In yet another success, Fashion Forward drew in the region's design crowd this week – further cementing Dubai as the fashion capital of the Middle East.
Over the past five seasons, Dubai has been positioning itself as the regional fashion capital with its Fashion Forward platform, showcasing regional and international designers. According to the annual event's website, "Fashion Forward (FFWD) aims to be the definitive fashion platform for the Middle East – a fashion movement that highlights strengths, inspires and nurtures industry growth and its wealth of talent, with the ultimate goal of driving forward the entire fashion industry in the region."
Running from April 10-13, this year's line-up was impressive, to say the least. Held at Madinat Arena in Madinat Jumeirah, the event included runway shows, workshops for budding designers, parties and cocktail events.
Fashion Forward kicked-off on Friday with an opening event and runway shows by Dubai-based brands Ezra and The Emperor 1688. Festivities continued the next day with a showcase of collections by different designers, including Dubai-based designer Aiisha Ramadan who received particular praise for her presentation. The top shows were by Lebanon's Jean Louis Sabaji and the Emirati designer Zareena Yousif. The third day of the event continued along a similar track with a closing party in the evening hosted by Pacha Ibiza club located in Madinat Jumeirah.
Monday's final activities were hosted by Dubai Design District (d3) and included workshops for designers and panel discussions with industry professionals. The developing d3 area plans to house major design names and new retail projects. While the region has normally been a large market for luxury, d3 will also include new and trendy designs. Along with d3, other initiatives throughout the emirate are transforming Dubai into the regional fashion and creative hub.
Here are some of the highlights from this year's Fashion Forward.