Fashion Forward Dubai (FFWD), the region’s progressive fashion platform, endorsed by the Dubai Design and Fashion Council (DDFC), closed its Fall/Winter ’16 season to great acclaim from industry figures, having presented 39 apparel, jewellery and accessories designers to a hugely influential regional and international audience.

 

The attendance from buyers was the most significant to date with representatives from some of the most recognised global department stores, said a statement.

 

It was held at the Dubai Design District (d3), Hai d3, where 24 apparel brands showed their Fall/Winter ’16 collections through runway shows and presentations, and 15 jewellery and accessories brands exhibited in The Showcase space.

 

The guests enjoyed the urban space, custom built to house the bi-annual four-day event. 

 

The members of the fashion community from across the GCC and internationally joined together to celebrate a selection of the best Middle Eastern design talent.

 

Mohammad Saeed Al Shehhi, chief operating officer, at Dubai Design District (d3), said: “Fashion Forward has grown to become a key event in Dubai’s design calendar. We are delighted that they chose to host this season at d3, allowing us to welcome designers, buyers and the regional fashion industry to our home and helping us to enable our ambition of serving as a platform for nurturing the region’s design industry.

 

“Feedback we received from the visitors focused on the delight of how FFWD is evolving and the fantastic synergy between both the event and d3 as a location, as well as showcasing some of the best of our regions fashion designers. We look forward to continuing to support FFWD in the future and enabling the industry to flourish.”

 

Each season, FFWD attracts an increasing number of buyers from the region and internationally. For F/W ’16, FFWD partnered with Muriel Piaser Consulting to bring buyers representing: Galeries Lafayette, Paris; Harvey Nichols, Hong Kong; Neiman Marcus, New York; Fenwick, London and Printemps, Paris to FFWD. 

 

The buyers attended the runway shows and presentations as well as a dedicated Showroom day where they had one-to-one meetings with selected designers.

 

In addition to the design talent on show, FFWD F/W ’16 also hosted a series of significant industry figures through the ‘d3 Fashion Talks.’

 

Bringing technology and innovation into the fashion forefront, FFWD partnered with Samsung to enhance the experience for attending guests, while empowering those that could not attend. 

 

During the event, Samsung integrated its latest ecosystem: Galaxy S7 and S7 edge, Gear VR and Gear 360 – showcasing the convergence between fashion and technology – bringing the front row experience in a 360° view of all the fashion shows to the connected and fashion savvy consumers. - TradeArabia News Service