Sole DXB, Dubai's premier event for sneakerheads, is back for the 14th time. Bigger and bolder than ever, the festival at Dubai Design District kicks off at 3pm today and runs until Sunday evening. With the 2024 version a third larger than its earlier cousins, there is plenty more space for small, niche brands to make a showing, encouraging the kind of entrepreneurial spirit that Sole DXB is all about.
What started as a small “sneaker summit” housed at JamJar art gallery in 2010, has grown into a huge event attended by thousands who come for the music, food and shopping as well as the trainers. While the focus of Sole DXB remains shoe collecting – with hundreds of hard-to-get pairs on sale – each year more and more big-name brands get involved.
This year it is the turn of Qasimi, the co-ed fashion brand founded in 2015 in London by Sheikh Khalid Al Qasimi. He is the son of Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, ruler of Sharjah and Member of the Federal Supreme Council of the United Arab Emirates.
Now headed by Sheikh Khalid's twin sister, Sheikha Hoor Al Qasimi, who continues her brother's commitment to art, peace and inclusivity, the brand will showcase three distinct collections in a space designed by final-year students at the University of Sharjah.
The label is known for its elevated yet understated tailoring and social conscience, and the three collections coming to SoleDXB include the Rising Sun capsule that will be relaunched this weekend. A long-standing emblem of the house, the rising sun symbol will appear on joggers, track jackets and baseball caps, embroidered with the Arabic phrase “Every sun has to set – to rise again”.
Also present will be a Palestine collection that includes Qasimi's “Don't Shoot” tops. They aim to highlight the importance of the press to hold those in power accountable. The third collection reuses denim from past Qasimi collections into new pieces by Ugandan artist Buzigahill.
Also making its first appearance is Kangol, the UK hat company. Part of hip-hop culture for decades, the company is bringing both classic and new styles to the event, meaning customers will be able to physically buy from the brand for the first time in this region.
Another major brand making its debut is Asics, which will bring its collaboration with design collective Hidden NY along too. The Sole DXB platform will mark the global launch of the collaborative Gel-Venture 6TM Shield shoe, the successor to this year's sold-out Gel-NYC form. Visitors will be given the chance to create unique collectibles thanks to fossil and screen printing activities, and there will also be Asics treasures “hidden” around Sole DXB, in honour of the label's fascination with archaeology.
Making a return is adidas Originals and the release of its much-anticipated Clot Dress Capsule with Edison Chen. The multi-hyphenate Chen is a rapper, model, actor and fashion designer, and has reimagined the adidas Superstar. He has retained the classic shell-toe of the low top, but elevated it via Italian leather detailing and finishing for a luxe twist.
Accompanying the new collection is a short film called All Eyes on East, which celebrates the intersection of Eastern influence and global fashion. Visitors to the adidas stand can also customise their Clot Dress Capsule purchases via on-site tailoring.
The four coolest pop-ups spotted at Sole DXB
This is Me Sneakers
This is Me is a fully customisable range of trainers that are made to order in Portugal where customers can pretty much choose whatever they want, right down to the type of sole. On offer is embroidery, modern al Sadu fabric, gold zebra and we saw one pair coloured with the shade of sand dunes, with an image of the Arabian leopard on the heel and whooping yellow sapphire on the side.
Prices start at Dh3,855 and orders take three weeks
Thrift Triple Eight
A Dubai store specialising in vintage motocross, Formula One and Nascar jackets, these are sourced from auctions across Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and even Ireland. Aimed at extending the life of these amazing leather jackets, it wants to promote sustainability and circular thinking.
Prices start at Dh700
Niviour
A New York import, this Arab brand has collaborated with Spotify Arabia for SoleDXB. Under the tag "curate your playlist, create your dreams" visitors can access podcasts and music while browsing through Niviour's range of T-shirts and hoodies that are discreetly decorated with Arabic numbers and text.
T-shirts are Dh238, and hoodies Dh348
Suez
Created by Egyptian-Iraqi designer Serag ElMeleigy, this UK label leans into its dual heritage with bucket hats, shorts and trousers made from keffiyeh fabric, and bomber and track jackets made from patterned Egyptian khayamiya tent material.
Bucket hats are all hand made by ElMeleigy and cost Dh235, while Khayamiya jackets start at Dh1,115 for the printed version rising to Dh1,370 for the handmade applique version
