The event ran from Mar. 24 to 28 at the Dubai Design District (d3), with a schedule highlighting a record number of local designers.

The opening night of Arab Fashion Week Women’s Fall/Winter edition set the tone for the event, featuring shows from Egyptian designer Maram Borham and Palestinian talent Ihab Jiryis. Also on the schedule, which included 28 runway shows in total, were Dubai-based French/Algerian brand Bouguessa, Lebanese label Aboud Jammal, Dubai-based Lebanese label Lili Blanc and Emirati label Pearla.

Khadija Al Bastaki, executive director at Dubai Design District (d3), which hosts Arab Fashion Week in conjunction with the Arab Fashion Council, said that the pandemic period had focussed consumer attention more on local players.

As well as hosting more MENA region designers than ever before, this edition of the event was also the largest in terms of scale and participation from brands, buyers and guests, she said, adding that the pandemic period has proven a time of growth for Arab Fashion Week, even as fashion events globally suffered.

“As our region’s fashion industry enters a new stage of impact on the global stage, we are excited to support and nurture it further and help take it to even greater audiences while fulfilling the growing appetite and desire for Arab contemporary fashion,” Al Bastaki said.

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