Leading international labels Missoni, Emilio Pucci, Trussardi and Calvin Klein will share the ramp with established and upcoming designers from the region at the inaugural Abu Dhabi Fashion Week to be held at the Emirates Palace Hotel from Saturday.
Designers Vittorio Missoni, Laudomia Pucci, Maria Luisa Trussardi, Albino D'Amato and Giuseppe Rossi, CEO of Calvin Klein, will be present at the event, which runs from March 15 to 18.
Buyers from prestigious stores such as Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue as well as key opinion makers from the fashion world including the editors-in-chief of Vogue and Elle magazines are also expected to be in Abu Dhabi for the four-day fashion fiesta.
The event is organised by Maven Corporate in collaboration with Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana, organisers of Milan Fashion Week, and supported by Aldar, Mubadala and Etihad.
The event will open with a special collection created by students from the Shaikh Zayed Private Academy in Abu Dhabi. Among the well-known names from the region slated to showcase their autumn-winter 2008-09 collections at the show are Emirati Aisha Desmal, Amina Al Jassim from Saudi Arabia, Pakistani designer Hassan Sheheryar Yasin, Lebanese labels Maison Rabih Kyarouz, Layla Kouris, Moe Khadra, Milia M and Gardem and UAE-based designers Amber Feroz and Rabia Z.
New chapter
"This is the beginning of a new chapter in Abu Dhabi's cultural history and the presence of top designers, buyers and fashion writers at the event is an endorsement of the city's status as an emerging fashion capital.
Our goal is to provide infrastructure and support for the development of creative talent in this region and to ensure that promising young designers get proper guidance, encouragement and the opportunities to express themselves on an international platform," says Alice Teeuwen, Chairman of Maven.
Excellent response
"Our collaboration with Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana has opened the door for designers from this region to participate in major international fashion weeks.
Earlier this year we took Milia Maroun, who participated in our launch event in November, to Milan Fashion Week.
She became the first Arab designer to be part of this event and received an excellent response from the buyers and media.
We hope to take many more designers from this region to major international shows. We will also bring emerging European designers such as Albino to Abu Dhabi," she adds.
Teeuwen is happy that at the 50th Milan Fashion week, held in February, Mario Boselli, president of Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana announced the Abu Dhabi Fashion Week as part of the international fashion week calendar along with Milan, London, Paris and New York fashion weeks.
"This is a great achievement for us but it also makes us more conscious of our responsibility to ensure that our event conforms to the highest international standards," she says.
Men's wear event
"We have carefully selected the designers based on the quality of their work and their ability to meet international production requirements and delivery deadlines. The collections on the ramp will represent this region through a mix of day and evening wear and Western, fusion and traditional garments. We hope to add a men's wear event to the schedule next year," she adds.
