Luxury retailer the Chalhoub Group has signed a memorandum of understanding with Saudi Arabia’s Dar Al Hekma University in Jeddah to create and support opportunities for youth employment in the fashion retail sector.
The group, in collaboration with the university’s Student Development and Career Services Unit, seeks to bring workshops, mentorships and training programmes to the kingdom to improve fashion students’ academic and creative abilities.
At the final project presentation for the university’s fashion designs students, various executives of The Chalhoub Group acted as jury members, giving feedback on students’ creations.
“Our Group is committed to driving nationalisation, fostering talent growth and creating platforms for youth education,” said Bachar Sabbagh, managing director of the Chalhoub Group’s Saudi Arabian division.
“We believe that through this partnerhip with Dar Al Hekma, we will contribute with our expertise to up-skill and develop Saudi youth in their career journey and at the same time contribute to enrich our talent pool as the number one Great Place to Work in [the Kingdom],” Mr Sabbagh said.
In keeping with the memorandum’s goal, the company held talks, presentations and panel discussions at The Fashion Revival, the final exhibition for fashion design students celebrating the conclusion of their academia.
“Dar Al Hekma University’s vision is to graduate accomplished generations of leaders and entrepreneurs, and we are proud to partner with Chalhoub Group on this shared ambition,” said Dr Abeer Al Doghaither, president of Dar Al Hekma University.
“The Fashion Design graduation project and ‘The Fashion Revival’ event are the first of many exciting projects to empower youths along their professional paths.”
In April, the Chalhoub Group signed a memorandum of understanding with Saudi Arabia’s Fashion Commission, which seeks to develop the kingdom’s retail sector by creating leadership roles and training programmes for fashion enthusiasts.
The group is collaborating with the Fashion Commission to secure commercial spaces for local fashion designers to display their works.
The memorandum encourages international organisations to invest in the country’s fashion retail sector to ultimately promote its nationalisation.
Last year, the kingdom’s luxury market was valued at $2.2 billion, growing at a 19 per cent rate from 2019, according to The Chalhoub Group’s GCC Personal Luxury in 2021: A Story of Early Recovery and Growth report.
