Series: Fashion Thoughts
Sustainability is shaping the future of fashion, and Saudi Arabia is making its mark on the global stage. In a landmark initiative, three Saudi start-ups leading the change in sustainable beauty, luxury resale, and textile waste management were awarded the first-ever Kering Generation Award X Saudi Arabia, presented in collaboration with the Saudi Fashion Commission.
The winners - Asteri, Amused, and Darah Solutions Lab - were selected from over 500 applicants and announced at an exclusive ceremony in Riyadh. As part of their award, they will receive mentorship from Kering's sustainability teams in Paris and the opportunity to showcase their innovations at the ChangeNOW Summit 2025, reinforcing their potential to drive real change in the industry.
The Kering Generation Award, which first launched in China in 2018 and later expanded to Japan, has now arrived in Saudi Arabia - its first edition in the Middle East. The initiative reflects Kering's commitment to supporting young entrepreneurs in their efforts to create sustainable solutions for the fashion industry.
"In Saudi Arabia, we have encountered a remarkable level of innovation, which truly impressed us and solidified our decision to bring the Kering Awards here", said Marie-Claire Daveu, Kering's Chief Sustainability and Institutional Affairs Officer. "We believe that initiatives like the Kering Generation Awards are crucial to expanding the start-up ecosystem - from ideation and R&D to scaling and commercialization".
The Saudi Fashion Commission, which has been instrumental in building the country's fashion ecosystem over the past five years, sees sustainability as a core pillar of its long-term vision.
"We are a country that is still relatively new to fashion, and we want to ensure we build it in the right way", said Burak Cakmak, CEO of the Saudi Fashion Commission. "We have spent years observing what is needed to create a better fashion economy, and now we are at a point where we can support a new generation of Saudi fashion businesses - ones that place sustainability at the heart of their operations".
Meet the Winners: Pioneering a Sustainable Future
The three winning start-ups exemplify the diversity of sustainable innovation
Asteri - The Future of Sustainable beauty
Founded by Sarah Al Rashid, Asteri is a premium Saudi beauty brand designed specifically for Arab women. Addressing the lack of high - performance makeup suited for Saudi Arabia's climate and skin tones, Asteri introduces "desert-proof" cosmetics that combine luxury with sustainability.
Certified as a B Corp, the brand has committed to using 70% sustainable packaging, aligning itself with the $6.5 billion Middle Eastern beauty market and setting new standards for responsible beauty consumption.
Amused - Redefining Luxury Fashion Resale
The second winner, Amused, was founded by Sarah Teymoor and Mansoor Banja to address the growing demand for pre-owned luxury fashion. Their online marketplace has already generated $1.2 million in sales and cultivated a community of 35,000 active subscribers.
"The secondhand luxury market in the Middle East is enormous", Teymoor explained, highlighting how the sector is projected to grow from $3 billion in 2023 to over $11 billion by 2034. Amused is capitalizing on this demand by offering an authenticated, high - end resale platform that encourages circular fashion and reduces waste.
Darah Solutions Lab - Tackling Textile Waste
Saudi Arabia faces significant textile waste challenges, and Darah Solutions Lab, founded by Rawan Alderaibi, is on a mission to change that. The company specializes in transforming discarded garments into new pieces, championing upcycling as a means to reduce waste in the fashion industry.
"Fashion is a creative realm, yet its environmental impact is impossible to ignore", Alderaibi noted. "The industry produces 92 million tons of waste annually, and we believe we can do something meaningful with that".
The winners were selected by a jury of 10 influential industry figures, including:
Marie - Claire Daveu, Kering's Chief Sustainability Officer.
Miral Youssef, Kering's President of the Middle East and Africa.
Amanda Smith, Ceo of Fairchild Media Group (parent of WWD, Footwear News, Beauty Inc., and Sourcing Journal)
Kering partnered with innovation platform Plug and Play in Riyadh to meticulously review hundreds of applications, narrowing them down to 10 finalists before selecting the top three.
"We are incredibly proud of the results from this first edition", said Daveu. "The winners have demonstrated that sustainability is not just about ethics - it is about innovation, value creation, and the future-proofing of businesses."
Kering's commitment to sustainability is long-standing. Chairman and CEO Francois-Henri Pinault has long championed sustainability as an ethical and business imperative. With a dedicated team of 100 sustainability experts, Kering is actively fostering disruptive innovation that can be integrated across its portfolio of luxury brands.
One of Kering's key initiatives is its Material Innovation Lab in Milan, which houses a catalog of 8,000 + sustainable fabrics. These materials are available to all Kering - owned brands, enabling designers to make more environmentally responsible choices in their collections.
Beyond the award, Kering is committed to ongoing collaboration with the Saudi Fashion Commission, ensuring that the program evolves to meet the needs of the region.
"This is not just a one-time initiative - it's about building a long-term program that adapts and grows", said Daveu. "By partnering with local talent and fostering the right innovations, we believe the Kering Generation Award can be a catalyst for sustainable transformation in Saudi Arabia and beyond".
With this landmark initiative, Saudi Arabia continues to establish itself as a key played in the global sustainability movement. The Kering Generation Award X Saudi Arabia not only highlights cutting - edge solutions but also sets the stage for a future where fashion, sustainability, and business go hand in hand.
