Dubai Fashion Week: All the Highlights from Day One

Dubai Fashion Week kicked off on Saturday night with a spectacle of glamour, show-stopping looks and trend worthy moments by Dubai based labels Zeena Zaki, Angelo Estera and Manel, as well as Indonesian label Toton. Below, we round up the biggest highlights from the first day of the shows in Dubai Design District.

ZEENA ZAKI

Dubai Fashion Week kicked off on Saturday night with a spectacle of glamour by Zeena Zaki. Zaki’s collection combined the softness of traditional feminine silhouettes with bold, dynamic shapes, materials and palettes. The main inspiration behind the collection was the spiral, a symbol that Zaki kept coming across in her day-to-day life and dreams. We saw the fluid shape reflected in the designs with details like twisted knots around the waist, heart-shaped necklines, cascading ruffles and the models’ wet hair strands that were fixed in winding shapes down their faces.

Soundtracked by one of Zaki’s favourite artists, the music’s suspenseful and rhythmic beat reflected the metamorphic energy of the show. Beginning with a series of black, figure-hugging dresses and ending with a celebratory pearl-white bridal gown, it’s clear that the story Zaki was telling was one of strength, resilience and the reclamation of one’s power.. The collection seamlessly ebbed and flowed between conventional womenswear styles, such as sage bodices and blush-toned corsets, and then more dramatic reimaginations of eveningwear, as seen with a black patent leather gown paired with matching gloves. Ultimately, the spirit of the pieces all came back to Zaki’s underlying mission to embolden the women wearing her designs with self-assurance and a sense of fearlessness.

MANEL