Arab Fashion Week presents its "Ready Couture"

Dubai is once again hosting Arab Fashion Week. For its fourth edition, which began on May 16 and ends May 20, the program offers a schedule of more than twenty pre-collections runway shows, featuring clothes that are being described as “ready couture.”

Young designers and established brands representing some 20 different nationalities have come together to show their art and craft on the top floor of the Meydan Hotel in Dubai, the event's hub. The venue provides an ideal setting, offering a bird's eye view of the city and its countless skyscrapers.

A hundred buyers, mostly from the Middle East, and hundreds of guests are attending the five-day fashion marathon. The audience is quite diverse, themselves attired in a multitude of styles that comprise everything from ultra sophisticated chic to flat-out sportswear looks or traditional Arabic clothing worn by the Emirati and their wives.

The unisex style of Rad Hourani opened the event march on May 16, followed by the masculine and feminine silhouettes of Jenanne Filat and Jeans Couture, the muslimwear of Eckett Couture, and the women's wear collection of Michael Cinco. Closing the event on May 20 are runway shows by Marchesa Bridal, Ingie Paris and Antonio Marras.

Jacob Abrian, Arab Fashion Week's young founder, decided to pitch his fashion week in the "ready couture" niche, a unique positioning that has enhanced the event's reputation. The collections on display exemplify the approach, offering ready-to-wear apparel but with high-quality materials and finishes typical of Haute Couture.

Besides the schedule of catwalks, the designers are also hosting pop-up stands at the Meydan Hotel, a less fleeting presentation of their designs as well as a chance to sell individual pieces to attending buyers and the general public.

Arab Fashion Week presents its "Ready Couture"

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