After four successful seasons, the Middle East’s biggest fashion platform, Fashion Forward (FFWD), returns this weekend. Kicking off on April 10th, and running until April 13th at Dubai’s Madinat Jumeirah, the bi-annual event will welcome the region’s industry experts, from press and buyers to bloggers and VIPs, fashionista’s will flock to preview the AW15 ready-to-wear and couture collections, designed by the local talent. Showcasing the work of the UAE’s finest designers and bringing together over 45,000 members of the fashion world, this is an event not to be missed! For more info and registration, click here…
Want to know who we’ll be watching this season? Well, look no further, here are the designers you need to know…
THE EMPEROR 1688
Since establishing the luxury brand in 2007, the Golkar brothers have continued, season after season, to showcase a collection of deftly tailored classic yet sporty, minimalistic pieces that boast intricate detailing. Their SS15 collection saw a voyage themed motif, inspired by a 1970’s Yves Saint Laurent, with safari inspired pieces and a colour palette of cobalt blues – a reference to YSL’s Marrakech home – and modern silhouettes with a relaxed energy. From London College of Fashion to Central Saint Martins and and Chelsea College of Art, Haman, Babak and Farhan Golkar all studied their fields of fashion somewhere different, and bring something of their own to the brand, allowing them to continue to recreate impeccable pieces that you really just want to wear.
TALLER MARMO
Design duo, Riccardo Audisio and Yago Goicoechea, make up popular womenswear brand Taller Marmo. Founded in 2013, their collections see a hybrid European elegance and Middle Eastern charm, identified through floaty and forigivng fabrics adorned with sun and half moon motifs. Last season, their collection saw contrasting an array of colour blocking, dress lengths and the use of texture to portray the day from sunrise to night-time.
DIMA AYAD
Regional fave, Dima Ayad is Lebanese fashion designer, who has graced the pages ELLE Arabia, Grazia Middle East, OK! and Hello! since her arrival on the UAE fashion scene in 2010. Her exploration of the female form has resulted in collections embracing a range of nipped waists, lampshade bodices, and loose, flowing skirts. She says of her SS15 collection, “I wanted to create a collection that could take you from day to night, pieces that you could wear to a business meeting and at the same time wear to a night out by simply putting on a pair of heels and, voilà, you’ve got a stylish new look!”
MADIYAH AL SHARQI
Sheikha Madiyah Al Sharqi, daughter of the Ruler of Fujairah, U.A.E, HH Sheikh Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi, graduate in Fashion Design and Pattern Making from ESMOD, Dubai, and was a finalist of the Woolmark Prize and winner of “Best Fashion Designer”. Her aesthetic offers us effortless eveningwear with an updated edge. “Feminine fabrics and colours combined with minimalistic silhouettes is how many would describe my brand,” she says.
HUSSEIN BAZAZA
Dubbed ‘the next Elie Saab’, Lebanese fashion designer Hussein Bazaza first showed at FFWD Season One as part of The Starch Foundation. His eponymous label is known for drawing inspirations, where every cut reflects a different story, a personal emotion that creates a one of a kind experience.
HOUSE OF NOMAD
Making their FFWD debut, House of Nomad is the brain child of creatives Ahmed El-Sayed and Saleh Al-Banna. The Emirate and Egyptian duo are known for their innovative designs, with their most recent SS15 collection boasting gorgeous gowns and voluminous silhouettes, made entirely out of neoprene. Their collection features Arabic calligraphy reimagined on each piece – a nod to their heritage and used to proudly assert their cultural DNA.
