A Glimpse Into Arab Fashion Week in Dubai

New York, Paris, London: these are the fashion capitals of the world. Dubai probably doesn’t come to mind as a place to see the latest fashions, but it should. The United Arab Emirates city-state recently hosted its own fashion show, and it was not like what you’re used to.

Here’s a look at what you missed.

Modest Fashion

In the UAE, the culture is a lot different than it is from say, the US or France. Much of the city-state’s population is Muslim, and so that culture often necessitates more skin coverage. Therefore, instead of the envelope-pushing, half-naked extravaganzas that major fashion shows so often become over here, the styles displayed in Dubai were much more conventional.

For instance, there were several long, nearly-floor length black dresses with scooped yet modest collars and long sleeves. Waist belts and jewelry were the only accessories. Flowing, kimono-like blazers and matching trousers were another popular style. There were even some hijabs on display. In all, nearly 30 fashion designers in Dubai showed off their newest looks.

There Were No Models

Wait, what? No models? Then who was wearing the clothes?

There were definitely models photographed in the outfits at some point, but they weren’t there live at the fashion show. Instead, in a futuristic touch, there were digital displays showing the looks at a shopping district in Dubai. The displays could be zoomed in on to see the quality of the fabrics used in the designs.

Some of the fashion designers themselves were there, but again, no models. That’s certainly not like anything we’re used to at fashion shows over here!

…And No Catwalks!

Here was another huge missing component: there were no catwalks during the Dubai fashion show either. According to Islamic Fashion and Design Council chairwoman Alia Khan, catwalks are “one of the most antiquated things.”

It seemed to work, because plenty of fashion names participated in the event, such as Shahd Alasaly, the founder of Chicago-based fashion brand Blue Meets Blue. Sportswear designer Under-Rapt and Isabella Caposanno, an Italian luxury fashion brand, were also on hand.

Clothes were quite expensive, with one of Caposanno’s designs costing $37,000, which is roughly 30,000 euros.

In short, it was business as usual with the Dubai fashion show, proving that models and catwalks are not always necessary.

Header Photo by @ifashionnetwork on Instagram