When Dubai Fashion Week bowed out in 2011, having launched just five years earlier, few predicted it would return.
Next March, however, it will step back into the limelight with a week of curated shows and presentations.
Spearheading the project is Sheikha Hend Al Qassemi, the editor-in-chief of Velvet magazine, and designer of her self-titled brand of contemporary evening wear and abayas.
“I approached Capital Group to bring back Dubai Fashion Week,” she says.
“I wanted to revive the pioneering industry event by breathing a fresh and international approach into it. It has been in the pipeline since the summer and House of Hend will be a permanent feature on the schedule.”
The revamped event will be held at Dubai’s Palazzo Versace twice a year – in March and October – following the big four fashion weeks, in New York, London, Milan and Paris.
Its primary aim is to showcase regional designers while encouraging global heavyweights – from the world of couture and prêt-à-porter – to exhibit alongside them. The list of participants is eagerly anticipated and will be revealed in the coming months, with home-grown talents such as Michael Cinco expected to be among them.
“We have tapped into designers who have already had an established, emotional connection with Dubai Fashion Week in the past,” says Al Qassemi. “We are currently targeting local and international designers, buyers, VIPs, celebrities and media to what will be an invitation-only event. It’s a business-to-business event that will open the door for designers to showcase to IP clients.”
Al Qassemi also has plans for an accessories exhibition space at DFW, and predicts some designers will showcase demi-couture collections.
She hopes the event will provide Dubai with an economic boost, attracting foreign visitors who will not only “see and spend” at DFW’s shows, but also take full advantage of all the city has to offer.
It is unclear why the curtain fell on Dubai Fashion Week the first time around, with some suggesting the UAE fashion sector was simply too nascent to accommodate an event of its size and scope.
“It was not that Dubai Fashion Week was unsuccessful – it was packed with designers, media and sponsors,” says Al Qassemi. “It was more that the market then did not have the appetite to continue to feed the fashion-design industry.
“Our Dubai Fashion Week will encompass a broader range of attendees from across the Middle East, with the goal of having them in long-term attendance.”
Dubai Fashion Week will sit alongside established events including Fashion Forward and Arab Fashion Week. There will be no jockeying for position, says Al Qassemi, and a warm Emirati marhaba will set the event apart.
“There is room in the market for everyone, but we will be occupying a different space,” she says. “Dubai exudes luxury, and we will execute Dubai Fashion Week at the highest level.
“As locals with purchasing power are the roots of this country, why are they not invited? Having attended other fashion events here, the one thing that was substantially missing was the Arab hospitality.
“I will curate an event of stature that speaks to the taste of the market and invite real fashion consumers.”
rduane@thenational.ae
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Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
The years Ramadan fell in May
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 620hp from 5,750-7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm from 3,000-5,750rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch auto
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh1.05 million ($286,000)
SPECS
Engine: Two-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 235hp
Torque: 350Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Price: From Dh167,500 ($45,000)
On sale: Now
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode
Directors: Raj & DK
Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon
Rating: 4/5
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
Places to go for free coffee
- Cherish Cafe Dubai, Dubai Investment Park, are giving away free coffees all day.
- La Terrace, Four Points by Sheraton Bur Dubai, are serving their first 50 guests one coffee and four bite-sized cakes
- Wild & The Moon will be giving away a free espresso with every purchase on International Coffee Day
- Orange Wheels welcome parents are to sit, relax and enjoy goodies at ‘Café O’ along with a free coffee
ADCC AFC Women’s Champions League Group A fixtures
October 3: v Wuhan Jiangda Women’s FC
October 6: v Hyundai Steel Red Angels Women’s FC
October 9: v Sabah FA
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Final round
25 under - Antoine Rozner (FRA)
23 - Francesco Laporta (ITA), Mike Lorenzo-Vera (FRA), Andy Sullivan (ENG), Matt Wallace (ENG)
21 - Grant Forrest (SCO)
20 - Ross Fisher (ENG)
19 - Steven Brown (ENG), Joakim Lagergren (SWE), Niklas Lemke (SWE), Marc Warren (SCO), Bernd Wiesberger (AUT)
Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
Duminy's Test career in numbers
Tests 46; Runs 2,103; Best 166; Average 32.85; 100s 6; 50s 8; Wickets 42; Best 4-47
The specs
Common to all models unless otherwise stated
Engine: 4-cylinder 2-litre T-GDi
0-100kph: 5.3 seconds (Elantra); 5.5 seconds (Kona); 6.1 seconds (Veloster)
Power: 276hp
Torque: 392Nm
Transmission: 6-Speed Manual/ 8-Speed Dual Clutch FWD
Price: TBC
If you go:
The flights: Etihad, Emirates, British Airways and Virgin all fly from the UAE to London from Dh2,700 return, including taxes
The tours: The Tour for Muggles usually runs several times a day, lasts about two-and-a-half hours and costs £14 (Dh67)
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is on now at the Palace Theatre. Tickets need booking significantly in advance
Entrance to the Harry Potter exhibition at the House of MinaLima is free
The hotel: The grand, 1909-built Strand Palace Hotel is in a handy location near the Theatre District and several of the key Harry Potter filming and inspiration sites. The family rooms are spacious, with sofa beds that can accommodate children, and wooden shutters that keep out the light at night. Rooms cost from £170 (Dh808).
The specs: 2019 GMC Yukon Denali
Price, base: Dh306,500
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Power: 420hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque: 621Nm @ 4,100rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.9L / 100km
