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What To Know
- With constant footfall, proximity to the Burj Khalifa, and a daily mix of residents, visitors, and industry professionals, it offers a scale and audience that operates in real time, at volume.
- On January 29 and 30, the Dubai Mall is hosting the Dubai Mall Festival of Fashion, a two-day program that places fashion inside the city’s most active public space.
- , Runway to Real Life Styling is led by Dalia Al Ali, a digital creator whose background bridges corporate experience and fashion entrepreneurship.
Dubai Mall Festival of Fashion Positions Dubai Retail as Cultural Infrastructure
On January 29 and 30, the Dubai Mall is hosting the Dubai Mall Festival of Fashion, a two-day program that places fashion inside the city’s most active public space. The festival unfolds within a working retail environment, where circulation, visibility, and timing are already established.
The choice of location is deliberate. The Dubai Mall functions as civic infrastructure. With constant footfall, proximity to the Burj Khalifa, and a daily mix of residents, visitors, and industry professionals, it offers a scale and audience that operates in real time, at volume. The festival is shaped to move within that condition, with attention to access, pacing, and presence.
The Dubai Mall Festival of Fashion is conceived as a connected sequence. Across the two days, it brings together masterclasses, panel discussions, brand-led sessions, and a formal awards evening. Each element flows into the next, allowing fashion to move in step with the mall’s daily rhythm.
Fashion in a Public Register
The Dubai Mall Festival of Fashion places fashion in open view. Sessions take place amid constant movement. Speakers address audiences that include industry figures and passersby. The setting is immediate.
This reflects how fashion operates in Dubai. Retail, hospitality, media, and culture overlap. The festival works within that overlap, embedding conversation and education directly into the retail landscape.
The collaboration with Lana, the Arabic news platform involved in shaping the festival’s coverage, follows the same logic. Fashion is treated as something to be discussed and documented with clarity. Coverage and conversation unfold alongside the program itself.
The Masterclasses
The masterclass program started on Thursday, January 29 and is also happening on Friday, January 30, running from mid-morning into the evening. Sessions are tightly timed, each lasting under an hour, allowing the day to move without fragmentation.
Day One Programming — Thursday, January 29
At 10:30 a.m., The Art of Modern Makeup opens the program, led by Mohammed Hindash, a Dubai-based makeup artist whose work spans editorial projects, brand collaborations, and his own beauty label. The session focuses on contemporary techniques and the balance between current trends and lasting polish.
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At 11:30 a.m., Beauty Editorial: From Concept to Canvas is led by Mariam Khairallah, Global Senior Makeup Artist at MAC Cosmetics. The discussion centers on editorial beauty as process, examining how skin, structure, and light are approached in high-fashion imagery.
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The program resumes at 1:30 p.m. with The Power of Accessories, presented by fashion stylist Mai Galal, whose work spans regional publications and public-facing styling. The session looks at proportion, layering, and the role accessories play in shaping a look.
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At 2:30 p.m., Modest Fashion: Style with Substance is led by Hadia Ghaleb, founder of her namesake label. The session addresses tailoring, layering, and occasion-based styling, reflecting modest fashion’s established presence within regional and international markets.
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At 3:45 p.m., Runway to Real Life Styling is led by Dalia Al Ali, a digital creator whose background bridges corporate experience and fashion entrepreneurship. The focus is on translating runway references into everyday wear, with attention to context.
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At 4:45 p.m., stylist Cedric Haddad presents The Art of Looking Camera Ready. The session addresses dressing for photography, television appearances, public events, and social platforms, considering how clothing performs across visual formats.
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In the early evening, at 6:15 p.m., Cultural Codes in Contemporary Styling is led by Maram Zbaeda, whose fashion and lifestyle work engages with both regional and global references. The session examines how cultural influences intersect in contemporary styling decisions.
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The day concludes at 7:30 p.m. with The Scent Edit: Fashion’s Invisible Accessory, led by Syrine Khessib of KAYALI. The session focuses on fragrance as part of fashion presentation, aligning scent with mood, texture, and moment.
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The masterclasses form a tightly framed sequence grounded in practice. They reflect how fashion is approached in Dubai: public-facing, technically informed, and embedded in daily life.
The Awards Evening
The festival concludes on January 30 with the Dubai Mall Global Fashion Awards at the Armani Hotel Pavilion. The shift in venue marks a change in tone, moving from open circulation to a contained setting.
Awards formalize participation and establish record. The venue maintains proximity to the festival’s core location while allowing for a controlled close.
A Measured Assertion
The Dubai Mall Festival of Fashion operates within the city’s existing frameworks. Fashion moves through retail, media, and public space without interruption.
Fashion appears as part of the city’s public and commercial life, observed at scale and practiced in real time.
