First Official Dubai Fashion Week Kicks-off in Dubai Design District

Founded by Dubai Design District (d3), the first official Dubai Fashion Week (DFW) is set to make its debut, starting this week in d3 as well as in other exciting new venues and locations across Dubai. Dubai Fashion Week is set to unite the fashion scene in Dubai and further cement the Emirate’s position as a global fashion capital.

With this first edition, Dubai Fashion Week will see new spaces and locations used for catwalk shows as well as city-wide engagements comprising worldwide brands and homegrown regional talents, fortifying Dubai’s presence as a global fashion hub and international reference for the entire industry.

Dubai Fashion Week evolves from the successful legacy of Arab Fashion Week. Running from Friday, 10 March to Wednesday, 15 March 2023, the new official fashion event is set to draw international collaborators, design-makers, and visitors, with an extensive gathering of media and buyers arriving in Dubai following Paris Fashion Week, to view the Autumn Winter 2023/24 collections. The event underscores TECOM Group’s commitment to cementing Dubai as a global creative capital and builds on the Emirate’s status as a global hub for business growth and investment.

Talking on the first official Dubai Fashion Week, Khadija Al Bastaki, Senior Vice President of Dubai Design District (d3), part of TECOM Group, declared: “The world eagerly anticipates the first Dubai Fashion Week, which evolves from our successful Arab Fashion Week and is the next chapter in our region’s exciting fashion journey. To celebrate this momentous event, the industry looks to honour Dubai's growing influence as one of the five major global fashion capitals and to feature international brands and experts from around the world to gather at Dubai Design District, the hub of our region’s creative talent and a hub with the vision, ambition and innovation to elevate the impact and reach of creatives globally.”

Jacob Abrian, Chief Executive Officer of the Arab Fashion Council, said: “We look forward to unveiling the new Dubai Fashion Week and see Dubai stand alongside its peers as one of the world's leading fashion capitals. We are delighted to see the Arab Fashion Council (AFC), Dubai Design District (d3), Dubai's major industry stakeholders, and member designers join forces to mark a historical move and unite the local fashion scene under DFW's broad umbrella.”

New Initiatives

A number of exciting new initiatives are also set to be launched during the week to commemorate the first official Dubai Fashion Week and its vision to further grow Dubai as a global fashion capital, in-line with Paris, Milan, London and New York. These will include the unveiling of a steering committee for Dubai Fashion Week, a buyers committee, and a permanent designers committee, all of which will work under the Arab Fashion Council's supervision to ensure Dubai Fashion Week's ambitious goals and vision are met and steer the future of the new Dubai Fashion Week in a dynamic and sustainable way.

Dubai Fashion Week will provide regional designers with a platform to do business with international buyers and distributors, whilst serving as a gateway for international talent and brands to continue expanding their global footprint through the regional market.

Program of Events

The six-day event from 10-15 March will present a packed schedule, with the following main fixtures:

• Friday 10 to Saturday 11 March: Men’s Autumn Winter 23/24
• Sunday 12 to Tuesday 14 March: Women’s Ready-to-Wear Autumn Winter 23/24
• Wednesday 15 March: Women’s Couture Spring Summer 23

A range of 45 shows and events involving global brands and designers from across the Arab world and beyond across the six days, in celebration of the first city-wide fashion event. In addition, fashion industry guests can attend special ceremonies and parties hosted at numerous locations. A series of panel discussions will take place on 14 March between regional and international buyers to discuss market trajectories. These panels will include leading industry names such as Antonioli (Milan), Printemps (Paris), and Level Shoes (Dubai). A Designers Lookbook Review also in the schedule and this aims to help up-and-coming DFW designers increase profits. The public can stay up-to-date with events taking place through the DFW website - https://dubaifashionweek.org/calendar/

The busy week will further be marked by a global collaboration between Hot Wheels x Anomalous, the first Arab brand to partner with the iconic name. It is part of the growing synergies between the Arab Fashion Council and Mattel, and follows the collaboration between Barbie and Lebanese designer Jean-Louis Sabaji in October last year.

Runway Shows

• The Couture designers to showcase collections in this first Dubai Fashion Week will be: Marmar Halim (UAE); Karolina’s Kingdom (Spain); Lamia Abi Nader (Lebanon); and Michael Cinco (UAE).
• The Menswear designers showcasing will include: Amato (UAE); Maison du Mec (Lebanon); MOK (Oman); Anomalous (UAE); BHype (UAE); House of Victor (UAE); The Whales (UAE); Temma Prasetio (Indonesia); and Emergency Room (Lebanon).
• The Womenswear designers will include: Lili Blanc (UAE); Lallier (Ukraine); Pipatchara (Thailand); Lateforwork (Morocco); Blssd (UAE); Ivodia London (England); Lilo (UAE); Francesca Liberatore (Italy); Slimi Studio (UAE); Bazaza(Lebanon); Dima Ayad (UAE); Lama Jouni (UAE); Mrs. Keepa (UAE); Weinsanto (France) and Pressiat (France) will also be presented by La Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode, the French body that coordinates Paris Fashion Week.
• The calendar highlight of the Member Designers will comprise Mrs. Keepa, Lama Jouni, Dima Ayad, Bazaza and Weinsanto.

Positioning Dubai as the New Fifth Fashion Capital

Elevated with a purpose-built, dedicated structure for the runway shows and with an expanded line-up of activations and experiences, the Arab Fashion Council and Dubai Design District (d3) are set to celebrate positioning Dubai as the new fifth fashion capital, as a global fashion hub and international reference for the entire industry. Dubai Fashion Week aims to strengthen the city’s influence on the global creative stage under its D.U.B.A.I. pillars: Diversity; Unity; Business; Ambition; and Innovation, and further enable the development of the fashion industry value chain. Dubai Design District provides an established platform to launch the program as a global creative ecosystem where leading fashion, design and art brands from around the world converge.