8th edition of Designs of Hope kicks off in Dubai

Dubai: The 8th edition of Designs of Hope, a charity exhibition organised by Al Manal Humanitarian Initiative, kicked off at the Dubai Ladies Club.

There are 18 Emirati fashion and jewellery designers who came together at the exhibition to showcase their products. The proceeds of the sale went to Dubai Cares in support of climate education for girls.

Charity endeavour

Al Manal Humanitarian Initiative has been set up by Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of UAE Gender Balance Council (UAE GBC) and President of Dubai Women Establishment (DWE), wife of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Presidential Court in 2013.

Designs of Hope is one of the charity endeavours of Al Manal Humanitarian Initiative.

The 8th edition of this exhibition saw popular designers display their products including NAFS, Fiz Boutique, 199x20s, Bloom Design, Selma Benomar, Moza Collection, I AM MAI Design, BLANC 8.3, Pearlato, Jamila Alkrieshi, Mayyar, By Amal and Zahra karmostaji, Harf W Nagsh, MAS, Sumaya Bakkar, Solla, VALORA.

Abayas, jalabis, jewellery, accessories and more

The exhibition is being held at the Dubai Ladies Club on April 7. A number of designer abayas, jalabis, designer jewellery, accessories and women’s clothing are on display.

Naeema Ahli, Director of Corporate Support and Acting CEO of Dubai Women Establishment, said the initiative is the vision of Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed.

“It is her vision to provide quality education and opportunities for children, particularly girls. We are very happy to collaborate with Dubai Cares on this. As a result the proceeds of the sale will go to Dubai Cares.”

Year of Sustainability

Ahli said coinciding with the “Year of Sustainability”, the Al Manal Humanitarian Initiative decided to collaborate with Dubai Cares to send the proceeds of the sales for girls to educate them on climate change.

Amal Al Redha, Director of Fundraising at Dubai Cares said this year’s Al Manal Humanitarian Initiative campaign is in support of the integration of education into the global climate agenda.

“It is an important topic. This exhibition is going to address the issue of climate change and how it effects girls’ education globally. We already know that climate change can effect education. If we do not address this, girls will never have the access to education like boys. Through this exhibition we are going to integrate climate education into mainstream education system,” she said.

“The proceeds of this exhibition will also go towards supporting the integration of climate change issues into educational curriculums and systems – which reflects the UAE’s values that emphasises the importance of humanitarian work,” Redha told Gulf News.

Commenting on the significance of the collaboration, Dr. Tariq Al Gurg, Chief Executive Officer and Vice-Chairman of Dubai Cares, also said: “Climate change is an ever-growing global crisis that affects women and girls disproportionately and amplifies the learning inequalities facing them in many parts of the world.”

Education

“Through the integration of education into the global climate agenda, we can catalyse transformative change that will not only reduce the ill effects of climate change on women and girls, but also empower them to become climate action leaders.

“As our long-standing partner, Al Manal Humanitarian Initiative has contributed significantly to our global efforts in improving the lives of children and youth, particularly girls, through access to quality education. Now, as Dubai Cares gears up for COP28 as its exclusive Education Partner, we are thankful to Al Manal Humanitarian Initiative for hosting the “Designs of Hope” exhibition, to help us promote climate change education for women and girls and position education as a crucial opportunity for them to play a bigger role in driving climate change solutions.”

Esra Al Mulla, fashion designer and owner of Bloom Design said she is happy to participate at the exhibition. “The exhibition supports the cause of girls’ education and climate change. So it is very important for us to be here.”

She said that for some of her products, 100 per cent of the sale money will go to Dubai Cares. On others she is sharing 25 per cent to the charity organisation.

Noura Al Sarraj, a jewellery designer also said the Designs of Hope is a special project for her. “It is all about being part of a good cause. “ Sarraj is sharing 25 per cent of the sale proceeds to Dubai Cares.