Fashion Forward Dubai Closes its FW’16 Season
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 last week to great acclaim from industry figures. FFWD was held from 31 March to 3 April in the event’s new venue at Dubai Design District (d3), Hai d3, the urban space, custom built to house the bi-annual 4-day event. Members of the fashion community from across the GCC and internationally joined together to celebrate a selection of the best Middle Eastern design talent.
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.
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’ including: CEO of Moda Operandi, Deborah Nicodemus; Hollywood celebrity stylist Anita Patrickson; as well as a dynamic panel of international buyers including Pascale Camert – Galeries Lafayette, Paris and Song Pham – Harvey Nichols, Hong Kong.
Speaking about her impression of FFWD Pascale Camart – Head Manager of Womenswear & Underwear Buying Department, Galeries Lafayette, Paris, said: “It is very important for us to explore an event like Fashion Forward to see what’s happening here in the Middle East as most of our customers are in this region.”
Passing on her advice for emerging designers looking to enter a department store, Pascale continued “It is imperative for a designer to know what is needed to stock their collections in a department store, from making a look book to assigning competitive pricing and delivery schedules.”
Celebrity stylist Anita Patrickson, commented on her experience at FFWD: “Everything is so fabulous, well-organized, and everyone is respectful and friendly. At fashion events, especially in Paris and New York, the guests tend to rush in, sit down and keep to themselves so it’s been such a cool experience here at Fashion Forward as everyone is so welcoming and so warm.”
“I think it’s invaluable to have platform like this for an emerging market and for emerging designers. I think this is the showcase for them. This is their moment and the event is not overly saturated, it has just the right amount of shows and it seems that everything has been cherry picked. In Paris and America, you see hundreds of hundreds of designers which can be overwhelming. Whereas Fashion Forward is beautifully curated so you get the sense of different designers, different options, style and personality.”
In line with FFWD’s quest to fuse fashion and tech, social media heavyweight Twitter brought the coveted ‘Twitter Mirror’ to Fashion Forward, used at international fashion weeks and by celebrities including Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid. FFWD’s collaboration with Twitter, offered exclusive videos and photos of designers and influencers alike, resulting in over a million Twitter impressions throughout the weekend. As a result, #FFWDDXB officially trended across the region.
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