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Closing the first season of Fashion Forward was a selection of emerging and iconic names in the Middle Eastern fashion scene, many of which are based in Dubai. Indulging the fashion senses in theatrical detail to playful pieces, the range of talent from these designers offers solid building blocks for this event and region to potentially grow into one the largest and most powerful fashion regions in the world.
After a fashionable brunch and an industry panel discussion on how to start your own fashion label, award winning Tresor Sauvages opened Day 3.  Created by Amalie Beljafla and Soraya AlAli (who …

For a magpie, anything shiny and silver catches their eye but for us it is anything that is unique, colourful and beautiful. Having discovered this brand by Aya Tabari a few months back, Mochi is the name on many people’s lips (and hips) in Dubai. Featuring unique embroidery designs with strong colours and stitching, it is a collection featuring separates, bags and even pieces for your home.

Taking shapes and styles that are on trend and contemporary, they are transformed into exquisite pieces of craftmanship, hand made by artisans. Always prefering something unique and bespoke, each piece from Mochi is individual …

Appropriate to have a Dubai based name open Day 2 of Fashion Forward, Dima Ayad’s latest designs capture a mixture of her classic silhouettes featuring asymmetrical hems from previous collections in a palette of warm neutral colours and rich jewel tones. She knows what works for her client base and has evolved her collection accordingly, smartly keeping popular designs. Mixed textures from chiffon, gold lame and Matthew Williamson lace inspired detail, Dima Ayad knows what women want.

KAGE, a Dubai based brand who continue to create collections of playful and simple pieces made interesting with the mixture of textures, colours …

Having lost the platform of Dubai Fashion Week some seasons back, Dubai and Middle Eastern designers have had a vacancy in the region to showcase their talents and latest collections in the traditional format of a fashion week.
Established with a mission to become the definitive fashion platform in the Middle East, Fashion Forward, the brainchild of Bong Guerrero, celebrated designers on the catwalk, through forums & conversations and a pop-up shop and Fashion Forward cafe to make the event accessible and open to true lovers of fashion.
Essa, a designer who to me shares a resemblance to Andre Lion Talley, creates innovative collections season …

It’s the time of year that if I was at home in Ireland, windows would be open with fresh, albeit, cool air and numerous vases of freshly cut flowers filling my room with scents. Every since I can remember, the lilac tree in the garden offered the most amazing large bunches of flowers each and every year.
While I can’t quite have freshly cut flowers everyday for the next 6 weeks in Dubai, what I do have is an incredible love for floral headbands right now. Inspired from Bohemian free spirits, they are the perfect accessory for any occasion. Found conveniently …

Whether you follow designers on Facebook or the pages of Vogue, discovering a gem is always something special. Helen Steel is an Irish designer we have been following since Classic with Colour celebrated her fashionable collaboration with Joanne Hynes some seasons back. Reinventing her bespoke digital prints each and every season, her kaleidoscopic prints catch your eye immediately.
Having been in Dubai with a pop-up showroom showcasing pre spring summer ’14, a collection of crepe kaftans and oversized dresses walked poolside at the launch of the New York Times Style Magazine, T Emirates, last week. Perfect for beach wear or day wear, Helen …

If you follow Classic with Colour, most certainly you will be familiar with Úna Burke. An Irish designer who masters art and fashion with creative leather work, her designs embody a futuristic fashion creating statement pieces for those who are willing to go out on a sartorial limb.
Being the focal point of SHOWcabinet: Prosthetics, the latest exhibition and fashion film directed by Nick Knight, many of Úna Burke’s pieces take the form of physical limbs with countless pieces of leather structured and joined together to replicate conjoined arms, neck and torsos. Contrasting the idea of empowerment using a strong material and emphasising …