DUBAI — When I last landed in Dubai in 2015, the question I was asked again and again was whether the United Arab Emirates city-state could become a global fashion capital – whether it could bring together the key elements of the fashion industry ecosystem, from education and design to manufacturing, finance and technology, to make the leap from simply being a consumer of fashion to being a creator of fashion.
At the time, the big four fashion cities – New York, London, Paris and Milan – still dominated the industry, and Dubai, known more for conspicuous consumption than industrial influence, becoming a fashion hub of such calibre seemed an unlikely prospect.
Eight years later, the fashion world has changed dramatically.
While London and New York remain prominent on the map, they have lost their status as global fashion capitals. While London continues to be a breeding ground for the industry’s top creative talent (Chemena Kamali and Sean McGeer, who debuted as creative directors for Chloé and McQueen, respectively, this season, are graduates of London’s Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design), the city has been losing its status as a major fashion hub for years. Now, the collapse of Farfetch and Matches, as well as Net-a-Porter’s ongoing troubles, have eroded London’s status as a hub of innovation in fashion, putting immense pressure on London’s independent designers who rely heavily on them for scale and global distribution.
Across the Atlantic, the challenges facing American department stores are putting similar pressure on independent New York brands, even as New York’s former status as the fashion industry’s commercial capital is fading as Parisian giants Chanel, Dior, Louis Vuitton and Hermes explode on previously unimaginable proportions.
Meanwhile, Shanghai, which topped the race to become the world’s fifth-largest fashion city, has become increasingly isolated from the rest of the fashion industry amid rising geopolitical tensions, a slowing economy and a lingering sense of isolation following coronavirus lockdowns.
But the very idea of a fifth fashion center may become a thing of the past. In a globalized world, with the fashion industry more global than ever before, the idea of a fashion center may be shifting from a few strongholds (potentially including Shanghai and others) to a more widespread system of hubs, each with its own specialization, revolving around an increasingly dominant central city: Paris.
Milan (and now Mumbai) specialises in quality manufacturing, London produces top creative talent, Seoul and Los Angeles produce brand ambassadors, and Paris, truly the fashion capital of the world, is where it all comes together.
So what’s next for Dubai? That was the question that came to my mind last week as I sat down with more than a dozen fashion industry professionals — some of them expats who came to Dubai for six months and are still there more than a decade later — to learn more about life in the city and behind the scenes of the fashion industry.
Dubai was a fishing village before it became a cosmopolitan city, and its Vice President, Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and now Absolute Ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, has been instrumental in this transformation, supporting the creation of companies such as Emirates Airline, Jumeirah Group and DP World, as well as property developments such as The Palm Island, Burj Al Arab and Burj Khalifa, and establishing Dubai as a global brand.
As one person told me, one of Sheikh Mohammed’s first instructions to his advisers developing his vision for 2020 was to think of Dubai as a business, not a city, and this pragmatic thinking is evident in everything that happens in the city.
After experiencing major setbacks, including the 2008 financial crisis, the city is growing rapidly again, buoyed by a relatively low cost of living, a favorable tax system and a determination to remain open to the world during the pandemic. In 2020 alone, the city’s population jumped 5.6%, making it one of the fastest-growing cities in the world, now home to more than 3.6 million people.
There’s no doubt Dubai is struggling with this rapid growth: Whereas everything used to be 20 minutes away, it now takes around 60, with traffic congestion rivalling that of Los Angeles.
But Dubai is extraordinarily global and diverse in a way I’ve never experienced anywhere else in the world. Emiratis make up only about 10 percent of the population, with more than 200 other nationalities present. This was on full display one night at the ninth anniversary party of La Faubourg du Cantine, the Dubai branch of a Parisian restaurant that closed in 2006, when I felt like I’d been parachuted into the future. There was not only a sense of openness and optimism that’s hard to find today in New York, London, or Paris, but also a global mix of cultures, with multiple languages spoken in alternation and live band music ranging from ’90s R&B to classic Parisian show tunes that everyone seems to know the lyrics to. It was a vibe.
Midway through my journey, locals began warning me of an upcoming man-made rainstorm, part of a government “cloud seeding” scheme to bring much-needed hydration to the desert city. Then I got a warning on my mobile phone to stay home on Saturday, a day I had planned to visit the city’s two sprawling shopping malls, Dubai Mall and Mall of the Emirates. The next day, I woke up to find parts of the city flooded, with no drainage system to cope with the torrential rains.
