Bold, glamorous and eye-catching: Arab Fashion Week celebrates the region’s creative talent in its first physical show as Dubai’s event scene recovers from the pandemic. But along with the creations on the ramp, I found the variety of event sponsors & partners – ranging from eCommerce providers to Aramex – a very intriguing showcase of the changing times in the industry.
I had the pleasure of attending three shows tonight including Weinsanto – who is one of the three designers chosen from Paris Fashion Week for Dubai along with Germanier and Ester Manas. Tonight, Egyptian Dubai-based sustainable fashion label, Autonomie led the line-up with a capsule collection they’ve created with shipping materials from Aramex, a major courier player in the UAE.
In addition to the conscious Arab consumer’s focus on sustainability, I found this collaboration concept fascinating as it speaks volumes of the way the fashion world has changed in our omni-channel hybrid-purchasing world. While eCommerce was certainly on the rise for the past decade, it’s an undeniable fact that post-2020 consumers expect an equally, if not more, robust shopping experience online, via social commerce and of-course in-store.
With shopping available at your fingertips, Last-Mile delivery partnerships with postal companies has become a survival priority for businesses to meet their customer’s needs. I’d be curious to know what you thought of Autonomie’s sustainability messaging given its pairing with a courier company – which perhaps promotes the ease of buying fast fashion/caters to impulse purchases?
Next up, Weinsanto and Christian Cowan blew us away with their architectural dreamscape headdresses, over-the-top ruffles and party-ready couture outfits. Looking at their material for SS22, the era of lazy lockdown loungewear seems far away, promising hope for – inshallah – a thriving year where consumers can finally enjoy social gatherings befitting such lively outfits. It was a joy to see these vivacious, maximalist pieces in lieu of the potentially subdued, minimalist pieces fashion pandemic pandits had also hypothesized.
You can tune in to the shows globally via the Arab Fashion Week’s Facebook Livestreams or register for events at www.arabfashionweek.com . Follow me at @nikitalyfe and nikitalyfe.com for more news on Dubai lifestyle events.
Until next time! ❤ xoxo #nikitalyfe
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