The third edition of the Oud Fashion Talks (OFT) event convened international and regional fashion professionals in Kuwait this October. The program featured panel discussions with local emerging designers, beauty entrepreneurs, and leading content creators.
Held at the Abdullah Al Salem Cultural Center, this year’s OFT included a networking dinner, an exhibition showcasing regional design talent, and a series of panels and workshops focused on the current state of fashion, retail, and beauty in Kuwait and the broader Middle East.
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, is increasingly recognized as a promising sector within the global fashion industry. A survey conducted by BoF and McKinsey for the State of Fashion 2024 report indicates that the Middle East is viewed as the most promising region for 2024, reflecting a net interest rate of 51%, up from the previous year.
Khalid Al Tayer, CEO of luxury e-commerce platform Ounass, highlighted the region’s potential in his first public interview with Imran Amed, founder and CEO of Business of Fashion. “The region is a bright spot for the industry, thanks to the resilience and growing sophistication of the GCC customer,” he stated. Al Tayer emphasized that customers are now crafting their own fashion narratives, a development he associates with increased maturity in the market, particularly noting Kuwait as a leading force in fashion innovation.
Oud Fashion Talks was initiated by Zainab Alabdulrazzaq, founder of the fashion and beauty publication 3oud.com. Launched in 2022, the event aims to reshape perceptions of Kuwait and the GCC as solely consumer markets, instead showcasing the region’s vibrant homegrown businesses and talents while appealing to local consumers’ discretionary spending.
“For too long, we have been seen as just consumers,” Alabdulrazzaq stated during the event’s closing dinner. She highlighted the increasing value placed on creative professions within Kuwait’s fashion and beauty sectors, ranging from entrepreneurs to photographers and content creators. “This change illustrates our potential to create new jobs in the economy, making the business side of fashion increasingly significant,” she added.
With three years of development behind it, Alabdulrazzaq expressed a clearer vision for OFT and its role in shaping the country’s future. Kuwait’s “Vision 2035” initiative, similar to strategic plans in other GCC economies, emphasizes the development of local productivity and diversification of non-oil economic sectors, with “creative human capital” identified as a key pillar.
OFT has emerged as a model for similar industry events in the region, enhancing its global profile and promoting local talent and businesses on an international stage. Many attendees from OFT subsequently participate in Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Fashion Week, further establishing the event’s significance in the regional fashion landscape.
BoF continues to bring together the expertise of executives and emerging talent from across the GCC on the OFT stage, representing the dynamic changes within Kuwait’s rapidly evolving fashion and beauty industry.
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