As Islamic fashion has continued to gain in popularity, with many high street retailers now adopting pieces for their western stores and the fashion world more regularly highlighting the work of Islamic designers on the catwalk, so too have the tools available to Islamic designers evolved.
It should come as no surprise that some of the leading names in the industry are leading the charge for the creation of such tools, which brings us to the latest announcement from the Islamic Fashion and Design Council (IFDC), which is an Islamic fashion organization that is based in Dubai.
At the end of 2016, they unveiled an initiative that is designed to help designers, particularly those who have not received attention from the mainstream fashion industry, to gain exposure while also promoting the cause of Islamic fashion in the process.
Pret-A-Cover Fashion Week differs from most other fashion shows because it is completely virtual. This opens the event and platform up to designers all over the world, allowing them to showcase their creations to a massive audience without having to incur the expenditure that is typically associated with travelling long distances to more traditional fashion shows.
Hosted by Covermagazine, which is also operated by the council, the show not only offered participating designers the opportunity to showcase their wares, but also took advantage of the benefits an online platform can offer to them. In doing so, helped create connections between designers, retailers, consumers, and other buyers, bringing the Islamic fashion industry together and creating a stronger platform for future expansion.
In speaking about the initiative, the IFDC’s chairwoman, Alia Khan, stated that the organization wanted to “do something disruptive.”
She added: ““It was time for a change in the way we do things in fashion so that more designers can get exposure to our exciting market without the exhaustive measures it normally takes.
“Through PACFW (Pret-A-Cover Fashion Week), we intend to offer a more equal opportunity for all talent and businesses without presenting the challenges that normally come with partaking in a fashion week. We hope this and a few other initiatives we are planning to roll out will change the way one thinks of how business can be done in fashion.”
While the entire week was of great benefit to the designers whose work was be showcased, it also proved informative for those who wish to discover more about the Islamic fashion industry as a whole. Using virtual panel discussions, PACFW offered up some of the biggest names in the industry, providing them with a platform to talk in greater depth about what drives their work and what they plan for the future.
As always, the team at Jubbas supports any efforts to improve cultural awareness and acceptance of Islamic fashion in western culture and we are delighted that so many talented designers who had the opportunity to shine a spotlight on what they have to offer during the Pret-A-Cover Fashion Week. We fully expect the event to come around again at the end of 2017.
