Trendy Dubai played host to Arab Fashion with thirty-six designers from the region taking to the runway. The week-long extravaganza was teeming with a full roster of shows featuring the Fall Winter 22/23 Haute Couture and the Spring-Summer 2023 Ready-to-Wear shows
The highlight of the week was the one-of-a-kind collaboration between the world’s most diverse doll, Barbie, and the Lebanese couturier Jean-Louis Sabaji – the first Arab designer to work with the global icon.
Talking about the upcoming Arab Fashion Week, Khadija Al Bastaki, vice president of d3 says: “This upcoming edition of Arab Fashion Week – the largest edition to date – brings a new look and feel to the event in d3 this autumn, which is very exciting. Arab Fashion Week, now in its 21st season, continues to evolve and its profile grows on the international stage with this, we are proud to present this edition with new spaces, new activations, new opportunities and new experiences for our fashion and creative community. We look forward to showcasing both new and established talents from here in the UAE, the region and further afield and highlighting prestigious and creative partnerships and collaborations – all of which are geared towards rethinking the regular. Dubai’s place in the global fashion scene goes from strength to strength and this upcoming edition of Arab Fashion Week will certainly showcase this more than ever before.”
The couture designers to showcase collections this Arab Fashion Week came from all across the globe from Dorota Goldpoint (Poland); Stada Boutique (Romania); Rian Fernandez (Philippines); Maison Mada’en (UK-Jordan); Ilse Jara (Paraguay); Euphoria (UAE); All’s (Belarus); Ivan Young (Malaysia); Humariff (UAE); Maliche (UAE); Kel by Elena Kondratova (Ukraine); Pipatchara (Thailand); Mena Talal (Iraq); Lisa Ju (Indonesia); Erick Bendana (Nicaragua); and Ihab Jiryis (Palestine). The Ready-to-Wear designers will include Lili Blanc (UAE); Poca & Poca (Poland); Yassmin Saleh (Lebanon); Vidhi Wadhwani (India); BHYPE (UAE); Emergency Room (Lebanon); Zardouz (Iran); Born in Exile (Libya); Louzan (UAE); and Slimi Studio (UAE).
Jean Louis Sabaji X Barbie
The Jean Louis Sabaji X Barbie capsule unfurled an array of sleek, form-fitting silhouettes crafted with surprising details.
Barbie comes to the international fore in pure couture regalia – perhaps her most elegant catwalk debut ever. Awash in her preferred hues of powder pink and black, floor-sweeping evening gowns embrace female curves, while uptown cocktail dresses come to fruition. A homage to the incredible evolution of the 2021 Fashion Icon Awardee, feathers and the heart serve as Sabaji’s iconic hallmark: the latter is deconstructed into an ironic bodice and crafted into striking neck lines and plunging backs, as Barbie again evolves her aesthetic for one of fashion’s most exciting epochs of all.
Louzan
Silk abaya-inspired ensembles awash in a palette of Arabian sunset-to-sunrise colours sashayed down the runway which was a refreshing reminder of the region’s origins and the creative mystique that emanates from the Arabian Peninsula. The simplicity of the abaya came to the fore, consciously enhanced with sartorial elements like trench collars, fringe details and innovative textiles and prints like polka dots and architectural tile motifs.
Weinsanto
Victor Weinsanto, a former ballet student who cut his teeth at Jean Paul Gaultier supported by La Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode. He showcased the fall-winter season with an edgy injection of streetwear meets punk.
Ilse Jara
Paraguay-born designer Ilse Jara showcased the possibility of merging technological innovations with natural materials and traditional techniques. developing her own DNA through textures. Intrepid in jungle paradise shades of red and green, fan detailing and long swathes of silk pelisse.
Rian Fernandez
In a celebratory explosion of colour, embellishments and innovative techniques, Filipino designer Rian Fernandez is known for his couture looks driven by a love for traditional Filipino artisanal craft. Couture gowns and ensembles awash in fluorescent green and mermaid iridescent shades were punctuated by complimentary tailored ensembles for men. Elaborate bodices, intricate weaving and sultry tassels embraced the female figure, cocooning the fall winter 2023 woman with the sort of unique flair Rian Fernandez is known for.
The Giving Movement
The Giving Moment, the Dubai- LA- KSA brand pioneering ethically made, sustainable athleisure and streetwear unleashed a collection of hijabs, silky pajamas, utilitarian track pants and tees crisscrossed with hiking straps, and workout gear.
Lili Blanc
An intrepid explorateur, a savvy urbanite, a self-made woman… these were the sort of muses UAE-born designer Sabrina Mouhieddine of Lili Blanc spoke to with her spring-summer 2023 ready-to-wear show. Named “Reflection”, the season’s teaser featured women in blazers and top hats wandering through nature, underscoring a journey toward self-awareness and empowerment. This continued on with a line-up of uptown leather ensembles, trenches, vests, and skin-embracing outfits.
Amato
With contemporary regalia fit for a modern Maharaja, designer Furne One brought his own light to the runway of d3 through an innovative couture display of darkness. His fall-winter 22/23 couture runway show was an all-black cast of looks characterized by other-worldly handmade embellishments, calling to mind the romanticism of vintage Indian costumery. Turbans, capes, feathered shoulders, and moulded armour served as the hallmarks of this fall-winter collection that pushed conventional barriers.
Maison Mada’en
Known for her handmade embroidered looks that have appeared in and around the Cannes Film festival, Dubai-based Farah Bseiso paid tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II with her fall winter 2023 couture collection Inspired by the Gardens of London, their flora, and their scents. Reflecting on the beauty of nature, Maison Mada’en infused inviting colours with fairytale motifs, encouraging us all to take a look beyond reality and dream. Dubbed “Fallen Rose “, the collection featured vibrantly coloured tulles and hues of silk Mikado that were envisaged to flatter all tones and body types.
Humariff
With its fall winter 2022/23 couture collection, Tamam Humariff drove its connection between the cultures of the Middle East and Russia even further in what came to the limelight as a regal wedding party. Fit for a modern sheikha or princess, the brand’s flair for embellishment catered to her every whim through a renaissance display of crystals, whimsical hand embroidery, and metallized leaves. Gilded and crystallised, the Humariff woman’s mythical femininity was celebrated and fortified by capes and accentuated shoulders, which were paramount throughout.
