Dubai’s Design District On Track For Q1 2015 Launch

The first phase of Dubai’s new upcoming mega development, Dubai Design District (D3), is on track to launch in the first quarter of 2015, a senior official has confirmed.

Speaking on the sidelines of the Arab Luxury World event in Dubai, Catherine Thomas, executive director of Marketing and Communications at D3, said that they have received record interest from regional and international companies.

“We have been over the moon with the reaction that we have had from local, regional and international brands,” she said.

“Dubai has a pioneering spirit in creating clusters like Media City, Internet City and then being able to attract the anchor brands which in turn brings in the others. And that’s something we are doing as well. We can’t disclose names at this stage – but we are very happy with the results and we want that momentum to continue,” she added.

The D3 site, located close to Dubai Mall, has a kilometre-long waterfront, and will feature international and niche hotels, residential and commercial developments, a pop up shop area, public spaces, unique street furniture, shaded walkways and a convention centre.

The first phase of D3, worth Dhs4 billion, will include art offices and workshop spaces while the second phase will focus on the waterfront area, which consists of F&B, retail and entertainment options.

“We have seen an incredible amount of interest from boutique and international hotel operators, but we need to choose very carefully because they need to lend an authentic and credible offering to the development,” said Thomas.

The district is also collaborating with international educational institutions to introduce new courses for young and aspiring artists and designers. “We have had conversations with Parsons in New York and Saint Martin In London, and London College of Fashion is already coming here to deliver short courses,” she confirmed.

“It is up to us to provide an incubation framework so that we can encourage and mentor new designers and artists to feel that they can succeed and emerge from this market. Certainly our ideal is that out of D3, one of the first global fashion designers emerges,” she added.

The D3 development, announced last year, has been positioned as a key element of Dubai’s 2020 vision, which aims to double the number of visitors to the emirate to 20 million by 2020. It is also a vital part of Dubai Fashion 2020, an ambitious plan to develop Dubai as a global fashion hub by 2020.