Fashion Forward Dubai goes international for its 7th edition

By

Anne-Sophie Savenier

Published
Mar 11, 2016

On the strength of the success of its six previous editions, which attracted between 12,000 and 15,000 visitors, the Fashion Forward Dubai show (FFWD) is shifting to a higher gear. The show's next edition will be held from 31st March to 3rd April, and for the occasion the event dedicated to fashion and accessories designers from the Middle East will be changing venue, multiplying its initiatives and turning to Muriel Piaser, Global Fashion Development consultant, in order to become truly international.

The show was recently recognised by the Dubai Design and Fashion Council, and wishes to strengthen its position as the region's top fashion industry event. 

FFWD will be moving to Hall d3 at the Dubai Design District, where it will feature fashion shows, a showroom for ready-to-wear apparel and accessories, conferences and networking areas, over an exhibition area of 12,000 m², compared to the previous 10,000 m².

FFWD is a B2B event, halfway between a fashion week and a professional trade show, with the aim of promoting local brands. It will host some forty designers, 25 of them for ready-to-wear apparel.
 
In addition to the fashion shows, conferences and new networking area, this year FFWD has also turned to Muriel Piaser, in her role as Global Fashion Developer, to give the event a more international dimension.
 
"I've joined the Fashion Forward Dubai team in order to make the event more international by promoting it to buyers. A dozen major players from European and US department stores and purchasing offices will attend the show's 7th edition, to discover these Middle Eastern brands," stated Muriel Piaser to FashionMag, underlining how her mission is also to explain to local brands how to promote themselves.
 
Bong Guerrero, CEO and co-founder of Fashion Forward Dubai, has stated to FashionMag: "Our agreement with Muriel Piaser affords us some fine opportunities, as we benefit from her outstanding contacts. (…) In the past we already established partnerships with major international players such as the London College of Fashion and the Council of Fashion Designers of America." Guerrero also stated that "it is all the more essential that we are encouraged to promote the Middle East, with Dubai at its heart, to the international community as a credible, enduring market. A market to follow."