Last week I was invited by the British Arab Council to an International Fashion Showcase ‘Fashion Utopias’ at Somerset House during London Fashion Week 16′. The showcase brought together the optimistic visions of more than 80 emerging designers from 24 countries. Presented by the The British Fashion Council the exhibition celebrates the ‘universal relevance of fashion in contemporary culture’ and covers 5 continents arranged by country each fused with a specially curated fashion installation. Moving from room to room the talent, presentation and diversity was evident, I must admit my own slight bias towards the Lebanon room, where some of our talented Fashion Forward Dubai (FFWD) designers: Nour Najem the Label, la Terre Est Folle, Timi Hayek, Mirna Hayek, Bashar Assaf (under the patronage of the Starch Foundation in Beirut) were presenting their utopian vision, but other highlights included Slovakian designer Petra Kublikova, the Czech Republic, Korea and the Phillipines. Photos below:
For more information on The Starch Foundation Beirut visit www.starchfoundation.org