Twenty-five finalists were chosen for the first Who is Next? Dubai competition, part of Vogue Fashion Dubai Experience.
Designs range from womenswear and menswear to accessories, and the winners from each category will have the opportunity to stock online at yoox.com and participate in Milan Fashion week.
There’s tonnes of talent on display at the Star Atrium in Dubai Mall, but here’s the five brands that caught our eye:
Susana Traça
Have you ever wondered what a Nike Airmax sneaker would look like blended with ethnic African accents and a trendy jelly sandal form? Hard to imagine, isn’t it? But this is exactly the combination that comes to mind at first sight of Susana Traça’s ultra cool Italian-made shoes for spring/summer 2016.
Ca & Lou
Gladiator-meets-minimalist-meets-robo chic in the latest designs from jewellery brand Ca & Lou. Chunky skeletal cuffs and sleekly curved choker necklaces are bordered with glimmering crystals in square, rectangle and circle shapes, while ear cuffs feature the stones in dramatic icicle-style formations.
Faissal El-Malak
Hand-woven Tunisian textiles are given a contemporary update with trendy street-chic cuts in the Palestinian designer’s latest women’s collection. Classic menswear tunics are layered with sheer white blouses, and pinstriped bracelet tops are paired with high waisted trouser-suit ensembles.
Matter Matters
Hong Kong-based designer Flora Leung creates handbags influenced by three basic shapes: triangles, squares and circles. There’s a certain luxury Lego-like quality to her designs, which look like they could belong in both a classic cartoon, and modern Vogue editorial. Her structured pieces in pastel shades feature mint green chains and large circular centre clasps.
Jourden
For designs that can be worn from a stroll in the park to a stylish soirée, look to Hong Kong ready-to-wear label Jourden. Designer Anais Mak touches on grunge and minimalist style trends of the 90s in her spring/summer 2016 collection, placing a heavy emphasis on light weight jackets with grid-like textures and metallic hologram effects.
