Dubai Fashion Week has announced the dates for its next season, kicking off the global fashion calendar. Running from February 1 to 6, the event will take place just ahead of New York Fashion Week, which will begin the same day DFW is due to wrap up.
Returning to Dubai Design District to showcase the first autumn-winter 2025 collections, the six-day event will feature 25 regional and international names, with one major label expected to be announced as guest of honour. Previous names include the Italian designer Robert Cavalli and the American brand Carolina Herrera.
The arrival of a major label not only brings the creative director to the event and boosts the brand's visibility in the region, but also cements Dubai's desire to be a heavyweight player in the global fashion scene.
Over six days, designers will showcase ready-to-wear, bridal, event wear and couture collections in a schedule that includes runway shows, presentations, parties and intimate dinners for VIP guests.
For small and emerging brands, events such as fashion weeks are invaluable as it allows the creative directors to build contacts with clients, buyers and potential future collaborators. To help support this further, DFW will be launching a private Buyers Programme to help ensure those strategic partnerships are built.
Designers interested in being part of the Buyer’s Programme must apply online before December 22. DFW has already declared that only "innovative and market-ready" brands will be chosen, and these will be notified and announced early in the new year.
Speaking about the initiative, Mohammed Aqra, chief strategy officer of the Arab Fashion Council, explained that it will help the growth of the region's fashion industry. "We want to empower these talented designers to thrive and grow by guiding them to make the right business connections with top international buyers," he said.
"We aim to drive sustainable business expansion, stimulate economic growth, and enhance the global prominence of Arab fashion.”
In addition to UAE brands, DFW will be welcoming labels from Indonesia, India, France, Russia and Britain, as well as Kuwait, Libya, Lebanon and Palestine.
Speaking about supporting new names in the fashion world, Khadija Al Bastaki, senior vice president of Dubai Design District, said: "We continue our hard work and focus on nurturing incredible talent and look forward to bringing visionary designers and influential buyers together through our new Buyers Programme for 2025.
"This platform has been created to foster not only creativity but also impact business opportunity and support Dubai’s – and our region’s – rapidly evolving contribution in the global fashion space and creative economic growth," she added.
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
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Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
JAPAN SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Masaaki Higashiguchi, Shuichi Gonda, Daniel Schmidt
Defenders: Yuto Nagatomo, Tomoaki Makino, Maya Yoshida, Sho Sasaki, Hiroki Sakai, Sei Muroya, Genta Miura, Takehiro Tomiyasu
Midfielders: Toshihiro Aoyama, Genki Haraguchi, Gaku Shibasaki, Wataru Endo, Junya Ito, Shoya Nakajima, Takumi Minamino, Hidemasa Morita, Ritsu Doan
Forwards: Yuya Osako, Takuma Asano, Koya Kitagawa
What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
Countries recognising Palestine
France, UK, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Belgium, Malta, Luxembourg, San Marino and Andorra
The biog
Favourite book: You Are the Placebo – Making your mind matter, by Dr Joe Dispenza
Hobby: Running and watching Welsh rugby
Travel destination: Cyprus in the summer
Life goals: To be an aspirational and passionate University educator, enjoy life, be healthy and be the best dad possible.
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
Tour de France
When: July 7-29
UAE Team Emirates:
Dan Martin, Alexander Kristoff, Darwin Atapuma, Marco Marcato, Kristijan Durasek, Oliviero Troia, Roberto Ferrari and Rory Sutherland
More on Quran memorisation:
Other must-tries
Tomato and walnut salad
A lesson in simple, seasonal eating. Wedges of tomato, chunks of cucumber, thinly sliced red onion, coriander or parsley leaves, and perhaps some fresh dill are drizzled with a crushed walnut and garlic dressing. Do consider yourself warned: if you eat this salad in Georgia during the summer months, the tomatoes will be so ripe and flavourful that every tomato you eat from that day forth will taste lacklustre in comparison.
Badrijani nigvzit
A delicious vegetarian snack or starter. It consists of thinly sliced, fried then cooled aubergine smothered with a thick and creamy walnut sauce and folded or rolled. Take note, even though it seems like you should be able to pick these morsels up with your hands, they’re not as durable as they look. A knife and fork is the way to go.
Pkhali
This healthy little dish (a nice antidote to the khachapuri) is usually made with steamed then chopped cabbage, spinach, beetroot or green beans, combined with walnuts, garlic and herbs to make a vegetable pâté or paste. The mix is then often formed into rounds, chilled in the fridge and topped with pomegranate seeds before being served.
THE BIO
Ms Davison came to Dubai from Kerala after her marriage in 1996 when she was 21-years-old
Since 2001, Ms Davison has worked at many affordable schools such as Our Own English High School in Sharjah, and The Apple International School and Amled School in Dubai
Favourite Book: The Alchemist
Favourite quote: Failing to prepare is preparing to fail
Favourite place to Travel to: Vienna
Favourite cuisine: Italian food
Favourite Movie : Scent of a Woman
