The Arab Fashion Council (AFC) continues to revolutionize the regional fashion industry by introducing Pre-Collections and Ready-Couture during the fourth edition of Arab Fashion Week taking place in Dubai this week
May 14th, Dubai UAE: As the summer temperatures continue to rise in Dubai, the world’s most acclaimed fashion designers arrive in the Middle East’s style capital for the fourth edition of Arab Fashion Week happening from 16-20th May at the Meydan Hotel & Grandstand in an exclusive partnership with Sheikh Mohammed Maktoum Juma Al Maktoum Investment (MBM). The highly anticipated bi-annual event is the first and only platform in the world to showcase Resort and Ready-Couture with an aim to cater to an affluent regional fashion audience.
The Arab Fashion Week is expected to attract more than 15,000 visitors with a total of 23 shows and over 50 international as well as regional designers presenting their creations including Marchesa, Antonio Marras, Renato Balestra, Rad Hourani, Ingie Paris, Michael Cinco and many more. The event will also feature an exclusive selection of pop-up boutiques from some of the region’s leading fashion retailers. The end of Arab Fashion Week will culminate in an exclusive Arab Fashion Awards Royal Gala Dinner on May 20th during which the Arab Fashion Council will honor and recognize the achievements of regional and international fashion pioneers.
While New York, London and Milan continue to remain the global fashion capitals for Ready-To-Wear and Paris for Haute Couture, Dubai pioneers Ready-Couture as part of Arab Fashion Council’s exclusive Ready-Couture international license. For the first time ever, the Arab Fashion Council will host the first annual Ready-Couture Congress in order to define its regulations which will be made public and used for future reference. The event will be attended by global fashion industry leaders including Honorary President of National Chamber of Italian Fashion, H.E. Cav. Mario Boselli, Chief Executive of British Fashion Council, Caroline Rush CBE, Creative Directors of global fashion houses along with international media experts from Vogue, WWD, L’Officiel and Grazia. One of the leading international fashion trade journals, WWD, will also publish its first ever Middle East edition dedicated to Arab Fashion Week offering extensive regional as well as international coverage.
‘The fourth edition of Arab Fashion Week is a truly milestone moment for us as we set the international standards for Ready-Couture concept which will be archived and used for many years to come. This demonstrates our commitment not only to the regional fashion industry, and our mission to grow its ecosystem and monitor its regulations, but also our vision to position Arab Fashion Week on the international forefront’ says CEO of Arab Fashion Council, Jacob Abrian.
Along with the focus on Pre-Collections and Ready-Couture comes the choice to organize the event in May, in between all the major fashion weeks happening around the world. Indeed, the main concern of Arab Fashion Week is to meet the requirements of the fashion industry, addressing buyers who spend 75% of their buying budget on the Pre-Collections. ‘’This is a new perspective which might be soon followed by other councils, leading to a revolution in the global Fashion Week Calendar’’, highlights H.E Cav. Mario Boselli, Honorary President of both the National Chamber of Italian Fashion and Arab Fashion Council.
The Arab Fashion Council’s mission is not only to promote the Middle East fashion industry on a global scale through bringing international fashion designers to the region but also identify, nurture and support the local talent. As part of this season’s Arab Fashion Week, one of its official sponsors, Lavazza, Italy’s favorite coffee, launched its first exclusive fashion design competition to allow young people across the region to express their creativity and showcase their work. The participants have submitted their entries at the beginning of May, where seven lucky contestants were selected and will go on to take part in the upcoming competition during Arab Fashion Week. The final prize is a trip to Milan to develop their craft at a design course at Istituto Marangoni and showcase their final collection at the next edition of Arab Fashion Week in November. Other official Arab Fashion Week sponsors and partners include Gruppo San Donato, one of the leading Italian healthcare groups, and the luxury leather goods brand GHRIBI.
The Arab Fashion Week is organized by the Arab Fashion Council, the world’s largest non-profit fashion authority representing the 22 Arab country members of the Arab League. It was established in London in 2014 with the License of an International Extraterritorial Authority to develop the fashion infrastructure and creative economy in the Arab World. It is headed by H.E. Cavaliere Mario Boselli, Honorary President of the National Chamber of Italian Fashion, the official organizers of Milan Fashion Week.
About Arab Fashion Council:
The Arab Fashion Council (AFC) is the world’s largest not-for-profit organization, founded in 2014 in London, with the license of an International Extraterritorial Authority to develop and regulate the fashion industry in the 22 Arab Countries. Its Vision 2030 aims to create an Arab economy based on creativity and knowledge by setting up a fashion ecosystem in the entire Arab Region. By uniting the 22 Arab countries under one umbrella in terms of creative economy, based on knowledge and production, through sharing collective know-how, experience and resources of the industry.
The AFC’s strategic pillars are; economy based on the creative knowledge, made within the Arab Fashion System, reputation, world class education, sustainability and charity.
AFC works to establish a coherent fashion system in the region with an important focus on education and cultural development, an initiative that contributes to the promotion of cultural diversity and support to creative industry, which is in line with activities that UNESCO Office in Doha is also undertaking.
