Life & Style | Beauty & Fashion
Up, close and fashionable with Dubai's Fashion Week producer
Meet the woman with a world of fashion in her hands: Dubai Fashion Week Show Producer, Selina Robson
- By Kelly Crane, Staff Reporter
- Published: 00:30 March 17, 2008
Dubai is making history in the construction world, breaking records left, right and centre and is securing international events faster than it knows where to host them. Famous faces from the world of tennis, football and music are heading to Dubai to showcase their talents, and the fashion world is no exception.
With Dubai Fashion Week 2008 just days away, show producer Selina Robson speaks to tabloid! about the challenges of the running a world-class event in the UAE.
As the producer of Dubai Fashion Week as well as the overall show director, her job description is almost endless.
first class
She said: "As the show director I'll work over all the shows happening at Dubai Fashion Week and on the overall day-to-day running of the event. As a show producer, my job will be to work with the show designers individually in their actual production and help them to bring out their collections. It's all very exciting."
No stranger to the glamour of fashion shows, Robson has worked all over the world, producing first-class events for the stars, their labels and the models we all know and love.
She added: "In the last few years I have worked with a range of designers in America, Australia, Asia and the UK. I've worked with brands such as Dunhill, Top Shop, Diesel, Missoni, Gucci, Channel, Paul & Joe.
Working with celebs
"I have been extremely lucky to work with a wide range of people from famous producers to actors like Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet. I have also worked for many music festivals, and have had the chance to work with bands like Coldplay. I have been exposed to with a broad range of people, all of them unique and amazing, some of them absolutely delightful, some of them difficult to handle, and some of them complete gentlemen and ladies."
But it's not all glitz and glamour. With hundreds of people to manage, deadlines to meet and problem solving throughout, the world of fashion requires hours of work behind the scenes in order to allow large events to run as smoothly as Robson demands.
She said: "Doing a fashion show follows the same sort of module that anyone has in their day-to-day kind of job. You've got your nuts and bolts and administration. At the same time it's a great blend of technical and strategic production, and taking your creativity and making it a reality.
"One might have a fantastic concept but you need to know how to handle that concept for the designers. That's pretty much a challenge which we face in any part of the world. But when you come to a new country, other challenges include working with new suppliers and finding out what materials, fabrics, seats, and lighting is required.
"You need to know what the venue is like and what restrictions the venue has. Our venue at the Jumeirah Emirates Towers for this event is extremely peaceful, clean, modern and sleek, so I'm really looking forward to working there."
'Centralised hub'
So, safe in the knowledge that Dubai Fashion Week will be nothing short of exceptional, what can we expect?
"One of the most exciting aspects of working with DFW is that Dubai is a centralised hub in the region, so there is a broad range of designers from all over involved in the event, including Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, India, Greece, and of course the UAE," she said.
"This is a really unique opportunity. It's rare to be able to work in one city and have people coming from so many different regions with such a diverse range of cultures. We normally consider New York as a major city that brings together a huge combination of people to showcase their collections, but I guess Dubai is very fortunate to be in a similar situation."
The event
Now in its third season, Dubai Fashion Week (DFW) is an "invitation only" fashion trade event, aimed at bringing together major advocates of the fashion industry by providing them a single platform. This year, the leading fashion trade event has formed a partnership with Isla Moda, the world's first dedicated fashion island.
Together they are set on establishing Dubai as a global fashion hub, offering conscious individuals the ultimate haute couture experience, exclusivity and a truly bespoke lifestyle.
The venue is the Godolphin Ballroom, in the hotel tower of Jumeirah Emirates Towers. The shows, from March 19 to 22, begin daily from 3pm and will run through the day with the last show starting at 10pm.
There are 16 shows in total, around four or five a day with 31 designers. These will include Troy Costa, Deeya Nanda, Vikram Phadnis, Walid Atallah and Neeta Lulla to name a few.
Selina Robson in a flash
What is your most memorable moment as a fashion producer?
Some of my most memorable moments have involved working with emerging designers who eventually became quite successful. I have been really fortunate enough to work with young designers who came in through college shows and were just out of fashion school. They are now established designers and work internationally. It is satisfying to see them grow and they get a lot of exposure through these fashion shows. A lot of people start to notice them and they get picked up by the media. It is a wonderful thing to see.
A little birdie said something about a party on the Great Wall of China? It sounds like you never stop.
The party on the Great Wall of China was great fun. It was basically a celebration. Obviously it was held in an environment that was really unique and that has extreme cultural significance to the Chinese community. We didn't have to add too much, just some lights and bean bags as the environment was just spectacular. It was absolutely amazing to watch it at sunrise. More than 3,000 people dancing on a field and you're watching it on the Great Wall of China! It was an extraordinary sight.
Who is your favourite designer?
Oh, that is a really tough one. Everybody brings something different, so I cannot really pick a favourite designer. Each of them represents something unique; to me it's more rewarding to appreciate everyone for their individual talents.
What is your favourite item of comfort clothing and when
Would you wear it?
That would be my tracksuit which I might be wearing on a Saturday when I have my day off, if I get a day off that is, or when I'm slobbing around the house watching a DVD, something I think every girl likes to do.
Tell us your biggest fashion mishap?
One of my fashion mishaps would be many years ago when got this pair of shoes which were the most gorgeous pair of high heels I ever had. They were so incredibly high and I could barely walk in them, I wore them just three times and it was a huge amount of money wasted. But I must admit, it is beautiful to see them on my shoe shelf!
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