During Riyadh Fashion Week, which wound up its six-day run on Oct. 21, Saudi Fashion Commission executives were seen dressed in thobes and shemaghs on certain days — the national dress for men — and handsome shirt jackets and trousers on others.
It reflects shifting dress codes and ties into the growing confidence of homegrown brands, eager to be noticed on the world stage, while also serving a thriving local market.
The event showcased a wide array of men’s looks, with more traditional, robe-centric looks from Qormuz and Mihyar; and edgier, streetwear-based styles from the likes of Cargo, Eleven and Awaken.
“Men’s fashion in Saudi Arabia is evolving at an incredible pace, reflecting a new sense of cultural confidence,” said Fahad Al Jomiah, chief executive officer of 1886, which unveiled its fall 2026 on the runway on Oct. 20. “Today, Saudi men are mixing traditional pieces like the thobe with modern elements such as jackets or sneakers, creating a dialogue between heritage and innovation.”
Long characterized as a streetwear brand, 1886 unveiled on the runway its new “urban luxury” direction, which hews closer to Ralph Lauren than Supreme. Its current bestsellers include wide-leg trousers, boxy shirts and tailored bomber jackets.
“Fashion in Saudi today is about balance, celebrating tradition while embracing modernity. Saudi youth are globally connected and well-traveled, yet proud of their roots,” Al Jomiah said. “The evolution isn’t about choosing one over the other; it’s about merging both seamlessly.”
The rise of creative industries, entrepreneurship and social mobility have also influenced how men dress, he said.
“There’s more individuality, more confidence, and a stronger desire to express personality through style,” Al Jomiah asserted.
Abdulrahman Alabed, founder and CEO of Qormuz, agreed that men’s fashion in Saudi Arabia has undergone a significant transformation in recent years.
“Clothing is no longer confined to the binary of traditional thobes or Western styles. It has become a broader space for experimentation and redefining local dress codes through a contemporary lens,” he said. “Personally, I don’t see myself confined to a single style. I wear the bisht. I love the shemagh. But I wear them my way.”
A look from Qormuz comprising three layers of bishaya.
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His aim is to “preserve the soul of the bisht and traditional dress, while reinterpreting it through the eyes of a new generation through textiles, cuts and symbolism.”
To wit: Among its bestsellers are camel-hair bishts, a more complex version of the thobe known as the jubba, and its “bishaya,” which blends “the structure of a bisht with the flow of an abaya,” according to Alabed, who mentioned that Stella McCartney, who closed Riyadh Fashion Week with a runway, bought three Qormuz jubbas during her stay.
He noted that the Riyadh showcase yielded nearly 10 million views across TikTok, Instagram and X, much to his delight.
Mihyar is another Saudi brand out to show how the traditional thobe can evolve into a global fashion item, cutting that close-fitting, shirt-like garment, jalabiyas and farwas in various washes and textures of denim.
Details of a farwa, styled with contemporary garments on Mihyar’s runway.
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The company noted that thobes remain a cornerstone of the Saudi man’s identity, but today it’s often worn layered with outerwear, elevated with various textures and styled with contemporary accessories.
Founded in 2012, Miyhar boasts nearly 60 stores in Saudi Arabia, with plans to reach 100 locations within the next five years.
Mirai is another brand that attracted attention from international retailers attending Riyadh Fashion Week, with Selfridges ranking it as its top discovery.
“We’re not yet stocked at Selfridges, but we received great feedback from several major buyers and there are promising opportunities under discussion,” said Abdulrahman Tarabeh, cofounder and designer at Mirai, established in 2021. “Our ambition is to continue growing internationally, bridging Japanese-inspired minimalism and Saudi identity.”
To date, its strongest categories are outerwear and structured trousers.
“As Saudi designers, we’re proud to show our culture and heritage through fashion, even in modern silhouettes,” Tarabeh said. “Some of our pieces integrate Hijazi-inspired details, merging traditional Saudi elements with contemporary minimalism to represent both authenticity and progress.
“The thobe, for us, is like a tailored suit — it’s powerful, personal, and deeply cultural,” he added.
A look from Mirai on the runway in Riyadh.
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Yazeed Abahussein, founder and creative director of streetwear brand Not Boring, reckons that thobes comprise at least half of most men’s wardrobes.
“Saudi men do not wear anything but local costume when they’re going anywhere that requires dressing up — unless they’re very fashion forward,” he said, counting himself among the latter category.
Indeed, Not Boring, founded in 2017, takes a more irreverent approach, a cropped farwa being one of its earliest bestsellers. (A farwa is a woolen coat, usually fur-lined, that is typically full length.)
These days, its wry slogan T-shirts dominate the business, this year’s bestseller being “Dating Season,” depicting a woman standing under a palm tree as veiled reference to courtship. It was part of a Valentine’s Day drop.
A look from Not Boring, a Saudi streetwear brand.
Another of its famous T-shirts has the slogan “Do Not Show Affection in Public” in English and Arabic, riffing on public signs meant as a directive for tourists. “It’s a given if you’re from the region, but saying it out loud is funny for us,” Abahussein explained.
Not Boring set up a stand resembling a convenience for two days outside one of the runway venues, attracting attention with its displays of Tide detergent next to crates of caps and shelves of boxed slogan T-shirts.
“You know how people are obsessed with unboxing things,” Abahussein remarked. “You don’t see many playful brands for adults.”
