Abu Dhabi - Abu Dhabi Fashion Week, scheduled to take place from March 17th to the 21st 2008, was launched last night at a glittering event at the Emirates Palace Hotel, before an audience of national, regional and international VIPs.
With Arab designers taking center stage, the first night of the Launch Event for the Abu Dhabi Fashion Week played to a full house of VIPs, fashion industry experts, buyers and guests who had descended on the specially constructed venue on the waterfront at the Emirates Palace Hotel.
The official opening of the Launch Event of the Abu Dhabi Fashion Week was undertaken by Khaldoun Khalifa Al-Mubarak, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Affairs Authority, Executive Chief and Chairman of Mubadala Development Company, Matteo Marzotto, the Chairman of Valentino and Ron Barrott, the CEO of ALDAR.
With a clear sky and a gentle breeze off the sea, the audience was treated to the best of Arabian creativity. In the glowing pearl of the fashion theater that had been created for the event, the elegant and chic collection of Rami Al Ali was the first to debut. His designs drawing upon a worldwide fashion heritage, the European traditions blended with the Levant and Arab Gulf influences that have tempered and refined the consciousness of his designs. The fashion-savvy audience showed their appreciation with ringing applause and a rush of comment after the young designer took his bow.
Following the drama of Rami's show, a beautiful collection of another sort followed; the images created by Edward Quinn, the legendary photographer from the Golden Age of the French Riviera. Stunning pictures from the 1950's and 60's of the glamorous lives - both private and public - of the movie stars, musicians and designers that created the Riviera as the most fashionable and glamorous playground of its day were exhibited.
The wonderful contrast of different eras, different fashions but eternal beauty was further heightened by the avant garde collection of Milia M, the doyen of cutting edge, post modernist Arabian fashion design. Her graceful, challenging designs showed the breadth and depth of creativity in the region, and the audience showed their 'fashion education' in the rousing response they gave her collection.
The first night was a triumph, and tomorrow - the finale of the Launch Event - sees the last collection of one of the greatest and most romantic of all Designers from the last 50 years - Valentino. The undisputed King of dressing the world's most beautiful women for their most beautiful moments...
In the finest traditions of the give-and-take of fashion, Abu Dhabi and Emirates Palace are playing gracious and glamorous hosts to this glorious gala of style.
Tomorrow...Valentino awaits. We can't wait.
- Ends -
About Abu Dhabi Fashion Week
Abu Dhabi Fashion Week, scheduled from March 17th till March 21st, 2008 has been created by Maven Corporate Ltd as part of the initiatives underway to develop in the United Arab Emirates a new centre for the fashion industry in the region. In this process, Maven has formed an alliance with Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana (the organizers of Milan Fashion Week) to develop the Abu Dhabi Fashion Week into a glamorous, business driven international event.
In a unique step for the region, the Abu Dhabi Fashion Week will form part of the international fashion calendar alongside the fashion weeks in New York, London, Milano and Paris. The Abu Dhabi Fashion Week will be launched in Abu Dhabi at the Emirates Palace Hotel from the 16-17th of November, 2007.
About Maven Corporate Ltd
Maven is an international company with offices in the UAE, Hong Kong, New York, Paris and Brussels. Maven is a services company specializing in the fashion, apparel, textiles industry. The Company's services focus on design, branding, marketing, retailing, sourcing and investment.
Maven works extensively with international and regional brands and retailers to assist them in expanding their operations into new markets and in creating the new structures, alliances and processes which allow them to do this in an optimal fashion. Maven maintains a global network of partners, clients and investors from North America, the EU and Asia, whilst focusing the bulk of its work on the Middle East & North Africa, South Asia and East Asia (SAMENA).
About Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana
Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana (the National Chamber for Italian Fashion) is the not-for-profit Association which disciplines, co-ordinates and promotes the development of Italian Fashion.
The Association represents all the highest cultural values of Italian Fashion. It aims to protect, co-ordinate and strengthen its image, both in Italy and abroad. In accordance with the statutory provisions, the Association is the point of reference, as well as the preferential mouthpiece, for all the national and international initiatives aimed at valuing and promoting Italian style, customs and Fashion.
Right from the year of its foundation, in 1958, the Association has pursued a policy of organizational support aimed at the knowledge, promotion and development of Fashion through events with a highly intellectual image in Italy and abroad. Recent agreements over international calendars, which have led to the signing of the Italian-French agreement, have given Milan and the Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana the role of undisputed protagonist on the international fashion scene, thus also contributing to the consolidation of alliances with London and New York.
About ALDAR Properties PJSC
ALDAR Properties PJSC is a premier property development, investment and management company and is headquartered in Abu Dhabi, UAE. It is trusted with the responsibility of creating multi-billion dirham civic projects to develop the capital, and is expanding internationally. Since launching in 2005, the company has announced projects worth more than $US 60 billion, in a property development portfolio diverse in scope and style, attracting considerable worldwide interest and inward investment.. ALDAR owns a stockpile of over 30 million square metres of land at strategic locations throughout Abu Dhabi Emirate.
