The 3rd edition of Arab Fashion Week (AFW) has come to a close in Dubai.
ADVERTISEMENTThe 3rd edition of Arab Fashion Week (AFW) has come to a close in Dubai.
Founded with the aim of promoting the fashion industry across Arab League countries, the event this year introduced the concept of ‘ready couture’”:http://www.mb.com.ph/arab-fashion-week-flaunts-ready-couture-in-dubai/ – following in the footsteps of limited ready-to-wear collections that can be customised, by famous fashion houses like Roberto Cavalli and Dolce & Gabbana.
“The show is a tool, it’s the culmination of a process where we use stories, textile and fashion expertise to make products that will be stand out around the world,” Mario Boselli, Honorary President of the Arab Fashion Council, told Euronews correspondent Rita Delprete.
The hope is to establish Dubai as a top destination for the ‘ready couture’ genre and as a major fashion capital.
According to Arab Fashion Council CEO, Jacob Abrian, “ready-couture is in between ready to-wear and haute couture. It’s more expensive than the high-end ready-to-wear and less expensive than haute couture.”
Based in Sweden, Iranian-born designer Jaleh Yousefi offers Arabic fashion with a European twist. All her clothes are hand sewn by Swedish tailors in Malmö.
“Usually Arabic dresses are made of a certain type of fabric that we don’t use in Western countries, but I mix that. Why don’t I use hijabs for my dresses? It’s because they are party-dresses, and usually Emirati women don’t use hijabs at parties,” she explained.
Throughout the Gulf region, women hold what’s known as “inside parties”, where there are no men, which means they don’t have to wear hijabs or scarfs.
Also showing his latest offering was Marseille-born Algerian couturier Yacine Aouadi, who offered a colourful, contemporary collection. The young designer, who has dressed celebrities like Cate Blanchett, Kirsten Dunst and Rooney Mara, aims at creating sophisticated, modern clothes, that reflect the personality of the woman wearing them.
The curtain has come down on Arab Fashion Week, which “hopes to prove to the world that the region is not just synonymous with war and conflict, but also creativity, art and beauty,” says Euronews’ Rita Delprete.
