The first Dubai International Fashion Week (DIFW) will be held in the emirate from March 11 to 17, 2007, bringing together celebrated and upcoming designers, international labels, buyers and many others associated with the fashion industry in the UAE and the region.

The event is being organised by Dubai-based event management firm, Concept Events, with the ultimate aim of establishing the emirate as a leading fashion city - where emerging fashion trends set the tone for the rest of the region. DIFW will offer fashion designers and fashion houses an opportunity to present their collections, and followers the chance to see the styles that will be making their way into stores the coming season.

DIFW, overseen by an advisory board comprising industry professionals, designers, buyers, fashion editors and opinion leaders, will unfold through four events: trade, retail, exhibition and seminars, which have been planned to ensure that the very best of fashion is represented over the week.

Michael Panagiotakis, Event Director, Concept Events, said that the introduction of DIFW highlights Dubai's emerging position as one of the centres for fashion in the region. 'Over the last few years it has become increasingly evident that designers from the region and beyond are choosing Dubai as a base, holding fashion shows routinely to showcase their new collections.

'With the mix of nationalities in Dubai, the city has the potential to become a meeting point for new and interesting fashion ideas. Now, for the first time, designers operating out of the region will have an open platform to share their ideas for the upcoming season with their main audiences,' he said.

Through DIFW, participating designers are provided with a great chance to access the global market, said Marc Robinson, Show Director, Concept Events. 'DIFW will strengthen the foundation of the city's burgeoning fashion industry. It presents local designers a clear opportunity to integrate and shape the trends that will influence what we wear tomorrow.

'The DIFW advisory board will have the challenge of ascertaining the suitability of prospective participants. One crucial element for success in the industry, as well as eligibility for participation in DIFW, is a designer's ability to transform imaginative concepts into marketable products, and this is also something that the advisory board will be looking for,' he said.

He added that DIFW presented UAE-based designers a platform for them to retail globally, given that both regional and international buyers would be present on the occasion.

Members of the DIFW advisory board include Ingie Chalhoub, CEO and Managing Director, Etoile Group, Zayan Ghandour, Co-owner S*uce boutique, Shireen El Khatib, General Manager, Fashion & Jewellery Division, Al Tayer Group, Walid Atallah, international fashion designer, Souha Abbas, Group Editor, L'Officiel Middle East, and James Veenhoff, Amsterdam International Fashion Week organiser.

International cosmetics and fragrance brand, Lancome have also confirmed their support for the event as the official make-up and beauty partner for the first annual Dubai International Fashion Week.

Commenting on the upcoming event, Ms. Chalhoub described DIFW as an opportunity to establish Dubai as the main regional centre for fashion retail. 'DIFW will reinforce the emirate's role as the region's foremost centre for apparel. Shoppers in Dubai are growing increasingly brand and fashion conscious; with top design houses electing to open in Dubai, the emirate is fast-emerging as a fashion destination. It gives me great pleasure to be a part of the advisory board of DIFW, an initiative that will undoubtedly steer Dubai to a goal of excellence in different areas,' she said.

As one of the leading lights of fashion in the region, Walid Atallah concurs that the success of DIFW will have a broad impact on different aspects of the fashion industry in Dubai, and the UAE as a whole, not the least of which will be in fostering a new generation of designers.

'The event will encourage talented young designers, and provide them an opportunity to interact with their peers. Dubai is a fascinating confluence of cultures, the influences of which can be seen in the exciting blend of styles in the emirate. This is a unique chance for those interested in fashion as a profession to present their ideas, capturing the trends of the age,' he said.

Designers will have a platform to showcase their Autumn/Winter 2007-2008 collections, along with exclusive collections for the region, to an unprecedented gathering of domestic and international buyers. The event will include industry-related seminars, which will be delivered by experts in the field. A series of workshops, specially developed for local designers and national women, is also on the agenda. Those attending will have access to insights from international fashion leaders.