Jeddah Brings Together the World of Fashion and Textiles as Saudi Fashiontex 2026 Opens with Broad International Participation
The fourth edition of the Saudi Fashiontex Expo 2026 opened in Jeddah today, Thursday, September 24, 2026, bringing together brands, manufacturers, suppliers and specialists from multiple markets under one roof, and placing the fashion and textile industry at the heart of a growing commercial and creative movement in the Kingdom.
The exhibition runs through September 27 at the Jeddah Exhibition and Events Center, daily from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. According to the exhibition’s official website, this year’s edition aims to bring together around 550 exhibitors and more than 10,000 visitors, with international participation spanning dozens of countries. Exhibits include women’s, men’s and sportswear, ready-to-wear clothing, fabrics, yarns, accessories, leather goods, footwear, handbags and evening gowns.
A Fashion and Trade Platform in Jeddah
Saudi Fashiontex is not limited to displaying finished products; it presents itself as a business platform connecting manufacturers and suppliers with designers, brands and buyers, at a time when Saudi Arabia’s fashion ecosystem is expanding and becoming increasingly linked to global supply chains and markets. The accompanying program includes sessions and workshops on brand building, manufacturing technologies, artificial intelligence in fashion, sustainability, and how local identity can be transformed into a luxury product capable of competing globally.
One of the most prominent features of this year’s international participation is the presence of a group of Indonesian designers and companies, supported by Indonesia’s Ministry of Trade. Their participation showcases models that blend modest fashion with traditional crafts, including the use of fabrics and techniques such as “Jumputan” from South Sumatra, batik and hand embroidery in contemporary designs aimed at the Saudi and regional markets.
Saudi Market Attracts Modest Fashion Brands
The Indonesian participation reflects growing interest in the Saudi market, particularly in the modest fashion sector and products with a cultural character. According to a report published by Arab News on the eve of the exhibition’s opening, participating brands view Jeddah as a gateway to reaching buyers and building new business partnerships in the Kingdom, while combining craft identity with contemporary design.
The exhibition comes amid a clear transformation in Saudi Arabia’s fashion industry, where events are no longer focused solely on fashion shows but now also encompass manufacturing, sourcing, new technologies, talent development and brand building. This broader scope gives local designers and visitors an opportunity to learn about trends in materials, fabrics and technologies, as well as to engage directly with stakeholders across production and distribution chains.
Four Days of Sessions and Shows
The professional program runs for four days and includes sessions on moving from local identity to global luxury, building a scalable fashion brand, transformation and new opportunities in the sector, as well as a commercial fashion show and a session dedicated to artificial intelligence and the future of fashion. This gives the exhibition a dimension that extends beyond shopping or viewing to include discussion of the industry’s future itself.
The event will welcome visitors through Sunday, September 27, bringing together the commercial, design and technological aspects of the industry in an event that reinforces Jeddah’s position as one of the region’s important meeting points for the fashion and textile industry.
Sources
Official Saudi Fashiontex Expo website
Arab News – Indonesian designers’ participation in the exhibition
