DUBAI: Saudi designer Shahd Al-Shehail is among the Arab figures recognized in the 2026 Business of Fashion 500, the annual index of people shaping the global fashion industry, and she was on hand in Paris on Saturday night to celebrate at the BoF 500 Gala during Paris Fashion Week.
Al-Shehail, founder of Saudi fashion label Abadia, joins Kuwaiti entrepreneur Zainab Alabdulrazzaq, Lebanese fashion educator Sarah Hermez and Egyptian actress and singer Yasmina El-Abd on this year’s list. Their inclusion reflects the growing influence of the Middle East’s fashion and creative industries on the international stage.
Al-Shehail founded Abadia in 2019 as an ethical fashion house rooted in Saudi heritage, craftsmanship and cultural storytelling. The label explores traditional techniques alongside contemporary silhouettes and became the first Saudi brand to join Net-a-Porter in 2021, giving its approach to local craft an international platform.
Alabdulrazzaq, meanwhile, is the founder of 3oud.com, a fashion and digital media platform established in Kuwait in 2015. The site has covered regional and international fashion through runway reports, interviews and brand collaborations.
Lebanese designer and educator Hermez founded Creative Space in Beirut in 2011 after studying at Parsons. The initiative provides free fashion education to disadvantaged students, positioning fashion as a means of widening access to creative careers.
El-Abd, who began acting at nine, has built a career spanning Arabic, English and French-language productions. Known for roles including “Finding Ola” and “Theodosia,” she was also named a regional and global ambassador for Dior across beauty, fashion and jewelry in 2026.
The four join a BoF 500 that has grown considerably since its launch in 2013. What began as an index of 500 influential figures now comprises 1,713 people representing 104 nationalities. The 2026 selections were made through nominations from existing members, alongside research by BoF’s editorial team.
In an article accompanying the release of the new list, Business of Fashion founder and chief executive, Imran Amed, said “as the new class comes together, it is also a valuable learning opportunity, providing an annual snapshot of how the fashion system — and worlds it intersects with — is changing.”
Amed launched BoF from his London flat in 2007, initially building the platform as a reader-focused publication. In an interview with Columbia Journalism Review, he said: “The idea of building a community, focusing on servicing the reader first and not worrying about advertisers” was central to BoF from the beginning.
The latest Arab additions underline how that global fashion community is increasingly looking beyond its traditional centers in Paris, Milan, London and New York.
