After previously announcing the list of participating designers, who will show at Fashion Forward (FFWD) this season, Bong Guerrero, CEO of Fashion Forward; Ramzi Nakad, COO of Fashion Forward; and Dr. Amina Al Rustamani, Group CEO of TECOM Investments (the developers of the Dubai Design District) jointly announced the third edition’s full program.
Like last season, a series of panel talks will be hosted which features the participation of international professionals. Among them: Alexa Chung (April 12th, 3pm, In Conversation with Alexa Chung); Fern Mallis, the creator of New York Fashion Week (April 13th, 6:30pm, Fashion Week: Going Forward?); and Costume National’s Creative Director and Founder, Ennio Capasa (April 12th, 4:30pm, The Deep Italian Brand. The Design Concept of Costume National).
Style.com/Arabia previously reported on some of the challenges associated with FFWD. And this season, FFWD aims to provide “a return on investment” for its participating designers by more actively hosting mentorship sessions with new industry partners, such as Swarovski, Azza Fahmy, and Galeries Lafayette.
In a conversation with Style.com/Arabia, Nakad revealed that FFWD is currently working on creating satellite events that would to be held throughout the year. It is also exploring the establishment of a committee of industry professionals that would filter designers’ admissions for the runway show presentations.
“We’re thinking of setting up an advisory board of fashion experts, who will decide on the designers’ eligibility to [show at] FFWD,” Nakad commented. “We are also considering helping and guiding local up-and-coming designers who don’t necessarily have enough budget and experience to do a fashion show, but who are obviously deserving of one. That said, nothing has been decided yet; this project is still in the making.”
The full schedule of FFWD, including runway shows and panel talks, is available here. FFWD Season 3 will be held at the Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai from April 10-13.
