UAE And Italy Join Forces In Fashion

Renowned as a global shopping utopia, the UAE has more brands than many of its rival retail hubs.

Almost 98 per cent of brands in the UAE are franchised, compared with just 6 per cent in the US. The country’s big malls are dominated by well-established brands, and the large retailers find it easy to find space for those names in the major malls.

But for shoppers looking for something different and unique, new brands are now setting up in the Emirates. Some are small, independent local players but others are brands from overseas that want to tap into the booming retail market in the country. Even the big retailers are bringing in new and quirky brands to keep customers interested.

Dubai, with its growing tourist potential, culture, lifestyle and fashion trends, is focused on enterprises that are expected to witness significant growth.

At the forefront of providing new opportunities for SMEs in Dubai is the Expo 2020 project. SMEs are considered big winners in the opportunities emerging from the first ever World Expo to be held in the Middle East. With a commitment of awarding 20% of the value of all contracts to SMEs, Expo 2020 has so far invested AED 2.4 billion in the SME sector and is set to introduce a new wave of tenders that will depend mainly on SMEs for delivery.

“Italian Fashion towards Dubai” was born in order to implement activities for the Dubai Expo. It has been developed in the context of the regional Fashion Valley, an extremely competent and qualified manufacturing and artisanal sector on which the regional institution focuses a lot, since it plays an important role for the economy of the entire Emilia-Romagna region. In fact, it is one of the top 5 sectors in terms of impact on regional GDP, with strong territorial roots.

This project was one of the few opportunities for the small and medium Italian companies to foray into the Middle East and get recognized as Made in Italy brand promoters.

One year after its inauguration, “Italian Fashion towards Dubai” took a new step forward, entering the doors of Galeries Lafayette in Dubai, one of the most important and glamorous fashion hubs in the world and the perfect location for the development of their business.

To celebrate the launch, an event was held in the department store to introduce the creative talents to a mix of fashionable communities and markets residing in the UAE, in the presence of a large group of journalists, TV and local and international media.