DAY ONE: FASHION WEEK 2021 DELIGHTS AUDIENCES WITH A LINEUP OF GLAMOUROUS SHOWS!

Dubai, United Arab Emirates: Fashion Week 2021 showcased Asia’s finest designers and their exceptional collections. Premiering at The Arena, IMG Worlds of Adventure, on an exquisite purpose-built ramp, the event kick-started a 3-day long fashion extravaganza that promises to delight every fashion lover and style influencer.

“In keeping with the trajectory set by the Rulers of Dubai, we created this Fashion Week, to support the designers. Our aim is to revive the business of fashion, stirring livelihood generation for the farmer who grows fibre, weavers, mills, embroidery craft workers, tailors. It is time to shine the spotlight on designers, choreographers, makeup and hair artists, models, light- sound producers, to give them a platform to shine on post-pandemic” says Founder & Producer of Fashion Week 2021 Saif Ali Khan, who also spearhead Supreme Events, the producers of this prestigious event.

Emirati elegance echoed through the collections launched by the House of Ikat and Atelier Zuhra’s. Victor Closet’s collection was visual documentation of how modern, minimalistic men in Dubai prefer to explore and expresses themselves through design and dress. Angelo Estera’s eponymous collection showcases how Dubai is still replete with couture culture and has an everlasting love for fine hand-embellishments. The diversity of this lineup echoes the leadership’s commitment to diversity and cultural inclusion.

HOUSE OF IKAT

Rabia Z & Ameera Al Ahli, are sisters, who collectively founded ‘House of Ikat’ to revive their Emirati and Uzbeki heritage. Using a treasure trove of Ikat prints, gifted to them by their grandmother, they contemporized local fashion staples like the Emirati mukhawar. Whilst Rabia Z’s silhouette was modest yet modern, with a touch of feminine flow, Ameera showcased edgy, luxury streetwear. Both collections mirrored the wide vocabulary of womenswear in the region.

Atelier Zuhra

Emirati designer Atelier Zuhra showcased a ‘Rebirth Collection’ celebrating Dubai’s love for grace and elegance. Rich, high-quality fabrics, crafted with finesse, in an ethereal colour palette of emerald greens, fuchsia and romantic yellows, were all inspired by the beauty of the ocean. Representative of the designer’s vision, this collection was designed to make every woman feel chic yet comfortable.

The Victor Closet

Victor Closet creates menswear fashion for the unconventional, courageous and confident man. This collection highlighted the three-designer unique signature and vision for creating avantgarde, statement streetwear pieces. Paying great attention to detail, from hand stitching to finesse of cut, the designers have perfected every ensemble by focussing on details. This is not a collection for the feign hearted, this is a stylistic choice that will be made by men who want to be on the cutting edge of style.

Angelo Estera

Reminiscing the last celebration of Couture, on display, at the last winter ball hosted by the Russian Czar in the early 19th Century, Angelo Estera dipped into pages of Russian History to recreate in a contemporary context. Echoing with elegance and preciousness of luxury, the designer used rich brocades, French lace, diaphanous tulle. Texturing it with a rare caviar beading embellishment to create ensembles fit for modern royalty. Angelo’s couture skills were visible through his highly technical construction of ball gowns and exquisitely crafted boning fits.

The grand finale of Day 1, proved to be a spectacular show, finely choreographed, peppered with dance, gymnastics, theatre, interlaced with storytelling. A visual treat of beautiful models gliding onto the catwalk, accompanied by dancers and acrobats, all showcasing exceptional ensembles. This mesmerizing experience will linger in the audience’s memories for a long time.

Day 1 set the cursor very high for the following days, setting a new trajectory for fashion platforms across MENA and Asia. Shining the spotlight on the best of the fashion talent, MENASA region offers, the event created an array of opportunities for emerging designers and students. Most of the collections were created to stir economic sustainability for weavers, painters, artisans, tailors and hand embellishers who have been badly impacted during the pandemic, ensuring that Fashion Week 2021 is about style with substance.

Alongside the glamour, the show is a community initiative termed ‘Bazaar’, which displayed delightful products from the region micro and small businesses owners. Developing this in a purpose-built format, the high quality of products designed by Supreme events was consciously done in keeping with the global fashion weeks standards and is unprecedented in this region.

Fashion Week 2021 is supported by Splash Fashions, Saoub Saunders, Sprocket Science Films, The Wordsmiths ME, Percept ME, Rove Hotels, Victor Magazine, Bobby Sahotra Photography, Khaleej Times, Food Artist & Molecular Gastronomist Omar Sartawi, Fun Asia Network (FAN), and many others.