Dubai, UAE, 23 March 2022: Dubai Design District (d3), in strategic partnership with the Arab Fashion Council, will kick-off Women's Arab Fashion Week tomorrow evening, with 28 shows set to run from 24-28 March 2022 (6-10 pm) at d3. The Arab Fashion Week-Women's Fall-Winter 2022/23 will see the official calendar strategically divided into three programs: the Couture Calendar from 24-25 March; the Ready-to-Wear Calendar from 26-28 March; and the Events Calendar (which highlights Fashion Week retail and entertainment opportunities) from 24-28 March.

Showcasing designers on the Couture Calendar are Maram Borhan (Egypt), Giannina Azar (the Dominican Republic of Lebanese origin), Ihab Jiryis (Palestine), Hian Tjen x Make Over (Indonesia), Hamariff (Russia), LuLu Liu (China), Dorota Goldpoint (Poland), Michael Cinco (UAE).

On the Ready-to-Wear Calendar will be Bouguessa (UAE), Aboud Jammal (Lebanon), Lili Blanc (UAE), Pearla Collection (UAE), Mada'En (Jordan), Emergency Room (Lebanon), Ilyes Ouali (Algeria/ England), American Rag (UAE), ALL's (Belarus), Gosia Baczynska (Poland), Sara Al Twaim (Saudi Arabia), Born in Exile (Libya), Poca & Poca (Poland), Nouvelle Silk (USA), Death by Dolls (Saudi Arabia), SemSem (USA), Amato (UAE), Francesca Liberatore (Italy, member of Milan Fashion Week) and Weinsanto (France, presented in collaboration with the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode the body that coordinated Paris Fashion Week). In addition to the shows, the events calendar will include retail pop-ups around d3, the holistic art experience entitled The Sense of Art by Sima Ahvaz, Meta Takes Fashion and further celebrations around the city.  

While fashion industry experts gather in d3 to watch the shows in person, fashion enthusiasts will also be able to watch the shows online as they will be livestreamed via various mediums, online by Meta, formerly known as Facebook Inc., and offline on digital screens across d3.  

Commenting ahead of opening night, Khadija Al Bastaki, Executive Director of Dubai Design District (d3), states: "We are delighted to kick off the Fall-Winter 2022/23 of Women's Arab Fashion Week here at d3 and bring an exciting and groundbreaking showcase of couture and ready-to-wear womenswear to our community, the region and global stage. Our partnership with the Arab Fashion Council is a significant one and together we are committed to the sustainable growth of our region's fashion industry.  Our region’s fashion industry is entering a new stage of impact on the global stage, and we are excited to support and nurture it further and help take it to even greater audiences.  At d3, we always strive to enable our diverse creative community and encourage collaboration, innovation and rethinking the regular, cementing Dubai as a global creative and fashion capital."

For the last seven years, the Arab Fashion Council has attracted industry icons from around the globe to witness the next generation of Arab talents. It has also been a pioneering institution for avant-garde clothing and sustainable fashion. To encourage the global fashion industry to continue championing for inclusivity and diversity, the Arab Fashion Council names Ameni Esseibi, the Tunisian-Dubai-based model, the Council's first curvy ambassador. Commenting on the title, model, actress and documentary filmmaker Farida Khelfa said, “Diversity is reality and Ameni is a part of it.”

"I feel proud. This is a huge step to acknowledge every woman, which is just the first milestone towards a new era for the fashion and retail industries to update the standards boldly and make them more inclusive for every woman. With my new title, I thrive on being a role model for self-confidence," says Ameni Esseibi, the Arab Fashion Council's Curvy Ambassador.

Mohammed Aqra, Chief Strategy Officer of the Arab Fashion Council of Arab Fashion Council, added: "The naming of Ameni Esseibi a Curvy Ambassador on the opening night of the Arab Fashion Week is a clear message to our long-term commitment and the readiness of our region to be the first to embrace tolerance and lead reforms in the creative industry. The Curvy Ambassador's role is not only to highlight a runway model. Still, it strategically encourages designers to take a step closer to include diverse profiles of the consumers, offering a wider choice for them at offline and online retail. We are heading in the right direction to make the industry more sustainable in all forms and more accessible by people of all sizes, races, and genders."

For more information, visit: www.arabfashionweek.com