“Detritus Wall” by Ali Al-Sammarraie.
Photo courtesy Dubai Design Week.
We’ve wrapped up Fashion Forward, and now it’s time to enter the unique and innovative world of design with the first Dubai Design Week. The event is taking place this week at the Dubai Design District (d3), the Downtown Design auditorium, as well as some partnering galleries and retail spaces, including Comptoir 102. Among the event’s highlights is the renowned Downtown Design fair, which will host a number of established and emerging brands across furniture, textiles, jewelry, lighting, accessories, and interior design.
Jewelry designer Nadine Kanso along with three other UAE-based creative individuals—fashion designer Khulood Thani, architect Tarik Al Zaharna, and sculptor Khalid Shafar—will launch a collective initiative, Design Ras Al Khor (DRAK), to draw attention to the creative district potential of the Ras Al Khor Industrial Area. The founders will each present a design project in their respective fields, along with David O’Brien of Ghaf Kitchen who will showcase a project on food design.
Dubai Design Week will also host the launch of local jewelry brand “Gafla” (meaning “caravan”), which draws inspiration from nomad traders in the East and embodies the rich heritage and nature of the Gulf. Founders Abdulla Beljafla and Hamad Bin Shaiban aim to revive the region’s past and offer a contemporary take on fine jewelry in the region.
To find out which other projects and installations being showcased at Dubai Design Week are a must-see, read our comprehensive guide on Style.com/Arabia/MEN here.
Dubai Design Week will run until October 31st. For more information, visit www.dubaidesignweek.ae.
