Dubai Fashion Week autumn-winter 2026-2027 has kicked off. Taking place at Dubai Design District (d3), it is the first of the fashion weeks to unveil the autumn-winter collections, cementing the city’s place in the global fashion calendar.
As has become customary, the week brings together a mix of rising local talent and regional names alongside designers from further around the world. Designers have arrived from Italy, India, France, the UK, the US and Vietnam.
Day two proved to be a monster of a day. Each label delivered a highly individual take on what dressing today can mean. Alongside That Concept store – which delivered a cross-section of its most eclectic brands – the second day of the fashion event rapidly became a space of sanctuary (Narma), asserting freedom from cyber bullying (Mrs Keepa) and good old rock'n'roll thanks to John Richmond.
Running until Friday, this season's Dubai Fashion Week is bringing together myriad designers who reflect the melting pot that is the UAE.
Ahead of its appearance at Milan Fashion Week in a few weeks, Italian luxury house Alberta Ferretti opened the event with a stunning show. It was the Italian house's first involvement in Dubai Fashion Week.
Mohammed Aqra, chief strategy officer of the Arab Fashion Council, which runs Dubai Fashion Week along with d3, said: “Opening the autumn-winter 2026/27 allows us to influence not just when collections are seen, but how designers enter the global conversation and supporting commercial outcomes while reinforcing Dubai’s position as gateway between regional creativity and global markets.”
Here's a recap of the fashion event.
Day two
Mrs Keepa
Starting the day was the off-schedule presentation by Dubai's Mrs Keepa, in an event partnered with e& called Ctrl+Block aimed at combating online cybercrime.
The label – the brainchild of French-Egyptian designer Mariam Yehia and her Lebanese husband Bassel Komaty – stayed close to its ethos of powerful womanhood. This was told via an edgy wrapped bandage dress with each “strip” printed with the Ctrl+Block slogan – an outfit about asserting personal control, and a wide-shouldered T-shirt, worn with barrel-legged jeans and softened with a vintage black lace shawl thrown around the shoulders.
Narma
Back at the d3 show space, Saudi designer Noof Al Rashed delivered the new collection from her label Narma. Built around notions of balance and cultural dialogue, it offered creations so light as to be almost gossamer.
One look was made of translucent, sand-coloured silk, delicately ribbed to stand proud at the arms, with a matching skirt that might adorn an ancient Egyptian goddess. In another, a tube skirt made of pale beads was teamed with a halter neck of more beads that was long enough to sway at the waist with each step.
John Richmond
Rounding out the night was John Richmond, one of the UK's most famously anti-establishment designers.
He has dressed famous faces such as Madonna, David Bowie, Mick Jagger, Lady Gaga and Axl Rose and created George Michael's “Destroy” leather jacket in the 1987 music video for Faith. For the first time, Richmond brought his rebellious thinking to the UAE, with a show that delved into his own history.
This includes a fitted dress emblazoned with a beaded Union Jack, a tightly, intricately embroidered jacket worn with skinny jeans and buckled boots, and a “cocktail” dress featuring a zipped leather corset top and a bubble net skirt. A closer look revealed the top is printed with typical Richmond slogans, such as “Yes, we are the exploited”.
Day one
Alberta Ferretti
Alberta Ferretti creative director Lorenzo Serafini opened the week on Sunday evening with his singular take on modern womanhood. He has led Ferretti since 2024, when he took over from the founder, Alberta herself, who stepped aside after 47 years.
Since taking over, Serafini has brought a toughness to Ferretti, adding a modern depth to the brand famous for its soft femininity. Under Serafini, Ferretti now offers slightly punchier alternatives more suited to modern life, yet always tempered with Ferretti's dreamy romance. One charming certainty about this house is that a cascade of ruffles is never too far away.
The show notes spoke of exploring “beauty as presence rather than performance,” told through soft ripples of cloth, such as a plissé look in creamy oatmeal, comprising a top and skirt topped with a cape-let and edged with ruffles around the neck and wrists. Another look of dusty mustard was a one-shouldered gown, made entirely of delicate, floaty layers of mousseline silk.
The rest of the collection spoke of something less dreamy and more anchored in the everyday. These included a series of side-fastening, waisted jackets, teamed with midi-length full leather skirts, in either black or chocolate brown, with a peep of ruffles falling out of the neck and wrists. With the sharply defined waist and froth of fabric, it hinted at an updated version of 18th century dress.
Elsewhere, a dove grey, drop-waisted midi dress had a seam of discreet pleats around the waist and hips, while a skinny scarf carelessly tied added cool-girl panache. In all, the show delivered a slice of Italian style, told via unfinished hems and precise softness.
What else to expect
The rest of the week offers a somewhat pared-back schedule, with some familiar names absent. Mrs Keepa, for example, is showing off schedule instead. Micheal Cinco is also missing.
However, there are some notable names to look forward to, including British brand John Richmond, which is appearing at Dubai Fashion Week for the first time. That Concept store, the multibrand space that caters to a nonconformist clientele, is also showing today.
High street store Anthropologie makes its debut on Tuesday, after Lebanese name Emergency Room, and ahead of the Parisian brand Weinsanto, which returns for a third year running. Founder Victor Weinsanto is also on the judging council.
Later in the week the runway will be taken over by Lili Blanc and Lama Jouni, before the grand finale. Manish Malhotra is expected to close out the week in spectacular style.
