Cinco meets Cavalli: What to expect from Dubai Fashion Week

International names and regional talent will take over Dubai Design District in early September

Roberto Cavalli will close Dubai Fashion Week on September 6. Photo: Roberto Cavalli

The new season of Dubai Fashion Week will unfurl at Dubai Design District from September 1, with what promises to be a busy calendar of runway shows, talks and presentations.

As Dubai’s leading fashion event, the platform offers a space where regional brands – plus a few international ones – can present their vision to the fashion press and industry.

Akin its more established cousins in London, Milan and Paris, Dubai Fashion Week (DFW) enables designers to put forward their ideas for the first and only time in a manner that is entirely within their control – from the make-up and music to the speed at which the models walk the runway – and as part of a cohesive story. The unveiling also gives the audience an insight into the designers' thinking process.

This season, familiar regional names will return, among them Lebanese designer Dima Ayad; directional occasion wear label Mrs Keepa; and the couture house of Michael Cinco. Heba Jasmi will bring her glittery evening wear, while Malaysian brand Rizman Ruzaini will open the event.

After enlisting British supermodel Naomi Campbell to walk for them at Dubai Fashion Week last October – the look she wore is now part of the exhibition about her at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London – Rizman Nordin and Ruzaini Jamil, the design duo behind Rizman Ruzaini, will be centre of attention as onlookers wait to see who will grace their runway this season.

Malaysian designers Rizman Nordin, right, and Ruzaini Jamil with Naomi Campbell during Dubai Fashion Week 2023. EPA

Another show that will be keenly watched, in light of the unfolding Gaza-Israel conflict, is that of Palestinian designer Ihab Jiryis.

Elsewhere, the Spanish house of Adolfo Dominguez will be bringing its newest show to DFW. The brand already has a store presence across the UAE. With its focus on low-key style, expect the show to be a lesson in understated dressing.

Spanish brand Adolfo Dominguez is one of a handful of international brands showing its new show in Dubai. Photo: Adolfo Dominguez

Also from overseas comes Weinsanto, the Parisian brand that merges ready-to-wear with couture, while the week will be closed by Italian house Roberto Cavalli. It is now headed up by designer Fausto Puglisi, who designs for the likes of Madonna, Beyonce and Taylor Swift. The self-styled “Sicilian maverick” will be the guest of honour and close out the week with what is expected to be a parade of bold and powerful looks steeped in high-octane glamour.

Cavalli follows American brand Carolina Herrera, which was invited as a special guest last year. Set a step back from the shows, there will be a showroom hosting smaller Italian labels, while DFW will also chair a series of Thread Talks and an industry round table.

While DFW is a closed event, organisers believe it is helping to put regional fashion on the world map. As it grows season after season, it is not only gaining prestige but also spawning collections for trend-watchers and fashion mavens to imbine in their own wardrobes.