Dubai Establishes Design and Fashion Council

Dubai’s ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has issued a decree to set up a new Dubai Design and Fashion Council in the emirate.

The decree follows the recent announcement of Dubai Design District, a massive new development that will focus on boosting the emirate’s design, fashion and luxury industries.

One of the council’s initial mandates will be to oversee the delivery of a strategy that will outline the growth and development of the emirate’s fashion industry, official agency WAM reported. The new council will also help regional talent and support existing design events and initiatives.

Under article number 9 of the decree, all government entities are required to provide full support to the new council in terms of statistics, data, research material and any relevant information.

The decree is effective from its date of issuance and shall be published in the official gazette.

The council, established under the Dubai Technology and Media Free Zone Authority, consists of members from the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, Emaar and Dubai Design District.

Dr Amina Al Rustamani, group CEO of TECOM Investments and a member of the new council, said: “Dubai’s design and fashion industry has a great opportunity to put itself on an equal footing with the likes of London, Paris and New York. However, to unlock the industry’s full potential it will need to be carefully and strategically developed by the people and organisations that know the industry best.”

Ahmad Bin Byat, director general of the Dubai Technology and Media Free Zone Authority, added: “Dubai already has a growing creative community and we want to harness its full potential. By carving a detailed roadmap, we would be able to maximise the contribution of this community towards achieving Dubai’s strategic ambitions of diversifying the economy, encouraging enterprise and growing the talent pool.

“Bringing together both the public and private sectors will allow the Dubai Design and Fashion Council to provide focused and dedicated support to the industry.”