Dubai Fashion Week to begin on October 9

Dubai Fashion Week (DFW) will be staged from October 9-15 at the Dubai Design District (d3).

The upcoming event, founded by d3 and the Arab Fashion Council (AFC), will showcase spring-summer 2024 collections.

It will also host exclusive fashion shows, high-profile events, book signing, a trunk show in collaboration with Mall of the Emirates, capsule launches, brand activations and industry talks.

The official Dubai Fashion Week, launched in spring this year, has become a key event in the emirate’s social calendar, evolving from the legacy of Arab Fashion Week, which marked its 21st edition in October last year.

Regional designers will get the chance to meet and do business with international buyers and distributors. The seven-day event will also serve as a gateway for international talent and brands to continue expanding their global footprint through the regional market.

The upcoming edition will also have a strong sustainability focus, aligning with the UAE’s Year of Sustainability and the upcoming COP28 in Dubai.

Designers attending Dubai Fashion Week

More than 25 designers, representing over 12 countries, including a yet to be named New York-based designer, will attend.

The schedule will see original collections from homegrown designers Mrs. Keepa, Dima Ayad and Lama Jouni, as well as Victor Weinsanto.

Michael Cinco, Pipatchara and The Giving Movement will return to the global fashion event, alongside new names such as Viva Vox, Anaya, Yaspis and Rizman Ruzaini.

Dubai Fashion Week will bring together talents from the GCC and Levant, Southeast Asia, Europe, and North and South America.

The works of the late Russian couturier Valentin Yudashkin will be presented in the upcoming edition, marking the brand’s first appearance in Dubai.

Other highlights of the event

• IGDS World Department Store Summit, the world’s largest event for department store leaders and their business partners, will be held during fashion week. The event, which will be the first event organised by IGDS in the Middle East, will be staged on October 11-12.
• The Designers Showroom, a new initiative providing regional and international buyers, shoppers and media a common space to engage and explore the craftsmanship of designers, is part of the event calendar.
• Dubai Fashion Week will feature the Graduate Fashion Foundation, which will springboard new fashion talent during Graduate Fashion Week, with runway shows highlighting presentations by graduate students worldwide from  more than 30 universities.
• The d3-based FAD Institute will showcase their students’ work during a dedicated show.
• Italian fashion school Polimoda will feature a runway show by one of their leading students and join hands with the AFC to launch a competition at the event. The winner will receive a Polimoda scholarship.

The cover image features a model wearing a Marmar Halim creation.