DUBAI: The third edition of Arab Men’s Fashion Week closed with a bang this week in the creative hub of Dubai Design District, also known as d3. The three-day event, which took place from Jan. 28-30, was powered by the Arab Fashion Council and d3. “Having been the strategic driver behind Dubai Design Week since its inception in 2015 and bringing the design community together regularly, partnering with the Arab Fashion Council to become the official home of Arab Fashion Week and bring together the fashion community felt like a logical next step for us,” Khadija Al-Bastaki, executive director of Dubai Design District, told Arab News. Arab Men’s Fashion Week Fall 2023 took place in-person this season, with COVID-19 safety precautions in place, after previous events were staged in a digital format. All shows were livestreamed by Meta, formerly known as Facebook Inc. “A hybrid format allows people all over the region and globe to enjoy the creative work on display,” Al-Bastaki said of the decision to combine IRL shows with virtual presentations. The event featured 15 runway shows that were presented both in person and online over three nights, and showcased designers from the UAE and across the region, as well as from the US, Switzerland, the UK and France. Participants included regional and international designers, such as Filipino couturier Amato, Lebanon’s Emergency Room and Zaid Farouki. Lebanon’s Taguele, Maison du Mec, Emergency Room and Ahmed Amer also took part. “Arab Fashion Week is such an exciting platform for the fashion industry in our region, and fashion is an increasingly important industry in the UAE and the wider region,” said Al-Bastaki. “Our region has long had a strong and informed consumer base for fashion, and it is fantastic to see it increasingly become a more significant exporter of fashion trends than ever before across men and womenswear. Arab Fashion Week certainly helps put Arab fashion on the international stage.” Filipino designer Furne One, who founded the couture house Amato in 2002, opened the event with a 30-piece collection titled “Ambush.” The designer’s signature crystal-embellished gowns and avant-garde silhouettes were modeled by Bollywood actress Urvashi Rautela, Miss Universe Paraguay 2021 Nadia Ferreira, and the reigning Miss Universe first runner-up and Miss Universe Colombia 2020 Laura Olascuaga. TikTok star Elvir Aljicevic and Emirati vlogger Rashed Belhasa also took to the runway. In addition to runway shows, there was also a number of retail opportunities including the FLTRD pop-up in collaboration with d3 restaurant 1Life. FLTRD is a homegrown concept store that features emerging and talented designers. The pop-up, which is on until Feb. 1, enables fashion enthusiasts to shop the fall 2023 collections directly off the shelf. Al-Bastaki said that the mission of Arab Men’s Fashion Week is to “showcase the exciting talent and progressive thinking of the region, especially when it comes to expanding the narrative around menswear.” She added: “d3 is like no other fashion hub in the world. We feature international companies, homegrown brands and valiant entrepreneurs, all of whom support each other and help build each other up and challenge each other to rethink the regular. We are also constantly on the lookout for exceptional talent that delivers, first and foremost, on ingenuity and originality.”