Saudi Arabia plans to develop domestic fashion manufacturing sector

the Saudi Fashion Commission has laid out a vision to develop a full fashion ecosystem in the next 10 years, with a shift toward more local product development and manufacturing as a key pillar for the sector’s growth.

Saudi Arabia imports more than $7 billion of fashion products annually, according to data provided by the fashion commission.

Çakmak, who previously was the dean of fashion at Parsons School of Design in New York, leads the Saudi Fashion Commission, tasked with enabling the development of the industry.

The kingdom’s bid to rapidly scale up capabilities in the next decade represents an opportunity for manufacturers, logistics providers and specialist machinery suppliers globally.

Bringing back even 20 percent of fashion imports could generate additional local manufacturing sales of $1.3 billion, according to the report.

The commission is courting foreign direct investors to support this growing consumer demand.

Fashion, an integral element of Saudi Arabia’s cultural economy, is part of controversial Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud’s ambitious Vision 2030 plan aimed at diversifying the economy away from petroleum.

The fashion commission is going deep into advanced materials science, leveraging the kingdom’s expertise in the global petrochemicals sector to create parallel opportunities for synthetic fibers and associated yarn and fabric production, as well as dyeing and printing operations.

They are supporting the setup of a sustainable materials research center at King Abdulaziz University’s Science and Technology Center.

The long-term goal, said Çakmak, is to make more sustainable materials not just for the benefit of Saudi Arabia but potentially for the rest of the world.