Saudi designer uses 3D tech to drive sustainable fashion
Saudi designer uses 3D tech to drive sustainable fashion/node/2294641/saudi-arabia
Saudi designer uses 3D tech to drive sustainable fashion
With 3D software programs simplifying the design process and improving product quality while reducing the environmental footprint, fashion designers are changing the way they approach their products, as well as pattern making and fittings. (Supplied)
Saudi designer uses 3D tech to drive sustainable fashion
Updated 01 May 2023
Dhai Almutairi
RIYADH: Saudi fashion designer Ghaydaa Majdaly is using 3D technology to design and produce clothes, helping to save resources and driving sustainability in the Kingdom.
The COVID-19 pandemic posed challenges for many people in their daily lives, including Majdaly, who turned her creativity into the study of sustainable fashion.
“During the pandemic, when all the shops were closed, I thought to myself if I would make a collection, where would I get fabrics and materials? So, I looked over the collections I made previously to see what pieces I should use for my new fashion collection,” she said.
“My first sustainable fashion piece was made out of plastic water bottles, given that plastic bottles severely damage our environment. I took those bottles and had them run through a machine to make sustainable and environment-friendly fabrics.”
Realizing the importance of sustainability in fashion, Majdaly began learning how to make fabrics using 3D technology. She also reuses fabrics to produce new fashion pieces.
A model shows of the creation during Saudi Cup weekend in Riyadh. (Supplied)
“I always keep in mind and follow the zero-waste strategy when designing pieces. The extra fabrics I have are used to make either small handbags or accessories, so there are no fabrics wasted in the process,” she said.
“There was a blouse that I no longer wore, but wanted to give it a second chance, so I took the pocket out, inserted it into the 3D machine and recreated a new piece from it.”
With 3D software programs simplifying the design process and improving product quality while reducing the environmental footprint, fashion designers are changing the way they approach their products, as well as pattern making and fittings.
Majdaly shared the secrets of designing pieces using 3D technology with Arab News.
HIGHLIGHTS
• The COVID-19 pandemic posed challenges for many people in their daily lives, including Ghaydaa Majdaly, who turned her creativity into the study of sustainable fashion.
• Realizing the importance of sustainability in fashion, she began learning how to make fabrics using 3D technology. She also reuses fabrics to produce new fashion pieces.
• Despite the technology’s ability to create photorealistic versions of clothes, handbags and accessories, addressing sustainability at the same time, it comes with challenges that vary from one designer to another.
“The 3D machine and the filaments are used to make 3D fabrics. I have several colored filaments, and the secret to all of this is the programs I use when plugging the 3D machine and making 3D fabrics,” she said.
Despite the technology’s ability to create photorealistic versions of clothes, handbags and accessories, addressing sustainability at the same time, it comes with challenges that vary from one designer to another. For Majdaly, designing a piece using 3D technology requires time.
“It takes a lot of time making anything using 3D. Even if it is a small, squared piece, it could take around three hours, and the more detailed the piece, the longer it takes to design,” she said.
Nevertheless, for Majdaly, 3D and sustainable fashion is “a deep, big field, and I think we should all stay tuned to the use of 3D in the fashion industry.”
Praising the efforts of the Saudi Fashion Commission in addressing and implementing sustainability in the Kingdom’s fashion sector, she said: “In the last workshop organized by the fashion commission, they brought samples of sustainable fabrics, and this is what I hope we would have more of as Saudi fashion designers to make more sustainable fashion pieces.”
Majdaly is the owner of the Ghydaa Majdaly fashion brand, and is a fashion consultant and trainer. This year, she published a fashion sketchbook to inspire and lead the way for future fashion designers in the Kingdom.
Saudi Arabia agency wins global prize for efficient government spending
EXPRO took top spot at Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply Excellence in Procurement Awards in London
Updated 4 sec ago
Arab News
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has won a global award for efficient government spending and allocation of resources aimed at growing the country’s economy in alignment with the Vision 2030 plan.
The Kingdom’s Expenditure and Project Efficiency Authority took the top spot at the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply Excellence in Procurement Awards that took place in London recently.
The CIPS granted EXPRO the award in the category Best Procurement Transformation Program, for the project “SpendVision.”
The CIPS is a global nonprofit organization dedicated to upholding excellence in procurement and supply chains, with over 200,000 international experts in the field.
EXPRO’s winning project outlines the strategic initiatives undertaken in partnership with Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Finance and the National Center for Government Resource Systems.
The project was designed to address challenges, including significant price variations, lack of transparency, non-standardized products, lengthy procurement processes, limited supplier commitment, and optimizing expenditure efficiency for government entities.
EXPRO’s CEO Abdulrazzag Al-Aujan said: “This honor reflects the synergistic endeavors of our partners across various government sectors, who have pioneered groundbreaking methods to amplify the efficiency of government expenditure in alignment with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030.”
