DUBAI: Student designers from the College of Fashion and Design in Dubai joined modest-wear designers from over a dozen countries for the second edition of Dubai Modest Fashion Week, held at the Emerald Palace, Kempinsky Palm Jumeirah recently. The modest fashion movement is predicted to rake in US$250 billion (AED918bn) in sales by 2020. The “CFD Student Collection” with participating 2nd year students including Alaa El Gharably, Mehrsa Farzan, Latifa Al Hajri and Sadaf Pappy received a massive response from the attendees, fashion influencers and also from participating designers.

Dubai Modest Fashion Week was a great opportunity for CFD students to reveal their designs on the same catwalk as other established designers from around the world. The event also included meet and greet session with well-known modest-fashion bloggers and was perfect platform for networking with the fashion community in the region for CFD students.

“We believe in harnessing our talented students and providing them with opportunities that build on their confidence and prepares them for the real-world,” said Dean of The College of Fashion and Design Haifa Al Anjari. The students played an active role during the Modest Fashion Week, working backstage and learning about the business of fashion.

Conveniently located in Business Bay, Dubai, CFD students are able to enjoy a vibrant fashion and cultural environment in a safe and multicultural city. It is the only accredited fashion and design educational institute offering Bachelor’s degree in fashion and design.

CFD faculty are highly skilled professionals with solid theoretical backgrounds and compelling research interests. Their years of experience are shared with the students through the use of hands-on practical exercises and industry-based projects. “We provide opportunities for students to have real-life experiences in the fashion and design industry. We collaborate with local and international industry leaders to provide an education that is relevant to the fashion design business, today!” Haifa Al Anjari, Dean. Collaborations with local designers, participation in fashion events and an embedded internship program ensure that all CFD graduates gain valuable real-world skills leading to diverse career options.

CFD offers a comprehensive curriculum covering both creative Fashion and Design skills along with the essential Business and Communication skills necessary to be successful in the competitive world of fashion. Students are able to complete a 2 Year Diploma in Fashion and Design and continue seamlessly for a further 2 years to complete a well-recognized Bachelor degree in Fashion Design or in Fashion Business Management.

CFD is well-equipped with professional-quality fashion and innovation labs containing industrial sewing machines, ironing machines, a 3D printer, a laser cutter and an embroidery machine. A computer lab with MAC computers for digital design and a full-service Nikon photography lab are available for students to develop their skills. The CFD library boasts an exciting collection of Fashion and Business books, magazines, and films as well as access to three comprehensive databases of online resources.

Previously hosted in Istanbul, London, Dubai and Jakarta, Dubai is the first city to host Modest Fashion Week for the second time around, highlighting the importance of the region in this growing sartorial movement.   Diversity is a key focus of Dubai Modest Fashion Week, with designers of all nationalities celebrated, along with People of Determination who will also be represented at the three day event – showing that modest fashion’s inclusivity has no boundaries.

Founded by self-funded fashion entrepreneurs Franka Soeria and Ozlem Sahin under their company Think Fashion, the Modest Fashion Week series is created to bring modest design to an international audience. Since its launch in May 2016, Modest Fashion Week has succeeded in making headlines across the world, grabbing the attention of the media’s biggest fashion and news titles, and introducing this burgeoning marketplace to a global audience.  

MFW started its journey in May 2016 under the name of Istanbul Modest Fashion Week, closely followed by London Modest Fashion Week in April 2017. Attended by influencers, emerging and established brands, burgeoning talents, well-connected buyers from USA, Asia, Europe, Australia & Africa and high-profile guests such as hijab supermodels Halima Aden and Dina Tokio, both events attracted global news headlines from New York Times, Washington Post, Daily Mail, Huffington Post, Vogue Arabia, Kuwait Times, Al Arabiya and Elle USA.