New Dubai fashion week to launch in Dubai: 'We want to switch things up'

Three-day event will debut on December 16 with 12 designers from the Middle East and India

Filipino designer Furne One's Amato, which is based in Dubai, will be one of the 12 labels at Fashion Week DXB. Pawan Singh / The National

Another fashion week is set to join Dubai's busy calendar of events in December. Fashion Week DXB, a three-day event to be held from December 16, will feature designers from across the Middle East and India, and organisers say they are hoping to bring "something different" to the table.

"There are many fashion weeks in the city but everyone is looking at it from a profit-and-loss perspective. What we really want to do is create something for the industry and for the designers," show producer Saif Ali Khan tells The National.

Both Khan and his partner, show director Kevin Oliver, are veterans in the UAE fashion industry, with a combined experience of more than 50 years putting together similar events, from the erstwhile Dubai Fashion Week as well as Fashion Forward.

"It's going to be a different kind of fashion week," Oliver says. "So many people say, 'I saw this in Paris or London so can we do it here?'. Why can’t they say they saw it in Dubai?

"We created something that we think has not been done before. Audiences come to see a spectacle and that is what they'll get.

"We want to switch things up."

The event will be limited to only 12 designers or labels, Oliver says. This is to ensure that all showcasing designers get star billing.

"We want to really produce a show for each of them. We are going into the psyche of each of them and showcase what makes them special, how they produce clothes and what sets them apart," he explains.

"It's going to be a combination of theatre, music and, of course, fashion. Even in terms of models, we’re using the most diverse models and of all shapes and sizes. Each show will be very different from the other."

While a full list of participating designers has yet to be revealed, UAE labels who have signed up for Fashion Week DXB include Amato by Filipino designer Furne One; Omani label Atelier Zuhra, which has its headquarters in Dubai; menswear designer Varoin Marwah, who founded his eponymous label in Dubai; and ace Indian designer Rocky S.

All labels will have their own show, while the event will also feature an outdoor space for hand-picked designers who will showcase their collections, as well as food and entertainment zones.

The venue has not been announced.

"We're going to have one of the biggest catwalks ever seen in the UAE," Oliver says. "Also we're going to open with an Emirati designer and we’re hoping that will send a message to the world."