Selfridges’ Corner Shop has swapped its usual designer merch for palm-woven baskets, hammered-silver bangles and camel-leather clutches as the Saudi Cultural Development Fund (CDF) opens a three-week showcase of artisan craft, running 3–22 June.
The pop-up lands on Oxford Street in partnership with heritage-revival nonprofit Turquoise Mountain, giving London shoppers a first-hand look at pieces normally found in Al-Qassim souqs or Najran workshops as part of Saudi Arabia’s “Year of Handicrafts” push to bring traditional skills to a global audience.
Each object nods to a different slice of the Kingdom’s landscape—date-palm fibres from the oases, geometric leatherwork inspired by desert forts, gemstones cut along the old incense route—yet the curation feels undeniably modern. Every item is handmade from locally sourced materials, meeting Selfridges’ own sustainability checklist while delivering the kind of one-off flair luxury customers chase.
There’s fashion, too! You will find a capsule rail curated with the Saudi Fashion Commission lining up ready-to-wear from rising labels on the Saudi 100 Brands roster including Noble & Fresh, Nora AlSheikh, APOA, Mona AlShebil, ARAM and Samar Nasraldin.
The CDF hopes the London stopover will double as real-time market research for its Nama’ artisan accelerator—think of it as field-testing Saudi craft in one of retail’s busiest windows.
Practical bits: the pop-up sits on Selfridges’ ground floor; prices start around Dhs 200 (£40) for jewellery and go up for larger leather pieces. Browsing is free, but odds are you’ll leave with at least one palm-woven souvenir (and maybe a new designer on your radar). The showcase closes 22 June, so pencil it in before summer crowds really hit Oxford Street.
