Swedish home furnishing giant hosts first fashion show in the Middle East featuring talented Emirati designers

Dubai, UAE, 25 April 2019:   IKEA launched its sustainable collection through a spectacular first-of-its-kind catwalk held in collaboration with local designers at the store in Dubai Festival City Mall. The fashion event is part of the Dubai Home Festival organized by Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE) running until 01 May 2019. 

This is the first time the region’s favourite Swedish home furnishing retailer has hosted a fashion show in the Middle East to inspire customers and ignite their creativity by demonstrating how products could be reused in a different way to make a fashion statement. The three handpicked designers created 34 exclusive masterpieces that fit their theme using IKEA fabrics.  

Commenting on the side-lines of the catwalk, Lemya Osman, Regional Communication & Interior Design Manager – IKEA UAE, Egypt and Oman said, “We are delighted to be part of the Dubai Home Festival that promotes Dubai’s local and international furniture brands to the world. Celebrating 28 years in Dubai, we consider the UAE home to many of our success stories and have so much to offer in our area of expertise to our customers.”     

During the fashion show Safiya Abdallah, the designer behind Dulce by Safiya, revealed a collection called “Bedouins to Skyscrapers”. The collection was inspired by traditional nomadic and native patterned rugs of antiquity and the surreal architecture of modern Dubai. The collection took audiences back in time as it showed a millennial twist to traditional Bedouin styles from the Arabian Peninsula. 

Meanwhile, Noora Al Alawi, the creator of Dubai-based clothing brand Nuna Atelier, showcased a modern mother-daughter collection that was focused on functionality, minimalism and sustainability. Her line included a combination of IKEA’s collection that offers nature’s finest textures and materials from soft cotton to pure linen. 

The third and final collection came from Fatma Al Mulla, the founder of the FMM brand known for its combination of pop culture and Emirati traditions. Fatma’s collection dazzled the crowd with its fairy-tale creations using unexpected fabrics such as curtains. Her magical kingdom collection showcased how a woman can look chic and fabulous without compromising on comfort. The rich embroidery and striking colours she used in her collection brought her enchanting story to life at the show. 

Prior to the show, IKEA launched a social media competition that encouraged IKEA fans to sketch colourful dresses using IKEA textiles for a chance to showcase their trendy designs on the runway. Out of the 300 designs submitted, ten were selected to take on the catwalk. 

Lemya Osman added, “At IKEA we are all about promoting innovation and affordable products, and today we witnessed a first for the UAE as we launched our new sustainable collection in extraordinary style. We are thrilled to have partnered with these young, local, up-coming talents who visualised the essence of this fashion show through the 44 designs they’ve created. For this project, we asked the designers to incorporate our sustainably sourced cotton and linens into their collections in our efforts of being responsible and making a positive impact on people, society and the planet. Circular and sustainable consumption is at the heart of IKEA’s business.” 

IKEA always looks for innovative solutions to enable people to live more sustainably and help them reduce waste, save energy and conserve natural resources. In 2018, 60% of the IKEA range was based on renewable materials and 10% contained recycled materials. The brand has been working with suppliers to source key materials from more sustainable sources that are better for the planet. All the cotton used for IKEA products has been sourced responsibly since 2017 and 85% of the wood used comes from sustainable sources. IKEA’s target is to use only renewable or recycled materials for its products by 2030.