Amid delays, India Fashion Week in Dubai debuts with flair

Dubai hosted its first India Fashion Week over the weekend. Here’s a look at the best and the rest of the event.

Dubai debut

Unlike bigger and bolder fashion weeks around the world, India Fashion Week in Dubai (IFW) started out small – as a two-day event that was held on Thursday and Friday. The event was also a closed-door affair, where seats were not on general sale and select fans of the 20-plus designers presenting were given opportunities to win tickets through participating radio stations and local newspapers. The VIP list of those officially invited to attend the shows, which took place in the Godolphin Ballroom of Jumeirah Emirates Towers in Dubai, consisted largely of UAE socialites and friends of the designers.

While the turnout was decent inside the show arenas, a two-hour delay on day one made for an uncomfortable wait, while the scene was a tad frenzied back of house. The exhibition space in the lobby of the ballroom wasn’t as bustling as expected but still attracted a stylish crowd of under-40s who tried on reasonably priced costume jewellery, Indian separates and embroidered pumps.

Best newcomers

A welcome inclusion to IFW were fashion students from FAD International academy, one of India’s leading arts and design schools, who put on two shows. Thirty students flew in to present 70 of their creations.

On day one, the standout show was Steam Punk autumn/winter 2015, with its avant-garde, industrialised pieces and heavy ornamentation, inspired by the steampunk subgenre.

Original article by Rebecca McLaughlin-Duane

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Amid delays, India Fashion Week in Dubai debuts with flair