Twenty-twenty-one could very well be a coming of age year for menswear in the Middle East, following the announcment of the first ‘Arab Fashion Week – Men’s‘ event taking place on January 28-30, 2021.
Presented by Arab Fashion Week, the debut event aims to establish a sustainable platform to champion fashion design talent from across the region including the UAE, Lebanon, Qatar, and Iran.
With goals to take place bi-annually (in January and June) the debut event is sympathetic to the current global situation and therefore initially will see designers premiering their collections digitally through their individual expressions of digital creativity on Facebook Live and Instagram Live.
Men’s style in the Middle East has long been expressed through statement timepieces and high-performance cars with fashion taking a backseat.
“The world around us is changing, so too are attitudes towards fashion and nowhere more so than in the Middle East,”said Mohammed Aqra, the Arab Fashion Council’s Chief Strategy Officer. “Arab Fashion Week-Men’s presents the breadth of menswear beyond formal attire and streetwear and paves the way for men in the Middle East to embrace a more adventurous wardrobe.”
In a statement released to the press The Council recognized stressed its desire that it this new platform will be used to celebrate creativity and freedom of expression not just of fashion for men but also for designers that embrace gender-neutrality.