Dubai's NEW DRESS CODE
THERE IS NO QUESTION THAT Dubai is the fashion capital of the Middle East. The city loves to dress up and is home to one of the world’s largest and most luxurious shopping centres, The Dubai Mall. Most tourists inevitably indulge in fashion shopping here. After all, you can find the best of Milan and Paris in Dubai. But you must also look out for some responsible homegrown brands on your next trip.
THE NEW WAVE
With Middle Eastern brands waking up to the need to be sustainable, you can now find some unique conscious buys in Dubai. The recent lockdown has only spurred this movement on. Local brands are usually found in smaller malls, studios in Dubai Design District (D3, ), or boutiques around the upscale residential area of) is a modern Arab brand known for its sartorial detailing and for injecting a feel of architecture into all its pieces. Sonam Kapoor Ahuja and Priyanka Chopra Jonas have worn the label, founded by the stylish French-Algerian designer Faiza Bouguessa. She says, “I am often told that there is a touch of orientalism in my designs, so maybe the aspect of modern designs with that twist appeals to our Indian clients.” During the lockdown, the designer has worked towards making her brand more responsible. “We had been thinking of working with deadstock to reduce waste for more than a year now, but due to the fast pace of the fashion calendar, I had not found ways to do so. I think the fact that we had to slow down for the past few months gave me the clarity to evaluate how to do so and also to explore these fabrics more creatively and give them a new life.” The result is an ecoconscious capsule collection that includes some easy but well-finished summer dresses that can be dressed up or down. You can even add a churidar under some of them to inject an Indo-Western twist to the ensemble. You can find her label on international platforms such as Net-a-Porter () and also at the multi-brand concept store Symphony, in The Dubai Mall (), but you must visit her studio at D3 (building 7) to see her full collection. And she does take special orders.