As it was our last day in the city, we decided to go out anyway. No one else seemed to heed the warning. When we arrived at Dubai Mall, it was nearly impossible to find a parking space and the big brand stores were packed with customers. Dior, Chanel and Hermes were all bustling with activity. Quieter luxury brands Loro Piana, Zegna and Brunello Cucinelli were also very busy.
For many of these luxury brands, the Dubai Mall is their number one store in the world, with the Middle East accounting for around 10% of global sales and continuing to grow. But the customers are not all local; there were Emiratis, of course, but also plenty of Russians (many of whom appear to have emigrated after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine), Indians and Western expats. It’s no wonder that Dubai is the place for many luxury fashion brands to meet a wide and unique customer base from around the world.
Dubai’s position as the fashion capital of the world remains centered on luxury consumption, but it is emerging as a major hub for brands looking to engage with the entire MENA region, including the high-potential market of India, just a two-hour flight away. Condé Nast is expected to gain more by opening an office here and taking back the licenses for Vogue Arabia and GQ Middle East to operate directly.
There are also fashion schools, such as Istituto Marangoni, which opened two years ago, and FAD, which will expand its own course offerings in Dubai Design District in the coming months, and a growing number of local companies making an impact on global fashion, including Rami Al-Ali’s haute couture, The Giving Movement’s activewear, Nadine Kanso’s Bil Arabi jewellery and the Sole DXB trade show.
Yes, it’s true that with its Blade Runner-like cityscapes, giant shopping malls and man-made storms, Dubai can sometimes feel like a different planet to the rest of the fashion world, and its global ambitions may never be fully realised without confronting human rights issues, but it’s also a place that’s constantly changing. In a way, it’s a window into the future of fashion, as power and wealth shifts east, fostering opportunities for fashion creativity and entrepreneurial spirit to thrive well beyond fashion’s traditional capitals.
This Weekend’s BoF Podcast
Open in new window
The author has shared a podcast. To view the embedded content of this article and others you will visit in the future, you must acknowledge and consent to the use of cookies and similar technologies by our third-party partners (such as YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, etc.). Acknowledgement
During a visit to Cairo last year, I visited Maison 69, a unique store concept brainchild of Amir Fayo, based on the philosophy of creating retail and hospitality concepts rooted in culture and connection.
On this week’s BoF podcast, we sat down with Amir to discuss his unique background, his innovative and emotive approach to retail, and his underlying philosophy.
Imran Amed, Founder, CEO and Editor-in-Chief, The Business of Fashion
PS There are only a few on-site tickets left to attend the BoF Professional Summit in New York next week on March 22nd. Use the code BoFTECH100 to get $100 off the full ticket price. Purchase your tickets now.
Plus, here are my other top picks from my analysis across fashion, luxury, and beauty:
1. How Zara is beating Shein. By investing in premium products and shopping experiences, Spanish retailers Inditex and Mango have seen phenomenal growth despite stiff competition from the likes of Temu and cash-strapped consumers.
Open in new window(Zara)
2. The strategy behind Miu Miu’s explosive growth. How did Miu Miu grow 58 percent last year? CEO Benedetta Petruzzo details the plan that drove phenomenal growth in a slowing luxury market.
Open in new window (Getty)
3. Nike’s latest sports woes explained: FC Barcelona may produce its own on-field uniforms and fan merchandise after a falling out with Nike. Soccer executives and rival sportswear brands will be closely watching the company’s next move.
Open in new window (Getty Images)
4. Lightning in a Bottle: Get in on the niche fragrance boom. With independent perfumery booming with investment and acquisitions, the fragrance market is only getting bigger and more competitive. Here are some steps emerging brands can take to scale:
Open in new window(Alexandra Trotobas)
5. What is driving the boom in influencer subscriptions? As social media users tune out advertising, content creators are turning more of their content into paid content, in the hopes of building deeper connections with their followers and earning more revenue.
Open in new window (Substack)
To get this in your inbox every Saturday, sign up for The Daily Digest newsletter, delivering agenda-setting information, analysis and advice you won’t get anywhere else.
