Text: Dariga Masenova The four-day Fashion Forward event, held in Dubai twice a year, featured the work of young designers, rising stars and industry heavyweights.
The project, whose goal is to create a commercial platform for the growth of Middle Eastern designers, took place under the “+” sign from April 26 to 29 at the Madinat Jumeirah complex. According to the creative director of Fashion Forward, Bon Guerrero, despite the high consumer demand for branded goods, the fashion industry in the Middle East is quite young. There isn’t enough “leverage” to help young and established designers present their collections on a seasonal basis to the public.
Fashion forward - This is the lever that was conceived in order to accelerate the "movement" of the regional fashion industry.
The essence of the project is to search and help young talents, recognition of fashion houses, as well as fashion education and the development of debates on advertising and marketing.
“In fact, this event is not just a fashion week, but rather a mechanism to competently represent the region,” said Stephen Kolb, CEO of the American Council of Fashion Designers.
A registered clothing brand is one of the main criteria for participation in the project. At the next Fashion Forward season, such designer brands were presented as Ayesha Depala, Michael Cinco, Essa, Ezra, Furne One, C'est Moi !, Dina JSR, Emperor 1688, Golkar Couture, Rami Al Ali, Ronald, Tahir Sultan, Amira Haroon, Dima Ayad, KAGE, Rani Zakhem, Zayan, WHYESSE and others.
In addition to the fashion show, forums and panel discussions were held with experts in business and education. In addition to local fashionistas and fashionistas, style icons arrived at the event: designer Michael Kinko, founder of the Rabih Kayrouz fashion house in Paris, Rabih Kairuz, as well as Barbara La Monica, curator of the Fashion Institute of Fashion in New York, who released Calvin Klein, Michael Kors and Carolina Herrera .
Official site of the project: www.fashionforward.ae
