Upon investigating the flourishing fashion industry in the UAE, it is evident that over the past few years Dubai has progressively refined itself as the regional hub for Fashion, home-grown designers, international retail brands and stylists.
This development is also fuelled up by the upcoming local and regional stylists and designers, who are promoting the diverse cultural experiences to provide the clients with the tailored product range.
Well-known designers and retail brands are now taking ‘modest fashion’ seriously by launching Ramadan and Eid Collections or just capsule collections all year round to cater to this niche.
Technology has played a huge role in order to provide the up and coming designers and entrepreneurs a platform they can use to reach their targeted clients and consumers directly in affordable ways. This opportunity for the designers a decade ago would have been costly, which is why the home-grown talent can now take the advantage of apps, social media, websites and numerous other online platforms to start their own fashion business.
There is still a long way to go for the fashion industry in Dubai to fully establish itself as the main design hub, but it is on the correct path as it is the beginning of this journey of being taken seriously in the fashion industry globally.
Due to the growth spurt in the Fashion industry there is a gap in the market for skilled professionals. There are numerous fashion colleges and short courses that are being offered in Dubai to provide the skills they need to succeed in this field.
As we have explored the growth of the online fashion, we cannot neglect the traditional mall experience. The shopping experience is important to the way of life in Dubai market and it is essential to touch and feel the product whether the product is for daily use or the next charity gala you are attending. While the modest fashion is being acknowledged and big designer brands are introducing the ‘modest collections’, due to international brands are also offering western clothing and offering new and glamorous trends from the Western world.
Fashion as an industry plays a role to make a direct impact on the quality of the air, water and solid waste. Ultimately, fashion industry has a vital part in delivering a sustainable future as all the aspects and the industry it effects. For years, in the UAE the idea of sustainability was not established as it has been in the western part of the world and recently sustainable fashion made its way to the UAE. There are numerous brands and designers now offering ethical fashion products, but naturally, anything upcoming and new tends to be on the expensive side, over some time it adjusts to a more realistic pricing strategy.
Dubai is a melting pot – a fusion of global stories, with that in mind one can imagine that what the future fashion trends will hold in store. It has managed to position itself quite literally in the middle of the globe and the globalization.
