Dubai: Following five days of colour, glitter and bursts of creativity, the eighth edition of the bi-annual Dubai Fashion Week ended late last night with a flourish, with Indian designer Manish Malhotra showcasing for the "grand finale".
Despite the notoriety of the past events, there was also a sense of optimism, with many hoping that the event's new owners will, in subsequent editions, succeed where its previous owners have failed — in nurturing a respectable fashion industry.
"The feedback has been very positive and I think everyone has seen the effort we've put in making the event a success," said Manoj Bhojwani, chairman of Capital Marketing.
"It's very motivating and our objective is clear: We want to improve, we want to raise the bar and be a respectable platform dedicated to fashion."
Bhojwani's company bought the rights to the event earlier this year from Concept Group, which founded the event three years ago and held it twice a year according to international fashion's two main seasons, Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter.
Initially a widely supported event, with locally based designers enthusiastically cooperating, the event had lost traction in recent editions. High participation costs, ambiguous buyer numbers - "the stamp of success for any fashion week" - and accusations by Emirati designers that they are being sidelined have recently blighted the fashion week.
Buyer involvement
Bhojwani told Gulf News in an earlier interview that while he would not like to take responsibility for previous events, he was determined to right some of the wrongs.
"We've set up a client servicing team that will specifically handle buyer involvement. We've brought in a mix of 10 nationalities and we've made sure we get the technicals right from the set-up of the venue to the way every show is organised," he told tabloid! before the start of the event. "Our aim is to propel DFW as a serious trade event."
Moving away from its previous indoor location, this season's DFW took up residence at the massive white Asateer Tent at the Atlantis, The Palm for its five-day run. In a departure from previous editions, the venue saw more kiosks set up for designers to interact with potential buyers and less space for sponsors who dominated the floor previously.
A total of 40 designers from Lebanon, Algeria, India, Pakistan, the Philippines, Qatar and the UAE, all based in the emirates, showcased their creations across 30 shows, with an average of six every day.
Adding a touch of glamour to some of the shows were Bollywood actors Neil Nitin Mukesh and Minissha Lamba. While Mukesh walked the ramp for designer Rocky S' show on Tuesday, Lamba was the showstopper for Zaeem Jamal's label Z for Z.
Making an appearance in a metallic grey sequined sari whose flowing train was emblazoned with feathery white wings, Lamba, who was flown into the city specifically for the show, strutted the catwalk in the angel-themed show amidst loud cheers and applause.
Like previous seasons, Asia dominated the catwalk, both in the clothes and the number of designers, thanks to market demand.
Determination
Show director Marc Robinson, who choreographed most of the previous seasons, said he was determined to get more Emirati and regional designers to participate, and those who had left the event to return.
"This has to be local driven because that's the essence of every fashion week. We want to be showcasing the best of this place and we need more Emirati participation."
Abeer Al Suwaidi, who participated a year ago, was one of the four Emirati designers showcasing this time. Giving the traditional abaya a pop culture twist, Al Suwadi creatively fused contemporary symbols in black robes that were unusually knotted and draped around the models. One design saw a model in Rastafarian cap and wigs with an image of reggae legend Bob Marley emblazoned across her abaya.