The work undertaken by EXPRO resulted in over 500 government entities overcoming challenges in procurement processes, and standardizing products and services, said Al-Aujan.
Najran health dept conducts over 62,000 rehabilitation sessionss
Updated 25 September 2023
Arab News
RIYADH: Najran’s health department provided over 62,366 treatment sessions for patients in the first half of the year, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Monday.
The sessions took place at the primary healthcare center in Al-Mashaliyah.
There were 45,733 sessions for physical therapy, and 14,146 for physical medicine and rehabilitation. In addition there 2,487 for occupational therapy, with the provision of 14 prosthetic limbs and 2,344 auxiliary splints.
Under the agreement, KSrelief and UNICEF will work to strengthen strategic partnerships between the two sides
Updated 25 September 2023
Arab News
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia on Monday signed a joint agreement with UNICEF to protect children’s rights around the world.
KSrelief general supervisor, Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Rabeeah, and executive director of UNICEF, Catherine Russell, signed the agreement on the sidelines of the 78th United Nations General Assembly in New York, SPA reported.
Under the agreement, KSrelief and UNICEF will work to strengthen strategic partnerships between the two sides, provide humanitarian aid and exchange experiences, in addition to supporting volunteer programs.
Following the signing, Al-Rabeeah stressed the Kingdom’s keenness to reach vulnerable and disadvantaged children and their families through UNICEF projects. Russell expressed UNICEF’s gratitude for the partnership with Saudi Arabia, saying that it would help the organization reach millions of children in need in the world.
This agreement comes within the framework of KSrelief’s aim to enhance cooperation with international and regional humanitarian organizations to develop humanitarian work in various sectors.
ZACTA launches initiative to apply for exemption of fines before end of December
Updated 25 September 2023
Arab News
RIYADH: The Saudi Zakat, Tax and Customs authority has shared a guide for an initiative by the Ministry of Finance to apply for the exemption of fines before the end of this year.
The ministry said in the guide that this initiative aims to mitigate the financial implications resulting from COVID-19 that affected establishments.
The seven-month initiative started on June 1, 2023 and finishes on Dec. 31, 2023.
The guide discusses the exemption from fines resulting from late registration in all tax laws and regulations but mentions that conditions for taxpayers who could benefit from the initiative still apply.
It includes the exemption from delayed payment fines and overdue tax return submission, exemption from the VAT return correction penalty and several more.
How Saudi Arabia is indigenizing the AI revolution and future-proofing its workforce
Digitalization and emerging technologies are forecast to contribute some 2.4 percent to the Kingdom’s GDP by 2030
Saudi Arabia’s investments in technology align with the objectives of the Vision 2030 economic diversification agenda
Updated 25 September 2023
Rawan Radwan
JEDDAH: In the coming years, artificial intelligence technology is expected to transform economies, business practices and the way people live, work and consume. Conscious of these potentially momentous changes on the horizon, Saudi Arabia is pouring investments into AI research and development.
The Kingdom launched its National Strategy for Data and Artificial Intelligence in October 2020 aimed at becoming a global leader in the field, as it seeks to attract $20 billion in foreign and local investments by 2030.
Saudi Arabia is also determined to future-proof its workforce, for a start by training and developing a pool of 20,000 AI and data specialists.
Riyadh’s adoption of digitalization and emerging technologies is forecast to contribute some 2.4 percent to its gross domestic product by 2030, according to a recent report by global consultancy firm PwC.
In this file picture, the chief of the General Presidency for the Two Holy Mosques, Abdul-Rahman al-Sudais, is shown inaugurating the “Information” robot, which would be available in the Grand Mosque and will provide visitors with general information, lectures, lessons, Khutbahs and information about imams and muadhins. (Courtesy: General Presidency of Haramain)
In terms of average annual growth in the contribution of AI by region, Saudi Arabia is expected to grab a 31.3 percent share in the technology’s expansion between 2018 and 2030, the PwC report added.
“I believe that Saudi Arabia has a huge potential,” Ali Al-Moussa, a Saudi entrepreneur and AI expert, told Arab News.
“Being in the field for years now, I saw a lot of smart, talented people who are able to compete with (others around) the globe to create great technologies, not only artificial intelligence, but everything from robotics to blockchain, you name it.”
Saudi Arabia’s drive toward new technologies aligns with the objectives of the Vision 2030 social reform and economic diversification agenda, which aims to strengthen the Kingdom’s position as the regional leader in the field.
Saudi Arabia’s youth are particularly adaptable to technology and are eagerly experimenting with these tools, says Saudi entrepreneur and AI expert Ali Al-Moussa. (Supplied)
Al-Moussa says Vision 2030 has created a “lot of opportunity in the market,” empowering and enabling Saudi entrepreneurs to “imagine different applications” and to begin establishing tech startups.
