Dubai Fashion Platform Draws 20-Plus Brands to Mall Exhibition This Weekend
Regional fashion ecosystem brings together 20-plus brands for industry networking and public engagement.
Isabeli Fontana will close the AAVVA show at Dubai Mall this Saturday, marking the third edition of The Event, the fashion platform curated by Brazilian creative director Vincenzo Visciglia.
The gathering brings together more than 20 brand partners at the Dubai Mall Exhibition Center, spanning fashion, beauty, technology, hospitality, and lifestyle. For visitors and the broader Dubai public, it represents one of the region’s more accessible points of entry into the fashion industry ecosystem, combining runway presentations with an open lounge activation running concurrently throughout the day.
The commercial scale behind this year’s edition is substantial. Total investment reaches approximately 2 million AED (roughly 550,000 dollars), a figure that reflects the event’s growth since its first edition, which documented a reach of one million people and generated around 600,000 dollars in media value. Organisers expect the third iteration to surpass both benchmarks.
Two major beauty partnerships anchor the sponsorship structure. Wella Professionals holds the official hair partner designation and Charlotte Tilbury serves as official makeup partner, with both brands integrated into backstage production and press communications.
The Event 003 Lounge functions as the central activation hub. Its participant list is wide-ranging. Beauty and personal care brands include Embryolisse, Velissa, Toni Malt Makeup Academy, and M3 Barbershop. Fragrance and wellness offerings come from Extravaganza and Elemis. Sony represents the technology sector. Design and lifestyle categories feature Preciosa, while hospitality and experiential partners include High Class Travel Experiences, Scavi & Ray, Al Beiruti, and EIRA Water. Fashion showcases from Rosacanina, Cecile, and Drape Wear round out the lounge programming. A separate luxury tier, assembled through partnership with the Luxury Network, brings Montegrappa, Numero Uno Caviar, and Abel Richard into the mix.
On the runway, Lebanese fashion house Saiid Kobeisy holds the Highlight Designer position, presenting alongside ten additional labels: AAVVA, Hazar Couture, Reem Al Jesmi, DUNESI, Eddy Nemri, Elamins, Mokem Torkoman Couture, Suited & Booted, VOLTA, and ZEYA. Fontana closes the AAVVA show, the Dubai-based label co-founded by Ahmad Ammar and Visciglia. She returns the following day for a pop-up appearance and meet-and-greet at Galeries Lafayette Dubai Mall.
Visciglia has been direct about what he believes the event actually produces. “Fashion is also economics. When you bring together designers, buyers, media, models, hotels, restaurants and international brands in the same ecosystem, you activate an entire industry,” he said. “We don’t measure the return on The Event by ticket sales alone, but by media value, by commercial relationships and by the opportunities it creates for those who take part.”
Whether those opportunities extend meaningfully to emerging regional designers, or consolidate around established names, may be the more telling measure when the dust settles on edition three.
Q&A
What is The Event and who curates it?
The Event is a fashion platform curated by Brazilian creative director Vincenzo Visciglia, now in its third edition at Dubai Mall Exhibition Center.
How many brands participate and what sectors do they represent?
More than 20 brand partners participate, spanning fashion, beauty, technology, hospitality, and lifestyle sectors.
What is the investment level for this year's edition?
Total investment reaches approximately 2 million AED, roughly 550,000 dollars, reflecting growth since the first edition.
What role does the lounge activation play in the event?
The Event 003 Lounge functions as the central activation hub, featuring beauty, fragrance, wellness, technology, design, lifestyle and hospitality brands alongside runway presentations throughout the day.