Sustainability the focus at the Dubai Fashion Week

Dubai Fashion Week kicked off in the city on Monday with more than 25 designers representing over 12 countries expected to showcase their work during the week-long event.

With the United Arab Emirates, a major oil producer, hosting the United Nations climate change conference, COP28, in December, the focus this year is on sustainability.

“Sustainability is a key metric for us, as we launched in 2016 as Arab Fashion Council, the AFC Green Label to support the emerging creative designers and they are following the international practice for sustainability,” said Jacob Abrian, founder and CEO of the Arab Fashion Council.

“For us we are very keen to make sure that all the designers are actually committed to pure sustainability, and that’s why we wanted to kick off Dubai Fashion Week this season with Pipatchara, the designer that is almost 100% sustainable.”

A fast rising star in the fashion world, the Thai designer focuses on the global issue of the over-consumption of plastic.

Her clothes are made from recycled materials including water bottle lids, food containers, and plastic forks and spoons.

“My collection is about the symphony of recycled plastic. Everything is organic, so technically what we do is we use waste plastic from Thailand and we use a lot of it to make clothing, accessories, shoes, and earrings,” she said.

Her evening wear will not be the only environmentally-friendly collection on show this week.

Other sustainable designers expected to show their work, include The Giving Movement, the Lebanese brand, Emergency Room, and Mrs Keepa.

“Sustainability has become a trend more than it used to be 10 years ago. That’s why as a fashion council, we need to make sure that those designers actually have a proper sustainable vision and mission for the brand itself,” said Abrian.

The Dubai Fashion Week runs until Sunday 15 October, attracting visitors from around the region.