PARIS — Elie Saab is adding another event to its busy fashion calendar. The Lebanese designer will showcase an experimental extravaganza at the Riyadh Season on November 13.
Saab is creating an entertainment event called “1001 Seasons of Elie Saab”, a reference to the ‘1001 Nights’ collection of Arab folk tales, which will include a catwalk presentation and various performances. It will air on the MBC television network in the Gulf region and will be broadcast globally via the brand’s social platforms.
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Elie Saab CEO Elie Saab Jr. He said the show would “bridge the gap between fashion and entertainment.” He likened the show to a movie turned into a live experience.
The production is envisioned as a series of interlocking tableaus showcasing Saab’s designs, with nearly 300 looks to be shown on sets and interspersed with live performances. The CEO has yet to announce who will be taking to the stage, but he has promised some “big A” A-list talents and long-time friends of the brand.
British television and live events producer Done+Dusted, the company behind the Victoria’s Secret fashion shows and the Academy Awards, will direct the film. The show will be styled by Carine Roitfeld, while Piergiorgio Del Moro will cast.
Saab and Saab Jr. will serve as executive producers on the program under Saab’s creative direction.
The event is an anniversary celebration celebrating Saab’s 45th year in business, as well as its return to Saudi Arabia, its first market outside Lebanon. He said there was an emotional significance to hosting the event in Saudi Arabia, as well as a desire to raise awareness of the cultural change currently underway in the kingdom.
“These are the people, the women of Saudi Arabia, who believed in Elie Saab from day one. “I want to show the Saudi woman how modern she is, because the world press does not know this side of Saudi Arabia,” Saab said in an interview with WWD. “Because the Saudi woman is truly a woman with very refined tastes and enormous purchasing power, and all the fashion houses in the world can agree with what I say.”
He added that he hoped to show the country “from a different perspective.”
“Saudi Arabia and all the developments and work they have done for a new global image, I think we, as the Parliament, are with them in this project. This is a very important thing for both us and them,” he said.
Saab described the comprehensive plan for the brand as “a new mode of communication”, which will be reflected through clothing that will include her signature dresses, capes, coats and head jewelery with a modern approach that respects Saudi rules.
The company is working with the support of His Excellency Turki Alalshikh, head of the country’s general entertainment authority, to bring the event to life.
“The Riyadh Season was one of the key drivers of change in the kingdom,” Saab Jr. said. “[The show] “We will reinforce this idea of change by presenting this collection with the strong women we represent… The showcase will convey the evolution that is also taking place in the kingdom.”
The Riyadh Season is a series of entertainment and sporting events planned throughout the winter, launched in 2019 as an initiative to support the kingdom’s economic and cultural development. The Saab event will be held in The Venue, newly built for cultural events.
Saab Jr. ensures that the company has complete creative freedom in production. “There is a lot of trust between us about the partnership because they know that ultimately we are a global brand that gives back to the region. “They know we understand both worlds very well.”
Saab Jr. notes that the country actively engages celebrities and events that put it on the global stage, such as the Red Sea Film Festival and its own fashion week in the capital, and he hopes such a large-scale event will continue to make a lasting impact. Saudi Arabia’s place on the fashion map.
“The fashion commission is leading very positive change and working on the foundation and fundamentals of what it takes to create a fashion ecosystem,” he said.
The Elie Saab brand has already expanded beyond its core business of fashion, fragrance and accessories into interiors and real estate projects, and the company sees this event as signaling the next evolution of the Elie Saab name as well as placing it at the forefront. Monitoring the overall trend in the fashion industry to create events and experiences.
“This is more than a fashion show, it is an event that has never been done before in the fashion world. A new tool to present fashion… will increase visibility [and] the value of the house. It will move on to another dimension of success,” said Saab.
The show will be less about “pushing product” and more about creating a new type of marketing. “Our aim is not to be overwhelmed with different messages, and ultimately this fair represents the Saab group, which has already consolidated these important pillars in its portfolio,” said Saab Jr.
The company continues its retail expansion plan globally for additional store openings around the world.
“Ours [retail] “The launch has been meticulously worked on to meet the demand we know is for the brand regarding target locations,” he said.
They are currently planning an opening in Kuwait in January 2025, which will complement Saab’s presence in the Gulf countries. Two to three planned openings are planned for key markets in the U.S. over the next two years.
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