Saudi Arabia has announced its Fashion Futures event is officially scheduled to take place again this year in Riyadh.

An initiative led by the Fashion Commission of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), Fashion Futures provides a platform for local designers, brands and start-ups to showcase their creations. The mission is to evolve the Saudi fashion industry and its homegrown talent by connecting it with the global fashion community, unlocking a thriving cultural movement to preserve, strengthen and elevate the rich local heritage.

With talks, panel discussions, workshops, pop-up shows, and networking opportunities, the three-day gathering will allow industry players to discuss critical issues in the fashion industry, including diversity, entrepreneurship, innovation and sustainability as a core thread of the agenda.

This year’s international lecturers called in to speak at the summit include Abdullah Abo-Milhim, Director of Education at the Istituto Marangoni Fashion and Design School in London since 2021.

With financial studies, a background in investment banking and hedge funds and extensive teaching experience at UK Higher Education Institutions and Universities, Abdullah has been a lecturer and Programme Leader at Istituto Marangoni London since 2010, with a focus on finance, management and business for the school’s programmes in Fashion Business, Fashion & Luxury Brand Management, Fashion Promotion and Fashion Buying.

The conference will be a unique and prestigious occasion for Istituto Marangoni to spread and share its fashion business culture and expertise, explore opportunities and concerns to tackle and engage in relevant global conversations, connections and exposure.

First masterclass on November 18th

The outlook for the Fashion Supply Chain: Implications on Merchandising, Buying and CRM

The fashion supply chain is facing severe disruption, sending shockwaves across local and global retail sectors. This masterclass evaluates how fashion businesses constantly need to understand the supply chain pain point and investigate the interconnections between customer relationship management (CRM), the changing reality of fashion buying, and the role of merchandising. In addition, the masterclass will focus on how the non-linearity of the supply chain is rooted in much of the recent changes around fashion buying strategies, stakeholder management and responsible practices.

Second masterclass on November 19th

The Future of Storytelling in the Age of Industry 5.0, Digital Transformation and the Metaverse.

As the fashion industry is going through a massive transformation, questions about the future of “storytelling” are being raised. This masterclass discusses how smart technologies and digital innovations are transforming fashion business models and value chains and pushing fashion companies to rethink important concepts around brand equity, customer engagement, and digital identities.