initially met with hesitation from his mother, even as clients admired his work and lined up for his creations. His story resonated deeply with young creatives in the audience, many of whom recognised their own aspirations and challenges in his journey.
Continuing the conversation, Elie Saab Junior, CEO of Elie Saab Group, unveiled a strategic milestone: the maison’s expansion into the United States, with its first flagship boutique set to open in Miami in 2026—a bold step to strengthen its presence in the American luxury market.
The day concluded with the announcement and ceremonial opening of the first Elie Saab Kuwait flagship boutique at The Avenues Mall – Prestige, marking a landmark moment for the brand’s GCC expansion and reinforcing Kuwait’s position as a strategic luxury hub in the Middle East.
Chalhoub Group 2025 Report: Kuwait Luxury Market Trends and GCC Insights
A standout moment came during the conversation between Patrick Chalhoub, Executive Chairman of Chalhoub Group, and moderator Imran Amed, Founder & CEO of The Business of Fashion, as they explored the Group’s seven-decade journey shaping luxury retail across the GCC.
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Patrick Chalhoub offered a heartfelt tribute to Kuwait, the country where his family found refuge after the civil war in Lebanon in 1975, where they established the Group’s main office. He recalled, “Kuwaitis were aware, fashion-conscious, and always on trend.”
When Imran Amed asked why European luxury markets appear less enthusiastic while the Middle East remains vibrant and energetic, Chalhoub’s response was unequivocal: the region represents the future, prompting the Group to intensify its commitment to the GCC. Echoing Elie Saab’s remarks, he emphasised that patience and perseverance remain the true foundations of long-term success in luxury.
Following the discussion, Chalhoub Group shared key findings from its study, “Inside Kuwait’s Luxury Shopper,” revealing that Kuwait’s luxury fashion market remains robust—well above 2019 levels and growing at a 5% CAGR despite recent softening. Kuwaiti consumers engage with luxury fashion purchases on average twice a month. Notably, buy now, pay later services (43%) and tech-enabled innovations (35%) are emerging as significant growth drivers. These highlights underscore the resilience and sophistication of Kuwaiti luxury shoppers, offering a strategic roadmap for brands planning their GCC strategies for 2026.
Boutiqaat: Transforming Digital Beauty and Social Commerce in Kuwait
Digital transformation took centre stage during the “Boutiqaat: The Digital Beauty Pioneer That Changes the Game” panel at the fourth edition of Oud Fashion Talks. During the discussion, Abdullah AlJulaibi, CEO of Boutiqaat, explored the platform’s role as an early mover in social commerce and digital beauty retail.
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Moderated by Saudi entrepreneur Nada Baeshen, the conversation examined Boutiqaat’s impact on consumer behaviour and its innovation-led approach to beauty. AlJulaibi highlighted how content, community and commerce are reshaping engagement, while also outlining the platform’s ambition to scale its model globally and help define the future of beauty in the GCCC.
Mapping Luxury: Trends Shaping Modern Fashion in Kuwait and Beyond
The programme also addressed the evolving definitions of luxury through education. Anna Zinola, Education Director at Istituto Marangoni Riyadh, led an insightful workshop—“Mapping Luxury: From Exclusive Couture to Masstige”—that offered a clear framework for understanding what defines luxury today and how the modern luxury system operates.
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Drawing on real-world case studies, the session explored the strategies of leading fashion brands as they navigate the spectrum from high luxury to lifestyle, accessible luxury and masstige. The workshop provided attendees with a practical lens for assessing how brands are repositioning themselves amid shifting price points, consumer expectations and changing market conditions.
Inside Kuwait’s Fashion-Forward Audience: Gen Z to Gen X
Beyond the fourth edition of Oud Fashion Talks itself, Kuwait’s fashion-forward audience emerged as one of the event’s most compelling narratives. A sophisticated mix of regional elegance and contemporary styling, the crowd reflected a seamless dialogue between East and West, couture and modernity.
Attendees from Gen Z, Millennials and Gen X displayed remarkable fashion literacy—from distinctive silhouettes and refined jewellery choices to exclusive pieces sourced from Milan and Paris. Their presence reinforced Kuwait’s growing cultural confidence and solidified its status as a tastemaker within the wider regional creative scene.
Emerging Kuwaiti Designers at Oud Fashion Talks 2025: Pop-Up Highlights
A key feature of Oud Fashion Talks was its commitment to bridging international cultures while championing emerging fashion talent across the GCC. Alongside the panels, The Arena hosted a series of pop-ups that celebrated the creativity and diversity animating Kuwait’s fashion scene.
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Curated by We Are Moso, the exhibition showcased 32 standout local designers, immersing attendees in the region’s spirit of innovation and craftsmanship. Highlights ranged from refined daywear bags by Folklore The Label and elevated office-core collections by Human Connection Online to bold pieces from Maison Chahad and Farbasta Jewelry, distinctive pony-hair and leopard mules by Alrramii, and slow-fashion womenswear by Kochylia.
Why Kuwait’s Creative and Fashion Industry Is Booming
The fourth edition of Oud Fashion Talks reinforced Kuwait’s position as a rising hub for creativity, fashion, and cultural exchange. By bringing together global icons, regional innovators, and a highly engaged audience, the event went beyond a traditional conference format, marking a significant step in the evolution of Kuwait’s fashion and media landscape.
Jelizaveta Kozlova
Fashion Entrepreneur, Lecturer & Founder of EK Laboratory PR agency