Dubai Fashion Week

Top Bollywood designers Neeta Lulla and Vikram Phadnis are among the 31 international and regional designers who will present their fall/winter 2008 collections at the Isla Moda Dubai Fashion Week (DFW) to be held at the Godolphin Ballroom, Jumeirah Emirates Towers, Dubai, from March 19 to 22. The event is produced by Concept Events and endorsed by the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry. It will feature 16 solo and group shows to be held from March 20 to 22 from 3pm to 10pm. Entry to the event is strictly by invitation only.

The shows will feature prêt a porter, couture and diffusion collections by established and emerging designers including Troy Costa and Rohit Mittal from India, Hatem Alhakeem, Loai Nassem, Mahmoud Hafiz and Hend Halawani from Saudi Arabia, UK-based Lamia Asudari and Kuwaiti designer Nili Zahar. Participants from the UAE include Ghanati, Mille Rostock, Redaa-Amaal Murad, Charu Parashar, Surabhi Kalsi, Hamra Alam and Raakhee Raipanchola. Homegrown talents Rashmi Kumari, Muskan Taurani and Deeya Nanda will present their debut collections at the event.

UAE-based designers Jasbir Jamani and Buffi Jashanmal along with Lebanese talent Krikor Jabotian will feature in the third edition of the ‘Splash Emerging Talent' show, slated for the final day of the event. Also included this season is an Islamic Fashion Festival preview that will feature shaylas, abayas, prayer attire, Islamic swimwear and contemporary Islamic fashion presented by well known designers from Indonesia, Malaysia, Europe, India and the gulf region. A show by Dessange (Paris), displaying latest hairstyle trends is also part of the schedule. The grand finale on March 22 will feature the opulent collections of Neeta Lulla and UAE-based Lebanese atelier Walid Atallah.

"DFW is a trade event and our aim is to provide an exclusive platform for the development of the region's fashion industry. We want to focus on offering retail buyers, fashion professionals and the media an inside look into the latest collections from designers in the region and help generate increased exposure and revenue in the industry," said Rohit Sabikhi, Director - Fashion at Concept Events. "We have now moved to a bigger venue so that we can provide better facilities such as spacious exhibition areas, a media centre and a buyers lounge to further facilitate business opportunities for the established and emerging designers," he added.

DFW is presented by Isla Moda, the world's first dedicated fashion island, located in Dubai's The World development with support from Splash, L'Oreal, Dessange, Philips, Solaris, Emirates Bank Al Shaheen, Audi and Image Works.