Lebanese couturier Elie Saab will return to Riyadh Season this year with a lavish show to celebrate 45 years in the fashion industry
Titled 1001 Seasons of Elie Saab, a nod to the traditional Middle Eastern tales 1001 Nights, Saab's show will feature a runway presentation and several performances, and is set to be streamed across his social media platforms, and broadcast on the MBC television network across the region.
Slated for November 13, it is expected to feature 300 looks and will be styled by Carine Roitfeld, stylist and former editor of French Vogue. The collection, titled Riyadh Season Collection Fall 2025, is expected to reference how Saudi Arabia has been an important market for the house.
To date, details are being kept firmly under wraps, but Elie Saab chief executive, Elie Saab Jr, promised the event will “bridge fashion and entertainment” and will include performances and appearances by as yet un-named stars and friends of the house. The event is being orchestrated by Done+Dusted, the firm behind the Victoria’s Secret fashion shows.
In the past four decades, Saab has risen from a solo designer with 15 seamstresses into an empire that encompasses ready-to-wear, bridal, haute couture, children’s wear, accessories, perfume, interiors and, in conjunction with Emaar, high-end waterfront properties.
With workshops in Lebanon, Milan and Paris, Saab is now a household name, having shot to international attention in 2002, when he dressed American actress Halle Berry as she collected an Oscar for her role in Monster's Ball. It was a notable moment for two reasons, first for Berry becoming the first black woman to scoop the Best Actress award, and secondly, Saab was the first Lebanese designer to dress an Oscar winner.
Returning to Riyadh Season, Saab will again be part of one of the world’s largest winter entertainment events. In addition to Saab's show, Dior will be opening its touring exhibition, Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams. In Boulevard City, the main location for the festival among a total of 14 "zones", there will be cultural events, entertainment and sporting fixtures, in addition to fashion. Founded in 2019, the season runs from October to March each winter.
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Six large-scale objects on show
- Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
- The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
- A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
- Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
- A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
- Torrijos Palace dome
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Company profile
Date started: December 24, 2018
Founders: Omer Gurel, chief executive and co-founder and Edebali Sener, co-founder and chief technology officer
Based: Dubai Media City
Number of employees: 42 (34 in Dubai and a tech team of eight in Ankara, Turkey)
Sector: ConsumerTech and FinTech
Cashflow: Almost $1 million a year
Funding: Series A funding of $2.5m with Series B plans for May 2020
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Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
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Key facilities
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1 Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 10 wins 387 points
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Power: 727hp
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The Florida Project
Director: Sean Baker
Starring: Bria Vinaite, Brooklynn Prince, Willem Dafoe
Four stars
