The Arab Fashion Council (AFC) and Dubai Design District (d3) are delighted to announce the dates for the next edition of Men’s Ready-To-Wear Arab Fashion Week – Spring-Summer 2023 edition. The event will take place from Tuesday, June 28 to Thursday, June 30 at d3, a creative platform by TECOM Group dedicated to design, fashion, architecture, art and retail. The schedule of this fourth edition of this burgeoning event (the only Men’s Fashion week held throughout Asia and the Middle East) will incorporate both in-person catwalk shows and a host of events.
The Arab Fashion Council’s first Men’s Arab Fashion Week took place in January 2021 and there have since been editions at d3 in July 2021 and January 2022. With menswear becoming an increasingly prominent industry globally and garnering more attention year over year, it is no surprise that its market value is expected to grow from USD$533.3 billion (AED 1.9 trillion) in 2021 to USD$746.9 billion (AED 2.7 trillion) by 2027 – an astounding 5.92% compound annual growth rate over six years. The AFC and d3 are at the forefront of the menswear industry in the region. Among the designers to showcase collections later this month are Valette Studio, Lazoschmidl and Arturo Obegero, who are presented by the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode, the French body responsible for coordinating Paris Fashion Week.
The upcoming Men’s Arab Fashion Week also marks the Arab Fashion Council’s 20th edition of Arab Fashion Week. Arab Fashion Week first launched in 2015 and over the last seven years the event has showcased hundreds of renowned creative designers from over 50 countries including a vast number from across the Arab World, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Libya, Iraq, Jordan, Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt and Palestine. The event is hosted in collaboration with international stakeholders such as Meta, Microsoft and GoDaddy, to name just a few. Arab Fashion Week takes place four times a year – the menswear edition is held in January and June and womenswear in March and October.
The Arab Fashion Council is committed to nurturing and growing the region’s fashion industry and, in this upcoming Men’s edition, is keen to spotlight three of its most important initiatives: creativity; sustainability; and technology. This season’s fashion audience can expect an inspiring celebration of each of these initiatives in three separate collaborations – the details of which will be unveiled during the three-day event.
Commenting on the successful collaboration between d3 and AFC, Khadija Al Bastaki, Executive Director, Dubai Design District (d3), states: “Our strategic partnership with the Arab Fashion Council on Arab Fashion Week is one we are very proud of. The region’s fashion industry is on an upward and exciting trajectory with many of the Arab world’s designers carving out a distinct space on the global stage and with prestigious international brands also wanting to engage more with Dubai and the wider region.
At d3 we are deeply committed to providing this wealth of creative talent an environment in which they can collaborate, inspire, rethink the regular and thrive, and we work with players at varying stages of their journey to access the region’s diverse opportunities and markets. From aspiring designers to global fashion houses, our growing ecosystem houses a dynamic community which is pushing the envelope on design. Arab Fashion Week, both men’s and women’s editions, is fundamental to providing our customers with a stronger platform to showcase their ingenuity, to network and engage and help strengthen Dubai’s creative economy even further.”
Championing creativity is fundamental to the AFC’s mission. The Council’s partnership with d3 for Arab Fashion Week provides a platform for both emerging and established designers – from the UAE, wider region and internationally – to engage. The event welcomes foreign brands to invest in the region and local fashion businesses to export globally, ensuring the industry’s success from all sides. In addition to showcasing a diverse mix of local and regional names and talents, Arab Fashion Week’s calendar has – over the last seven years – featured some of the most renowned global brands such as Jean Paul Gautier, Iris Van Herpen, Antonio Marras, Marchesa, Blumarine, Moschino, and many more.
Commenting on the upcoming edition of Men’s Arab Fashion Week, Mohammed Aqra, Chief Strategy Officer of the Arab Fashion Council, comments: “The Arab Fashion Council and Dubai Design District (d3) share the vision of positioning Dubai as one of the world’s most creative capitals and we celebrate this through leveraging the Arab Fashion Week’s power in showcasing local, regional and international designers, unveiling new innovative technologies, championing sustainability and being committed to continually providing our creative industry with a globally recognized B2B event to gain exposure and execute business transactions. Furthermore, with collaborations with international counterparts such as Federation de la Haute Couture et de la Mode, the French body that coordinates Paris Fashion Week, AFC hosts an exclusive showroom & presentation on the official Paris Fashion Week calendar where the Arab designers’ talent are able to connect with international buyers and Media.”
Dubai Design District (d3) is part of a portfolio of strategically located and sustainable business ecosystems by TECOM Group, which for over 20 years has been cementing Dubai’s status as a global business and talent hub.
