The second edition of the highly-successful DSS 2007 In-Mall Event, Sheila and Abaya Fashion, will conclude on Monday, August 27th, with three among the participating designers being honoured with the Swarovski Arabian Creation Award. The winners will be chosen in three categories - 'Best Casual Designer', 'Best Formal Designer', and 'Most Creative Designer'.
The judges for the event are Suhaila Gobaash, DSS Sponsorship Manager; Hussein Jain, fashion photographer; Ghania Azzam, Deputy Editor of Hala - Emarat Al Youm;
Walid Attalah, renowned fashion designer; and Bansri Gagwani, Senior CSC Designer, Swarovski.
Meanwhile, the show continued to attract crowds on the third day on August 25th, with Al Bandar and Hanadi Fashion displaying their collections to an overwhelming audience at BurJuman. The Al Bandar collection showcased gleaming abayas embellished with stones of various colours. Embroidery and lace work dominated the abayas with the sheilas highlighting the prominent influence of floral patterns.
The second label for the day, Hanadi Fashion, represented by Hanadi Ahmad, displayed a unique set of abayas that took inspiration from the kimono, with wide-open sleeves enhanced by intricate floral embroidery.
On the last day of the show on August 27th, the labels 'Scarf', by Baharaini designer Maryam Wadiee, and 'Saraya Al Abayat', by another Bahraini designer Huda Yousif Sanad, will be displayed on the ramp.
Scarf, established in 1995, is a leading name in the manufacture and distribution of sheilas and abayas, and offers an exclusive collection of scarves, imported from Italy and France. Maryam Wadiee has transformed the abaya from a mere article of clothing to fashionable wear by adding new designer dimensions, styles, embroidery, accessories and decorative jewellery.
Established in 2002, Saraya Al Abayat manufactures unique abayas that are characterised by the use of crystals and 18 karat gold. With about 25 staff in employment, the label has a select clientele in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, and Bahrain.
Sheila and Abaya Fashion 2007 is organised by the DSS Office in collaboration with M.A.C., and Swarovski.
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Launched in 1998, Dubai Summer Surprises was conceived as the foremost family entertainment event during the summer season for the whole of GCC. Targeted at visitors from outside the UAE and within the country, DSS has been a major entertainment and shopping attraction since its inception and witnessed 1,875,000 visitors in the year 2006 compared to 600,000 in 1998. The event has succeeded in positioning Dubai as the leading summer destination in the region.
The ten-week event is a celebration of different surprises that offer visitors and shoppers the perfect family entertainment opportunity and the ideal combination of shopping and adventure. Over the years DSS has hosted numerous surprises such as Food, Water, Global, Ice, Flower, Sports, Heritage, Arts, Techno, Cartoons, Colour, Sweets, Knowledge, and Back-2-School. The summer event lays special emphasis on children, who are provided all the opportunities to hone their skills while enjoying a fun-packed ten weeks of activities. DSS also has its own mascot, Modhesh, the ever smiling brand ambassador who embodies everything that the event stands for - fun, excitement, brightness and unlimited joy for children.
Dubai Summer Surprises as a venture has contributed significantly to the economy of Dubai and continues to do so by enhancing different economic sectors during a lean period of economic activity in summer. An increase in visitor expenditure from AED 850 million in 1998 to AED 2.57 billion in 2006 is a clear indication of the event's ability to drive economic growth during summer. Into its tenth year, Dubai Summer Surprises has come a long way by building on the successes of the previous editions and aims to create a benchmark for future years to provide the three most important characteristics of the event - shopping, winning, and entertainment.
© Press Release 2007
