Dubai Fashion Week returned to Dubai Design District (d3) for its SS27 season, running 22-26 October. Designers came from the UAE, Kuwait, India, Colombia, Ukraine, Vietnam and beyond, with panel discussions, a buyers’ programme and a month-long pop-up at Harvey Nichols alongside the runway. Here are the collections that stood out, from crystal-heavy couture on opening night to Colombia Day.
Yousef AlJasmi
Kuwaiti designer Yousef AlJasmi opened Dubai Fashion Week on 22 October with his DFW debut, a couture collection in black, cream and silver. Crystal-encrusted dresses saw long sparkling strands from the shoulders to the floor, set against sculpted bodices and sheer, close-fitting skirts. The theatrical glamour was built to catch the light from every angle, which suits a label known for red-carpet eveningwear. According to DFW, the silhouettes and detailing came from what AlJasmi felt in the moment, and the result set an elegant tone for the season.
Sara Pedram
Dubai-based Sara Pedram presented her Simorgh collection, named after the mythical bird in Attar of Nishapur’s 12th-century poem The Conference of the Birds. A ballerina opened the show, followed by sheer pieces with wing-like extensions at the shoulders, a sculptural burnt-umber column gown and a full-skirted look in rough hessian, hand-painted with a scene inspired by the poet Hafez. A Prussian-blue velvet gown carried a Swarovski-crystal Tree of Life across its train, which she uses to symbolise growth and renewal. Pedram said backstage that the collection is very personal to her this year, and that the bird stands for rebirth, transformation and rising again.
Pallavi Puri
Indian designer Pallavi Puri made her official DFW debut on opening night with 50 looks across three chapters. The collection brought together ornate embroidery, elaborate embellishment, the house’s signature equestrian influences and a fresh floral edit, all handcrafted by more than 150 artisans drawing on over 21 traditional art forms. Supermodel Lisa Haydon and actress Cyrine Abdelnour were the showstoppers. Her looks are also part of the Harvey Nichols pop-up at Mall of the Emirates, which is open to the public until 31 October.
Krésha Bajaj x Alok Lodha Jewels
Krésha Bajaj closed opening night with The Garden of Borrowed Light, a runway collaboration with Alok Lodha Jewels. The collection looks at the fleeting beauty of movement, light and memory through fluid silhouettes, carefully crafted beadwork, painterly florals and expressive embroidery. Zebra-pattern designs appeared among her signature beadwork. The coloured gemstones came from Alok Lodha Jewels, a fine jewellery house dating to 1968, and the statement pieces were made to complement the couture.
Nafsika Skourti
Palestinian-Greek label Nafsika Skourti, founded by sisters Nafsika and Stephanie, closed the second day of DFW with its first show at the Week and its first runway in nine years. The collection, Sisters by Choice, treats friendship as a “happy protest”, with slogans including “No Wrong Turns”. Instead of occasion wear, the sisters showed relaxed daywear and more activewear: sleeves and skirts trimmed with ribbons, open-back tops in woven beading, roomy floral skirts and sporty zip-through tops. Stephanie said the brand is staying true to its codes, and that the collection leans into the busy women the sisters are themselves.
KEL’
Ukrainian label KEL’, led by designer Olena Kondratova, presented Genesis, a collection that takes the butterfly as its symbol of transformation. Corsetry and architectural tailoring give the clothes their structure, softened by lace, sheer tulle and velvet. The surface work carries much of the collection, with 3D hand-stitched appliqués and hand-embroidered crystals across the looks. Sculptural hair accessories and body jewellery completed the styling.
L’SCARLETT
Vietnam-based label L’SCARLETT, founded by Le Nguyen, presented AUREA, a collection built around modern femininity. Sculpted silhouettes, fluid skirts and architectural volumes set the shape of the looks. Gold-toned crystals and hand embellishment add light across the pieces, while three-dimensional lily-inspired florals bring a softer, more decorative note. Together, the sharp volumes and the detailing frame femininity as something both structured and ornamental.
GNL Couture
GNL Couture’s SS27 collection, Le Jardin Enchanté, takes an enchanted garden as its starting point. Botanical motifs appear in hand embroidery and beadwork, set in a palette of mint, blush pink, pistachio green and ivory. The range runs from romantic eveningwear to bridal pieces. Sculpted silhouettes and fluid draping shape the looks throughout.
Laura Aparicio
Laura Aparicio, one of four Bogotá-based brands brought to DFW by the Bogotá Chamber of Commerce, presented NANDA on Colombia Day. The collection celebrates confidence, self-expression and empowered femininity, and is rooted in Colombian identity and conscious design. Oversized silhouettes, sculptural forms and fluid fabrics came in a bold palette of saturated yellow, red and blue. The Chamber ran the day to connect Bogotá’s fashion businesses with buyers and commercial partners across the Middle East.
Adriana Capasso
Adriana Capasso’s TRACE draws on the textures and sensory experiences of Colombia’s coffee plantations. Sculptural silhouettes, architectural volumes and intricate textile manipulation turned the rhythms of the QuindÃo region into clothes that balance structure and fluidity. Footwear designer Liza Herrera complemented the runway presentation with shoes that added distinctive touches to the looks. Her collection was part of the same Colombia Day programme as Laura Aparicio, ODA Store and Mónica Schuster.
ODA Store
Bogotá-based ODA Store presented Convergencia on Colombia Day, a collection about how encounters and intersecting paths shape identity. Structured tailoring sits beside fluid forms, with layered garments and intersecting details drawn from Bogotá’s urban landscape. Footwear designer Liza Herrera, who also worked on Adriana Capasso’s show, added her signature designs to the presentation.
Mónica Schuster
Mónica Schuster by Sermetex presented ECLIPSE, a couture eveningwear collection inspired by transformation, celestial beauty and feminine strength. Sculptural capes and celestial gold detailing ran through the looks, which combined defined silhouettes with intricate hand embroidery and crystal embellishment. Golden Aura and Golden Eclipse were the signature looks.
Christopher Italy
Christopher Italy took Italian gardens as the starting point for SS27, working sunlit colours and careful detailing into a line-up of bags and shoes. Leatherwork was the focus, offered as an expression of contemporary elegance and the Italian art of living. Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach Jauncey appeared on the runway.
Joséphine
Vietnamese fashion house Joséphine presented the ready-to-wear collection Le Jardin de Joséphine, drawing on the beauty and elegance of a garden. Feminine silhouettes and thoughtful detailing sat at the centre of the presentation, which showed the house’s approach to modern ready-to-wear.
Tarun Tahiliani
Indian designer Tarun Tahiliani closed Dubai Fashion Week SS27 with The Many Moods of TT, a showcase marking three decades of Indian craftsmanship, couture and contemporary design. The line-up spanned bridalwear, occasion wear, menswear and couture, reflecting the designer’s dialogue between tradition and modernity. Lebanese singer and actress Maya Diab walked the runway as the showstopper, and the finale featured kaftans, long coats and stylised headwear. It also marks a new chapter for the house ahead of the opening of its first Dubai boutique.
From Kuwaiti couture heavy with crystal to Colombian clothes drawn from coffee plantations, the collections cover a wide range of inspirations, with Persian poetry, Indian craft, Palestinian-Greek daywear, Ukrainian corsetry, Vietnamese gold and Italian leather in between, before Tarun Tahiliani brought the week to a close.
Dubai Fashion Week SS27 ran from 22-26 October at Dubai Design District.
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