“They build technologies, and they conduct research, and there is a lot of energy,” he said.
Interest in AI has boomed since ChatGPT, a large-language model developed by Microsoft-backed startup OpenAI, became a viral sensation when it was released in November 2022.
Conversations with the chatbot show that the program can explain complex scientific concepts, compose plays and poetry, generate university dissertations, and even write functional lines of computer code.
Its emergence kicked off fierce competition among Silicon Valley rivals for monetization of what software engineers call “generative AI,” including Google’s Bard, and more recently LLaMA developed by Facebook parent company Meta Platforms.
Meta recently released an AI model capable of translating and transcribing speech in dozens of languages, a potential building block for tools enabling real-time communication across language divides.
The company said in a blog post that its SeamlessM4T model could support translations between text and speech in nearly 100 languages, as well as full speech-to-speech translation for 35 languages, including Modern Standard Arabic.
A “guidance robot” has been developed to assist pilgrims and Umrah performers in understanding rituals and fatwas. (Supplied)
This and other more advanced programs are expected to transform decision-making, automation, and creative problem-solving across industries, from healthcare and finance to transportation and entertainment.
The emergence of these technologies will inevitably impact the labor market and make it necessary for nations to invest in training and education for their emerging workers, so that they have the tools to prosper in a fast-evolving economy.
“Saudi Arabia’s youth are particularly adaptable to technology and are eagerly experimenting with these tools,” said Al-Moussa.
To nurture this homegrown talent, the Kingdom is actively promoting AI competitions and “hackathons,” encouraging its researchers and students to tackle AI-related challenges to gain valuable hands-on experience.
Although the technology shows immense promise and seemingly limitless potential, experts have urged caution regarding the timing and approach to adopting AI technologies.
A report in March by investment bank Goldman Sachs predicted that AI could soon take the place of 300 million full-time jobs around the world, with 46 percent of administrative jobs and 44 percent of legal jobs risking replacement.
However, it also found that the rollout of AI could boost labor productivity and push global growth up by 7 percent year-on-year over a 10-year period.
Equipped with upper and lower cameras, specialized Zamzam distributing robots with laser sensors help it avoid any surrounding obstacles. (FILE/General Presidency of Haramain)
Al-Moussa says there are broadly two schools of thought about AI. The first views the technology as “complementary to our lives,” serving essentially as “an augmentation to our abilities.” This type of AI will not negatively impact the job market and, if anything, could enhance the way people live and work.
The other school of thought warns that AI will replace people’s jobs, will be “fast and intrusive,” and “all profit-driven,” causing harm to sections of society.
Rejecting the warnings of doomsayers about an “AI apocalypse,” Al-Moussa predicts that such programs will be primarily used for “repetitive tasks” that do not require “high intellect” or human input.
As part of Saudi Arabia’s preparation of the coming age of AI, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in June approved the establishment of the International Center for Artificial Intelligence Research and Ethics in Riyadh.
Introduced amid covid-19 pandemic, specialized robots roam the grounds of the Two Holy mosques distribute Zamzam water. (FILE/General Presidency of Haramain)
Earlier that same month, the Kingdom also established the Global Cybersecurity Forum Institute in Riyadh to harness the potential of cyberspace and support efforts to boost cybersafety on a global scale.
AI advocates have sought to address doubts surrounding the technology by emphasizing the critical importance of transparency and responsible usage.
Whatever the truth of the matter, there is no disputing that the popularity of AI applications in businesses is on the rise.
In May, the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority inaugurated the Center of Excellence for Generative Artificial Intelligence in partnership with the US computing firm Nvidia.
The authority also unveiled an AI chat application of its own capable of answering queries in Arabic known as Allam.
According to the Financial Times, Saudi Arabia recently bought as many as 3,000 of Nvidia’s H100 chips, which cost $40,000 each and are the first designed for generative AI, through the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology.
Achieving the goal of becoming an AI powerhouse will of course take time as widespread adoption of new systems requires the creation of an AI ecosystem and a strong culture of entrepreneurship.
Collaboration with international partners, investment in local talent, and adherence to global practices and standards in AI development are viewed as the best means of promoting Saudi initiatives in the field.
Al-Moussa believes there is an especially promising future in “homegrown technology” for Saudi Arabia, which will best reflect its language, culture and priorities.
“Nobody better understands us than us,” he said. “We grew up here. We know the culture. So, the kind of AI that can be developed at home is definitely closer to the culture, whether it is generative AI or something related to our environment. Because this kind of experience or this kind of intellect is unique to our country.
“You cannot imagine someone in a different part of the globe developing something for us better than us because we understand our power and our nature better than anyone else.”
