Since its debut a decade ago, Sole DXB has brought together creatives and cultivated sneaker and art culture in Dubai. Sole has attracted bigger and bigger names each year, Jorja Smith and Central Cee headlining this year’s musical line-up, but the mission of promoting Arab excellence has remained central to the event. The 10th anniversary of Sole is hosted by renowned Moroccan photographer and all-round creative force of nature Hassan Hajjaj, and talented artists from across the Middle East will be coming together to give viewers a show that is sure to make up for time lost.
The celebration started out as a niche gathering of like-minded people embedded in the then-budding sneaker culture of Dubai in February 2011. Sole DXB was founded in 2010 by Hussain Moloobhoy, Joshua Cox, Kris Balerite, and Rajat Malhotra. The first Sole DXB event was classified as a “sneaker summit” at thejamjar, a warehouse art gallery in Dubai’s Al Quoz area. Like the city that plays host to it, Sole expanded dramatically – exploring a slew of conceptual inspirations, transcending borders in its representation of artists and their creations. As Dubai has acted as a melting pot of nationalities, cultures, and values, Sole has followed suit, and this year’s host, Hassan Hajjaj is the most emblematic expression of that dynamic.
Working between London and Marrakech, Hajjaj’s art practice has continually subverted Orientalist views of the region with his pop art-inspired portraits and objects. Given the title of the “Andy Warhol of Marrakech”, Hajjaj breaks every convention in the book to photograph a Morocco t—and a wider world—that is multidimensional and colourful. The connection to pop art icons is earned through Hajjaj’s juxtaposition of Western iconography, commonly found commercial goods like soup cans, alongside Arab and North African imagery. The photographer is perhaps the most fitting host to an event that seeks to shine light on Arab excellence and artistry.
Melding music, fashion, visual arts, and sports, Sole is a celebration of the creative underground of the region, often not given the global recognition it deserves. In a world of Dubai Blings, Sole DXB is the antidote. The counter-narrative. This mission is reflected in the musical line-up, performing alongside the headliners are regional talents many residents have been following from their humble beginnings. Artists across genres hailing from the UAE, Kuwait, KSA, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, Egypt and beyond. Esquire favourites to keep on your radar are Somali rapper Freek and Egyptian rapper Felukah.
Away from the music, you can go through a curation of global brands as well as independent fashion and design labels from the region—including installations by New Balance, Puma and The Giving Movement. You can also take part in a competitive streetball tournament or take part in the Sneaker Swap where you can flex your trading muscles with other sneakerheads.
This edition comes after a two-year, covid-induced, hiatus for the festival which has left fans longing for the return of the cultural hub that has served as a means of forming relationships with like-minded individuals. The social isolation that accompanied the pandemic has come to an end, which is likely why the curators of this year’s event have pulled out all the stops to make Sole’s 10th anniversary one for the ages.
The full schedule and tickets are available here.