Dubai: Commissioned to recognize and honor Arab and international talent in fashion, designers, artists, influencers, magazines as well as celebrities; the third edition of the EMIGALA Festival was recently concluded amidst much fanfare at the Dubai Festival City. The glamorous evening saw Arab and international celebrities walk the red carpet in stylish ensembles as well as sweep awards for their contribution to the fashion industry.

The Festival Bay at the Dubai Festival City Mall came alive with a scintillating awards ceremony that was inaugurated by Dr. Michel Daher (President and Founder of the BIAF, DIAFA, and EMIGALA Festivals). Year after year, the highly-anticipated awards ceremony has made waves for its inimitable style of audience engagement and this year a beautiful tribute to the late international artist Dalida made it even more special. Dalida remains a fashion icon and an inspiration for international fashion houses even today. In the inaugural speech, Dr. Daher expressed the need to encourage the content creation industry to allow knowledge sharing and also praised the initiatives undertaken by Thinksmart Hub, the region’s only creative zone for content creators. A worthy mention of the content creation industry at an international red-carpet event has sparked hope and encouragement for influencers across industries to take up content creation as mainstream.

The evening was entertainment in action with an array of live performances and was hosted by actor and TV presenter, Enjy Kiwan. The ‘Star of the Night’ awards were conferred on the famous music artist, Mahmoud Al Turky, Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter, Mayssa Karaa, Classical Crossover singer-songwriter, Ana Magiar, renowned fashion designer, Tamam Humariff, social media influencer and reality TV star, Farhana Bodi, social media influencer, reality TV star and businesswoman, Safa Siddiqui along with Ahmed Al Sayed.

Marie Claire Arabia was honoured as the Fashion Magazine of the Year while Harper’s Bazaar Arabia took home the Fashion Initiative of the Year award for their event hosted every autumn. The elite Legacy Award was decorated on Maison Valentino while Ralph Lauren was honoured as the Luxury Brand of the Year. Giant retailer and distributor of luxury goods, Chalhoub Group was conferred with the Entrepreneurship Legacy Award. Winners like Nawal Zoghby as Fashion Icon of the Year, Sheikha Maitha as Fashion Entrepreneur of the Year, Deema Asadi as Fashion Influencer of the Year, and Noor Stars as Beauty Influencer of the Year received accolades for their creative engagement with their social media audiences.

The evening saw stars take center stage as Karen Wazen clinched the Fashion Brand Ambassador of the Year, Tony Ward for Global Haute Couture Designer of the Year, and Abla Fahita was named the Fashion Phenomenon of the Year. Additionally, Dima Ayad was named RTW Designer of the Year, Prada Paradoxe, the Fragrance of the Year, Andrea Brocca as the Emerging Designer of the Year, and Ali Karoui, the Fashion Innovator of the Year. Known to recognize Arab talent globally, the EMIGALA 2023 also honoured Dilan Tatlises as Turkish Artist in fashion, RedOne as Moroccan Artist in Fashion, and Passant Shawky as Egyptian Artist in Fashion.

The extravagant event was an evening to remember with brilliant achievers meeting and greeting alongside likeminded creators.

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