Dubai's planned design and fashion council will help to put the emirate on an equal footing with the retail capitals of Paris, London and New York, one of its members said yesterday.
The initiative, announced in a decree by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, follows the establishment of the Dubai Design District. Construction has already begun on the district, which is to be located next to Business Bay, and will focus on design, interiors, fashion and the luxury market.
The first phase of the project is due to be completed in January 2015.
The Design and Fashion Council, which will include a representative from the Dubai Design District along with others from the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) and Emaar, will oversee a strategy to outline and guide the growth and development of a fashion industry. The council will also help to support regional talent, design events and initiatives.
"Dubai's design and fashion industry has a great opportunity to put itself on an equal footing with the likes of London, Paris and New York," said Amina Al Rustamani, the group chief executive of Tecom Investments and the representative for the Dubai Design District on the Design and Fashion Council.
"However, to unlock the industry's full potential it will need to be carefully and strategically developed by the people and organisations that know the industry best. That is why the decree to create a Dubai Design and Fashion Council, which will guide and nurture the growth of the industry, is so important," she added. The decree outlines a number of objectives for the council, including fostering small and medium-sized enterprise growth in the industry, developing international appetite for regional and Emirati design products, and increasing jobs in the sector. Furthering the development of creative industries was an "important element of the broadening of Dubai's offer", said Helal Saeed Almarri, the director general of the DTCM.
"Retail has always been one of Dubai's main attractions for tourists and with fashion a critical component of this, the establishment of the Dubai Design and Fashion Council by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum is an important step in the expansion of this sector," he added.
[ gduncan@thenational.ae ]
