The Arab Fashion Council (AFC), the world’s largest not-for-profit fashion organization with a vision to establish a fashion ecosystem in the Arab world, has officially entered into a long-term partnership with Meraas, a leading Dubai-based holding company, in order to continue promoting Dubai as a global style destination.
Under the new partnership, the Arab Fashion Council will once again host its bi-annual Arab Fashion Week (AFW) which will be held this season and for the first time at City Walk, a city within a city, developed by Meraas that seamlessly combines living, shopping, entertainment, hospitality and wellness options within one unique destination. The destination is home to over 300 local and global brands comprising luxury, contemporary, high street fashion brands, F&B, jewellery and watches, leisure and entertainment and much more. The five-day event will take place from 15-19 November and is expected to attract a huge number of visitors and participants including industry VIP and celebrity guests flying in from all over the world for the occasion. With over 25 regional and international designers showcasing their latest creations every season, Arab Fashion Week is the first and only platform in the world dedicated to promoting Pre-collections and Ready-Couture.
“We are thrilled to host the fifth edition of Arab Fashion Week in partnership with Meraas as it presents an exciting opportunity to unite the Dubai fashion community. While Arab Fashion Week is an industry-focused event, we want everyone to feel that they are part of it, and together with Meraas, we hope to create another hugely successful event,” said Jacob Abrian, CEO of Arab Fashion Council.
Meraas combines creativity and engineering to deliver a unique portfolio of urban and lifestyle destinations that are designed to make Dubai and the UAE a number one destination for people to live, work, visit and enjoy time with family and friends. As part of the strategic partnership with the Arab Fashion Council, Meraas will be hosting various events and activations in addition to City Walk across all its developments, including The Beach, Boxpark, The Outlet Village, La Mer and Al Seef in order to make Arab Fashion Week a truly city-wide celebration. The five-day event will take center stage at City Walk and will include a schedule of daily runway shows, presentations, panel discussions and pop-up boutiques.
Sally Yacoub, Chief Malls Officer at Meraas said: “Dubai’s ambition is to become one of the world’s top capitals for fashion and design, and we are excited to support the growth of both industries by partnering with the Arab Fashion Council. Arab Fashion Week is an important event in the Dubai calendar, and we are ready to welcome thousands of people to City Walk Dubai, as we celebrate the very best the city has to offer.”
The Arab Fashion Council was founded in 2014 in London as an international extraterritorial authority by a number of regional fashion pioneers. The organization has been working closely with international experts in order to elevate and position the Arab Fashion Week alongside the other big four fashion weeks taking place in New York (NYFW), London (LFW), Milan (MFW) & Paris (PFW). The concept of the event is not only to promote regional talent but also allow international designers to showcase their collections with a possibility of being licensed with an official Ready-Couture license.
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