AlUla Grants, delivered by the British Council in partnership with the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU), supported STUDIO Ü in delivering REMAKE: What is Luxury?, a collaborative UK–Saudi fashion project presented at the AlUla Arts Festival 2026. The initiative explored sustainable fashion as a form of cultural exchange, redesigning second-hand garments sourced from Riyadh markets into a 16-look capsule collection produced in STUDIO Ü’s Soho, London atelier. The project’s outcomes included a public exhibition, a catwalk film, a documentary, and a Q&A screening workshop on 14 February 2026, all held at AlJadidah Arts District. The exhibition welcomed approximately 2,000 visitors, while the documentary screening engaged 50 attendees. During the exhibition period (15 January – 15 February 2026), the project reached over 320,000 organic views on Instagram, with additional engagement via TikTok.
The 16-look capsule collection was crafted entirely from reclaimed garments sourced in Riyadh and redesigned in London to blend sustainable practice with artistic reconstruction. Collaboration extended beyond STUDIO Ü’s team to include local artisans from Madasaarat Adeera, who contributed handmade decorative elements for the exhibition, supporting regional craft practices. Throughout the exhibition, STUDIO Ü also led informal guided walk-throughs for students, local creatives, designers, and residents. These sessions focused on reconstruction methodology, sustainability, and the project narrative, fostering dialogue around material reuse and contemporary fashion practice.
The documentary film REMAKE: What is Luxury? was presented alongside a Q&A session, offering audiences insight into the design and reconstruction process. One notable engagement involved a local family of six who watched the screening continuously for around two hours, discussing the collection’s approach to preservation and reuse with the project team. The project also attracted international attention: a visiting filmmaker expressed interest in future collaboration, and a fashion university in Italy requested to screen the documentary for students upon its public release.
Beyond audience engagement, the project also generated practical outcomes. It created employment opportunities across garment production, exhibition staffing, sound engineering, and film crew roles. Sourcing garments from independent vendors at Souk Al-Zal supported the local second-hand economy and small-scale traders. Collaboration between UK-based designers and film crew with Saudi artisans and heritage partners exemplified knowledge exchange, strengthening connections between the UK and Saudi contemporary craft sectors. Post-project outcomes include invitations for future collaborations and opportunities to share the documentary internationally