About P&G Beauty
P&G Beauty products help make beauty dreams real and grooming enjoyable everyday for millions of women and men worldwide. With more than 100 brands available in nearly 130 countries, P&G Beauty delivered sales of more than $21 billion in fiscal year 2005/06, making it a leading global beauty company. P&G Beauty offers trusted brands with leading technology to meet the full complement of beauty and grooming needs: Pantene®, Olay®, Max Factor®, Cover Girl®, Sassoon Professional®, Wellaflex®, Sebastian Professional®, Herbal Essences®, Koleston®, Clairol Professional®, Nice 'n Easy®, Venus®, Gillette®, SK-II®, Wella Professionals®, and the luxury or prestige fragrance licenses for Dolce & Gabbana®, Valentino® , Hugo®, and Gucci®. Please visit www.pg.com for the latest news and in-depth information about P&G Beauty and its brands.
About Emirates Palace Hotel
Built as an iconic landmark showcasing Arabian culture and hospitality at its finest, Emirates Palace has created an enviable niche in the luxury resort industry, welcoming holiday makers from all over the world and giving them a truly memorable leisure experience by providing luxurious facilities and amenities in comfortable surroundings and superior and personalized service.
Situated on a 1.3 km stretch of private beach and surrounded by hectares of manicured lawns, Emirates Palace comprises 394 luxury rooms and suites and a variety of fine dining options. The resort's leisure facilities include two intricately landscaped swimming pools, a spa, tennis courts, and two state of the art fitness centres. Emirates Palace houses the most luxurious and technologically advanced meeting facilities in the region which include an auditorium with 1,100 seats, a main ballroom that can accommodate up to 2500 guests, over 40 meeting rooms, a Media Centre and a Business Centre.
Emirates Palace, since its inception, has quickly established an enviable reputation in the industry, winning many prestigious industry awards including -- Best Conference/Convention Center, Best 5-Star Leisure Hotel, Best 5-Star Business/Corporate Hotel - at the MENA Travel Awards 2007, considered the most prestigious and highly coveted industry recognition programme in the region.
About Gulf Horizon
Gulf Horizon Group is 100% owned by local family, chaired by H.E. Dr. Mohammed Saeed Al Badi and managed by the group Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Yasser H. Al Rawashdeh.
In a network dominated era, Gulf Horizon Group is in partnership with world-wide state of the art companies around the globe and are focused on developing projects locally and internationally for all types of upgrades in infrastructure. We use our expertise in financing of projects and business developments to organize the right team for each project to ensure total success and complete client satisfaction. The Gulf Horizon Group performs the role of Business Developer, Project Coordinator, and Financer, and selects premier strategic partner to work hand in hand with the group to perform functions of engineering, design, construction, quality control and operations.
While emphasizing the partnership spirit, Gulf Horizon Group and Partners are currently composed of 28 companies and partners from countries that are in line with finance, real estate development, education industry and insurance and partnered to countries like Korea, Germany, France, Italy, United States, England, Finland and Malaysia, and are very much involved in sharing the development of Abu Dhabi Emirates projects. With our partners, we aim to contribute to the development and prosperity of business, society and culture of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi with strategy and plans that are complimenting the vision, projections and plans of Abu Dhabi Government on long term plans for small and large scale projects.
About Abu Dhabi, UAE
At the southern edge of the Arabian gulf, Abu Dhabi is the capital of the UAE and largest of the seven Emirates is a progressive modern Arabian city of 1.7 million citizens set on a peninsular, its sandy coastline dotted with over 200 islands. With 9% of known oil and 5% of world gas reserves, Abu Dhabi is quickly becoming one of the world's richest cities, diversifying its economy and dynamically expanding, with over $140 billion of investment over the next 5 years. People from far-flung corners of the world are settling to live and work, enjoying first-class shopping, elegant hotels and a unique culture in Abu Dhabi.
Placed between Europe and Asia, Abu Dhabi benefits from a cosmopolitan outlook in a politically stable country with a liberal economy. Arabic is the official language and English is widely spoken. A unique mix of culture and arts flourishes in Abu Dhabi. It is the new Middle-East location for the world-renowned Guggenheim and Louvre museums, along with a new performing arts centre, maritime museum and national museum. Diverse sports & leisure pursuits are part of the active lifestyle residents can enjoy and the most recently announced 2009 Formula 1™ Abu Dhabi Prix, Ferrari Theme Park and Warner Brothers Theme Park all situated on Yas Island, a 2,500 hectare Island being developed by ALDAR, which all create a synergy to Abu Dhabi also becoming increasingly popular as an exclusive tourist destination.
For Further Information, please Contact:
Mr. Ayman AlSaleh
Tel: +971 50 2100202
© Press Release 2007
