Dubai Fashion Week has announced the dates for its next season, which will run from September 1 to 6.
Returning to Dubai Design District – which is celebrating its 10th anniversary – the event will once again provide a platform to regional labels while introducing more international names to the savvy UAE audience.
Showcasing the spring/summer 2026 collections before the main women's wear schedules take place in New York, London, Milan and Paris, Dubai Fashion Week promises a strong line-up.
The provisional timetable is a blend of ready-to-wear and couture, taking in familiar names and new arrivals.
French brand Weinsanto is returning, supported by the Federation de la Haute Couture et de la Mode, the governing body of France's fashion industry, as well as being on the DFW council. Also showing once more is Iraqi-British designer Tara Babylon, and the Turkish streetwear name Les Benjamins.
Other returners from the region include That Concept, FLTRD, Dima Ayad, Lili Blanc, Mrs Keepa, Lama Jouni, Heba Jasmi and BLSSD.
As the Middle Eastern market becomes increasingly significant for international brands, this season features the arrival of labels from Germany, Croatia and the Netherlands.
Croatian brand XD Xenia will make its DFW debut, as will Canada's Jozeph Diarbakerli. Other designers making their first appearance include Fioletowy (Poland), London School of Trends (India) and New York's Otte.
For couture, the Malaysian brand Maison Rizman Ruzaini will return, as will Dubai's Michael Cinco and Kresha Bajaj from India.
Dubai Fashion Week was co-founded in 2022 by the Dubai Design District, Arab Fashion Council and Tecom Group PJSC.
“This season represents a powerful evolution of our platform. We’re not just showcasing collections – we’re building a creative economy rooted in diversity, design diplomacy, and long-term commercial impact,” said Mohammed Aqra, chief strategy officer of Arab Fashion Council. “DFW spring-summer 2026 is a bold statement of where fashion is going, and the world is watching.”
The Threads Talks series, in conjunction with Meta, is also set to come back. Discussion panels and seminars will consider industry challenges such as AI integration and sustainability.
Khadija Al Bastaki, senior vice president of Dubai Design District, says the event has expanded immensely in three years.
“Dubai Fashion Week shows how we have grown together,” she said. “With a rich legacy of influencing the regional landscape, DFW is actively championing sustainability, innovation and diversity in the global design narrative, cementing Dubai’s position as the destination of choice for fashion and creative talent from around the world.”
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Tightening the screw on rogue recruiters
The UAE overhauled the procedure to recruit housemaids and domestic workers with a law in 2017 to protect low-income labour from being exploited.
Only recruitment companies authorised by the government are permitted as part of Tadbeer, a network of labour ministry-regulated centres.
A contract must be drawn up for domestic workers, the wages and job offer clearly stating the nature of work.
The contract stating the wages, work entailed and accommodation must be sent to the employee in their home country before they depart for the UAE.
The contract will be signed by the employer and employee when the domestic worker arrives in the UAE.
Only recruitment agencies registered with the ministry can undertake recruitment and employment applications for domestic workers.
Penalties for illegal recruitment in the UAE include fines of up to Dh100,000 and imprisonment
But agents not authorised by the government sidestep the law by illegally getting women into the country on visit visas.
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The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
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Date started: 2012
Founder: Amir Barsoum
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
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