As season five wrapped up, Fashion Forward’s founder Bong Guerrero shared some closing thoughts.
How has FFWD S5 gone?
Very good, I’m really proud of the talent we have here. In the short period of just over two years, we’ve seen a huge upward change in the quality of the designs and the level of sophistication that our designers are putting forward on the catwalk. I really feel that some big brands are going to come out of this region. It’s inevitable.
Is increasing the number of Emirati brands a priority?
Yes, I think you’ll see a lot more of them and, of course, we’re still inclusive of all designers who have found Dubai a haven for creativity. This season, one half of the design team at House of Nomad is Emirati, then there’s Zareena and Madiyah Al Sharqi. There’s also now Mauzan, who have been an Emirati abaya label for 25 years, but decided to launch their ready-to-wear line at FFWD.
Who was here?
We’re very happy to report that more than 75 regional buyers have attended this season. They came en masse for the first time, really. This is not only because of “home-grown talent” being such buzz words right now, it’s also due to the government’s mandate to push fashion as a proper industry and not just leisure. After all, consumerism is very high here, all the global brands like to fortify their position here, so it’s only fair that we champion our own brands, too. That’s what Fashion Forward is all about.
rduane@thenational.ae
