Arab Fashion Week Returns to Dubai Design District with an International Line-up of Women's Shows and Pioneering Collaboration

Dubai, UAE, 27 September 2022: In strategic partnership, the Arab Fashion Council and Dubai Design District (d3) are delighted to announce the return of Women’s Arab Fashion Week with Couture FW 22/23 and Spring Summer 2023 Ready-To-Wear shows taking place at d3 from October 10-15, 2022.

Staged within the city’s design and fashion pulse, the creative world – and more than 35 designers – will unite in Dubai at d3. Supported by TECOM Group PJSC’s creative platform, the six-day calendar will be packed with runway shows, an international collaboration, roundtable talks and activations.

As the global fashion industry continues to emerge from the pandemic, Arab Fashion Week will welcome regional and international editors, buyers, industry leaders, and global celebrities, to view a curated selection of fashion-forward designers from the MENA region, Europe, the Americas and Asia. A roster of new designers and returning ones are expected to be on the season’s dynamic calendar and La Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode, the French body responsible for coordinating Paris Fashion Week, will once again present Paris-based label Weinsanto. It will be the fifth occasion in which Weinsanto participates at Arab Fashion Week, highlighting the ever-growing relevance of Dubai to global brands.

An occasion of firsts, UAE-based brand, The Giving Movement will debut its new range of clothing named FiftyMade on the catwalk, while Atelier Forger will take centre stage as the first Syrian label to showcase at Arab Fashion Week.

Emerging and established designers from as far afield as Mexico, Nicaragua, Thailand, Malaysia and Ukraine will also be participating at Arab Fashion Week for the first time – and these are in addition to names from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Turkey, India, Indonesia, Vietnam, France, the UK, the Philippines, Poland, Romania, Paraguay and Belarus. Some 23 countries will be represented in total.

Furthermore, Arab Fashion Week will kick off with a special event commemorating Barbie, the 2021 recipient of the Fashion Icon Award. The Arab Fashion Council forged a one-of-a-kind collaboration with the world’s most diverse doll, tapping Lebanese couturier Jean-Louis Sabaji as the first Arab designer ever to work with the global icon, following similar partnerships with Balmain and Moschino. The historic capsule will be unveiled on October 10 at d3.

To usher in the season of physical presentations, the runway shows will be broadcasted on live screens positioned around the d3 space. The public will also be invited to view the live shows via the Arab Fashion Week and Arab fashion Council social media platforms.

Khadija Al Bastaki, Vice President of Dubai Design District (d3), said: “We are proud, with our strategic partner the Arab Fashion Council, to announce the line-up for this autumn’s Arab Fashion Week, which will be by far, the largest edition to date with more than 35 designers set to hit the runway over the six-day event – from all corners of the world. We look forward to welcoming the creative community to d3 to engage, connect and be inspired, and to see many emerging and established talents hit our runway for the first time, as well as to partake in workshops, panels and wider activations. It is very much our mission at Dubai Design District to elevate the creative ecosystem here in Dubai and the wider region with opportunities to showcase, tap into new stakeholders and audiences, and – most importantly – rethink the regular. Arab Fashion Week continues to be at the very heart of our regional fashion industry while also taking the global narrative on all that is happening here in our region to new heights, further growing Dubai’s reputation as a global fashion hub. We look forward to welcoming all fashion lovers and enthusiasts.”

Mohammed Aqra, Chief Strategy Officer of the Arab Fashion Council, says: “The Arab Fashion Council is focused on its ardent mission to build strategies and bridge the divide between international companies and regional ones – structured in a way that supports the Council’s mission dedicated to fostering and supporting the global trajectories of our local talent and businesses that represent our creative heartlands. We are very excited about having pioneered a global collaboration between Barbie and Lebanese couturier Jean-Louis Sabaji, the first Arab in history to work with the global icon. We also celebrate Arab Fashion Week’s success as the region’s #1 creative platform, propelling its designers onto a global stage and before international brands, buyers, and worldwide media. Together with d3, we continue to champion Dubai’s role as the region’s fashion capital.”

Serge Carreira, Head of Emerging Brands Initiative, La Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode, said: “We are pleased to continue to strengthen on the long-run the collaboration with the Arab Fashion Council. Some of our most promising talents could build strong and consistent relationships and explore the market in the region season after season. This contributes undoubtedly to pave the way for a global success.”

The Arab Fashion Council is also pleased to announce the participation of its international corporate sponsors: Meta, Microsoft, Windows, Electra, Schwarzkopf professional, KIKO Milano, Waldorf Astoria DIFC, Launchmetrics, Ferronato Switzerland, and Quintessentially.

The calendar is now live on https://arabfashionweek.org/official-calendar/

For more info on Women’s Arab Fashion Week, visit:

www.arabfashionweek.org

https://www.instagram.com/arabfashionweek/