Saudi Fashion Commission names industry heavyweight as CEO

Published 23 Feb,2021 via Asharq Alawsat (English Edition) - The Saudi Fashion Commission announced Monday the appointment of Burak Cakmak as CEO.

Cakmak will lead the Commission’s efforts to elevate the Saudi fashion sector as it seeks to preserve the kingdom’s rich fashion heritage and empower domestic talent.

The appointment comes in line with the Ministry of Culture’s efforts to implement the Saudi National Culture Strategy, a key pillar in the delivery of the kingdom’s transformation plan, Vision 2030.

Cakmak holds a joint MBA degree from Ceram Business School and San Francisco State University.

His distinguished career spans more than two decades during which he has held several senior positions in the fashion industry, most recently as Dean of Fashion at Parsons School of Design - The New School - in New York.

He also served as a sustainability consultant at the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and sat on the Advisory Board and Jury Committees for the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), LVMH Prize, and Global Change Awards.

Established in 2020, the Fashion Commission is one of 11 cultural commissions launched by the Ministry of Culture to oversee the development and success of each cultural sub-sector.

Serving as a catalyst for sector growth, the Commission is driving investment in local talent and infrastructure, resulting in job creation and direct contribution to the kingdom’s diversifying economy.

As the sector’s enabler and regulator, the Commission is also responsible for the creation of robust regulatory frameworks, which will result in a fully connected and integrated ecosystem.

Furthermore, the Commission supports the sector’s value chain by enabling the development of world-class educational establishments to provide training and entrepreneur support.

The Culture Ministry is keen to develop the fashion industry, being the cultural sector within 16 sectors it will focus its efforts and activities on.

The parliament’s approval to establish a fashion commission marked a new phase in the country’s cultural industry, in addition to adding the “Fashion Design” major to the other majors available within the scholarship program.

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