As it returns for its new season, the Arab Fashion Week this year will host more than 40 regional and international labels showcasing their latest collections across fashion shows, pop-ups and presentations. To be held at 1422, the designer platform at City Walk Dubai — from October 9 to 14 — the annual event will also feature a Vogue Talents Day on October 11, that will give upcoming designers the chance to have their portfolios reviewed by Sara Sozzani Maino, Vogue Italy’s Deputy Editor in Chief and Head of Vogue Talents. Selected designers will get the chance to be featured on vogue.it.
“Supporting the new generation of designers through AFW is fundamental. At this stage these designers need to confront themselves with new markets In order to grow their business. The opportunity to show in Dubai is unique and we are very happy to be part of it,” said Maino.
Ahead of the event, Gulf News tabloid! picks five designers to watch out for:
Label: Nirmooha
Designer name: Prreeti Jaiin Nainutia
Country of origin: India
Nainutia’s love for design spurred her to start her label four years ago, catering to the modern woman rooted in tradition. She is a big supporter of the Indian artisanal movement and the country’s crafts industry with sustainability as an ongoing philosophy. Nainutia believes in expressing her ideas while preserving natiure, culture and tradition.
Label: Hussein Bazaza
Designer name: Hussein Bazaza
Country of origin: Lebanon
Beirut born, Hussein Bazaza developed an appreciation of all artistic fields at a young age before enrolling at ESMOD Beirut. Graduating in 2011, Bazaza continued with an internship at Maison Rabih Kayrouz in Paris, and later worked for Elie Saab as a junior designer before being selected by the Starch Foundation to introduce his eponymous ready-to-wear line in 2012. At only 23 years of age, Bazaza opened his first showroom and atelier in Beirut.
Bazaza won the inaugural Style.com/Arabia — DDFC Fashion Prize in 2016. In 2018, he was listed on Forbes Middle East’s ARAB 30 UNDER 30 List.
Label: Jonathan Marc Stein
Designer name: Jonathan Marc Stein
Country of origin: USA
This 24-year-old Cincinnati, Ohio, US native with a mechanical engineering degree discovered his passion for fashion at a young age. By 18 years of age, the self-taught designer set out on a quest to produce an internationally-known brand as he pursued his vision for men’s and women’s fashion. Stein’s natural artistic talent, combined with his family history of seamstresses, tailors, and luxury department store designers, positioned him well for his chosen fashion career. Stein today creates clothes and accessories for men and women. His studio is currently located in Los Angeles.
Label: Baravia Fashion
Designer name: Gulnora Mukhedinova
Country of origin: UAE
Originally from the Samarkand Region of Uzbekistan, Mukhdinova started her own beauty business with Baravia Beauty Centre in 2015. Her success soon led her to start her own fashion boutique and Baraavia Fashion was born in 2018. Mukhdinova says her love for art translates into her designs.
Label: Daniele Carlotta
Designer name: Daniele Carlotta
Country of Origin: Italy
Carlotta grew up in a family that has been working in the fashion and design business for several decades, selling fabrics to some of the biggest haute couture houses. His mother was famously known as ‘The Lady of the Silk’. On November 2005 at the age of 20, Carlotta opened his first showroom in his home town of Modica. On December 2010, he was chosen by designer duo Dolce and Gabbana for their Spiga2 mentorship programme giving Carlotta invaluable insights into the working of the fashion industry. After a few hiccups, Carlotta relaunched his brand in 2018 after divorcing various partners and turning it into a fully-owned family project. His designs are a mix between tailoring and streetwear.
__
Don’t miss it!
Entry to the Arab Fashion Week events is free but prior registration is required. Details are available online.
