News Desk
DUBAI: Today, the Dubai based Arab Fashion Council© confirmed the Arab Fashion Week is set to take place virtually from 21-24 October 2020 supported by Microsoft and in partnership with Facebook Inc. Following the success of the previous virtual edition, which was the first and only digital fashion event to take place in the Middle East, Arab Fashion Week is set to continue its full program virtually with spots around the country to enable viewing the designers collection in person.
“The entire world is passing through a transitional period of stepping into the new world’s revolution which is governed by technology and artificial intelligence; we, at the Arab Fashion Council, are taking the right steps to ensure our fashion community is ready to be part of the big change” said Jacob Abrian, Founder & CEO, Arab Fashion Council.
For the first time, Arab Fashion Week is presented by Microsoft, a direction the Arab Fashion Council© has taken to empower fashion designers to utilize the full digital capacity of Microsoft services and devices, geared towards optimizing designer productivity and deliverables under the theme “Dream Bigger, the power to achieve more”.
“At a time when all sectors and industries are re-imagining their business models around the globe, the Arab fashion industry is no different, as it is set to drive a significant portion of its business in a challenging year through digital channels. The creative industry at large with its designers, creators, and the entire value chain are looking at new ways to innovate and differentiate, said Ihsan Anabtawi, COO and CMO of Microsoft UAE. “The Microsoft cloud and devices are supporting and empowering fashion designers and everyone in the industry to innovate, create, and collaborate in new ways while helping the industry meet changing customer demand in the digital age”
In this edition, the Arab Fashion Week is featuring over 30 fashion designers from across Asia, Europe and America, in addition to a full day dedicated to the Brazilian designers under the title of Brazil Noble. The schedule includes designer showrooms in partnership with the leading digital showroom platform, JOOR, that exceeds monthly transactions of 1.35 Billion US dollars and connects over 260,000 international buyers with designers. In addition, the Arab Fashion council in partnership with the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode (FHCM) the French institution that coordinates Paris Fashion Week, welcome to Dubai the Parisian designers, for the first time in the history, under a new initiative named ‘PARISIANS in DUBAI’ a new project which aims to connect the French designers members of Paris Fashion Week to the Arab fashion industry and to create a bridge between the two fashion industries.
On the occasion the Arab Fashion Council has named the Lebanese Superstar, Maya Diab, the Fashion Icon of the Arab World. Maya is set to open the Arab Fashion week shows and activations live through a special appearance which will be followed in the coming days by ‘The Hue of Fashion, an interviews and panel discussions platform amongst the industry experts and celebrities coordinated by the leading celebrities’ agency in the region, Humanagement and hosted by Sally Hajjar.
The entire event is set to go live exclusively on Facebook Inc platforms which would broadcast the Arab Fashion Week to its 2 Billion users. The fashion enthusiast will be enabled to shop their favorite runway looks directly through Instagram shopping technology and through the Arab Fashion Week’s dedicated shop-the-runway e-commerce. In addition, trend lovers will be able to visit selected pop-up stores throughout the Emirates to try on the collection and purchase it directly. “COVID-19 is pushing fashion labels to reimagine everything. Many brands and retailers have had to rethink how they have traditionally promoted themselves. At Facebook, we think that this behavioral shift is an invitation for brands to relook at digital’s role in the omnichannel, and more importantly, reimagine the product experience. Our platforms host a huge range of short-form, long-form, and interactive content formats – be it Facebook Like or Instagram Shops that can be used to chic effect for storytelling. AFW is the 5th largest fashion week globally; we are happy to partner with them and empower the region’s creative community of designers and stylists to bring, for the first time, an exclusive original fashion content on the platform from the region.” attributed to Joana Jamil, Strategic Partner Manager, MENA, Public Figures & Social Influencers at Facebook.
It is also announced that the fashion shows imaging partner is Nikon, a Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, specializing in optics and imaging products. The collaboration with Nikon enables regional photographers to select their cameras and imaging devices from Nikon and get access to film the fashion shows and backstage. “We at Nikon Middle East and Africa are committed to empowering the region’s vast and exceptionally talented community of creatives, including those in the fashion industry,” says Narendra Menon, Managing Director of Nikon Middle East FZE. “The UAE, has proven to be one of the world’s most exciting epicenters of fashion, reflecting a community that is united in diversity and inclusion of all cultures and perspectives. We commend the Arab Fashion Council for being at the forefront of this movement, and we are absolutely delighted to partner with them this year.”
“This edition, the Arab Fashion Week touches down another milestone that remarks the Arab Fashion Council’s commitment to keep advancing and promoting the creative industry on a global level, in strategic alliance with multinational partners alike Microsoft, Facebook, Nikon and JOOR the Arab talents gain a robust backbone to ensure their success” said Mohammed Aqra, Chief Strategy Officer, Arab Fashion Council.
Click here to view the official Arab Fashion Week calendar.
