Dubai Fashion Week (DFW) is set to shine a spotlight on Italian fashion with its inaugural event titled “La Moda Italiana: Dubai Edition.” This collaboration comes at a time when Italy’s fashion exports to the UAE have reached an impressive €838 million ($937.4 million) in 2023, marking a significant upward trend in trade between the two regions.
The Spring/Summer 2025 edition of Dubai Fashion Week is scheduled to unfold from September 1 to 7.
Celebrating Italian Fashion at Dubai Fashion Week
Organized by the Italian Trade Agency (ITA) in partnership with DFW, the exhibition is making its debut in the UAE, offering fashion aficionados a chance to explore the latest offerings in exquisite Italian craftsmanship.
Open to the public, the event will run from September 1 to 3 at d3, part of the TECOM Group PJSC. This pioneering exhibition serves as a testament to the increasing relevance of Italian fashion within the UAE market.
Dubai La Moda Italiana Edition will feature 25 premier Italian brands showcasing designs across a variety of fashion segments, including apparel, footwear, leather goods, and eyewear. Each brand has been meticulously curated by the ITA to reflect the excellence of Italian craftsmanship, bringing the country’s fashion prestige to Dubai.
The exhibition will complement a vibrant schedule of designer runway shows and exclusive citywide activities for DFW, which recently announced the iconic Italian luxury brand Roberto Cavalli as its Guest of Honour.
Strengthening Cultural and Economic Ties
The partnership between the ITA and DFW symbolizes the robust cultural and economic connections that exist between Italy and the UAE. By leveraging the Spring/Summer 2025 edition to promote Italian brands, DFW positions itself as a catalyst for strategic partnerships and reinforces Dubai’s status as a premier global fashion hub.
Lorenzo Fanara, Ambassador of Italy to the UAE, remarked: “Italy is synonymous with style and beauty, passion for quality lifestyle, culture, art, fashion, food, and wellbeing. Italy is the second-largest exporter of apparel in the world, thanks to a successful integration of the highest design and production standards, with a focus on the high quality and sustainability of textiles used in clothing production. Italy’s fashion exports to the UAE reached €838m ($937.4m) in 2023 and are continuously growing.”
“Fashion also represents the most important sector of digital exports, amounting to about 66 percent of online export of Made in Italy consumer goods. With the new flagship initiative ‘La Moda Italiana: Dubai Edition,’ launched by the Italian Trade Agency together with Dubai Fashion Week, Confindustria Moda, and 25 leading Italian brands, we will showcase the best that Made in Italy has to offer in the fashion scene to a distinguished audience of key stakeholders.”
A New Chapter for Italian Fashion in the UAE
Valerio Soldani, the Italian Trade Commissioner to the UAE, expressed enthusiasm for this groundbreaking event: “We are thrilled to finally start, for the first time ever, the Italian Fashion Showcase at Dubai Fashion Week. We have been working hard to deliver this first edition as a key milestone: one more opportunity to innovate, increase, and improve our portfolio of activities, meeting the growth of fast-paced industries driving the constant growth of Made in Italy in the key global market of the Emirates.”
“Italian exports of fashion products have reached €378 million (a 38 percent increase) as of April 2024, delivering excellence in all the ‘total look’ industry verticals Italy is famous for.”