, named_after = , image =Logo_of_Arab_Fashion_Council.jpg , image_size = , alt = , caption = , map = , map_size = , map_alt = , map_caption = , map2 = , map2_size = , map2_alt = , map2_caption = , abbreviation = AFC , motto = , predecessor = , merged = , successor = , formation = , founder = Jacob Abrian , founding_location = , extinction = , merger = , tax_id = , registration_id = , status = , purpose = Promote Arab fashion Industry worldwide and establishing an economy based on creativity and knowledge. , headquarters =

Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...

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Arab World The Arab world ( ar, اَلْعَالَمُ الْعَرَبِيُّ '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, refers to a vast group of countries, mainly located in Western A ...

, services = , products = , methods = , fields =

Fashion Industry Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fashion in ...

, membership = , membership_year = , language =

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

, owner = , sec_gen = , leader_title = , leader_name = , leader_title2 = chief executive officer , leader_name2 = Jacob Abrian , leader_title3 = , leader_name3 = , leader_title4 = , leader_name4 = , board_of_directors = , key_people = , main_organ = , parent_organization = , subsidiaries = , secessions = , affiliations = , budget = , budget_year = , revenue = , revenue_year = , disbursements = , expenses = , expenses_year = , endowment = , staff = , staff_year = , volunteers = , volunteers_year = , slogan = , mission = , website = , remarks = , formerly = , footnotes = The Arab Fashion Council (AFC) (Arabic: مجلس الأزياء العربي ) is the world's largest non-profit fashion

council A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or natio ...

and an INGO for the

Arab world The Arab world ( ar, اَلْعَالَمُ الْعَرَبِيُّ '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, refers to a vast group of countries, mainly located in Western A ...

, representing the 22

members Member may refer to: * Military jury, referred to as "Members" in military jargon * Element (mathematics), an object that belongs to a mathematical set * In object-oriented programming, a member of a class ** Field (computer science), entries in ...

of the

Arab League The Arab League ( ar, الجامعة العربية, ' ), formally the League of Arab States ( ar, جامعة الدول العربية, '), is a regional organization in the Arab world, which is located in Northern Africa, Western Africa, E ...

. It is based in

with the main goal to promote Arab fashion designers internationally, disseminate fashion culture in the region, and position the Arab world on the international map of fashion. It includes Arab companies and talent within the

fashion industry Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fashion in ...

, in particular fashion designers,

models A model is an informative representation of an object, person or system. The term originally denoted the plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin ''modulus'', a measure. Models c ...

, photographers,

hair stylists A hairdresser is a person whose occupation is to cut or style hair in order to change or maintain a person's image. This is achieved using a combination of hair coloring, haircutting, and hair texturing techniques. A Hairdresser may also be refe ...

, make-up artists, and

art directors Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas. There is no generally agreed definition of what ...

. Likewise, it regulates the

modelling agencies A modeling agency is a company that represents model (person), fashion models, to work for the fashion industry. These agencies earn their income via commission, usually from the deal they make with the model and/or the head agency. The top agenc ...

by creating standards to protect models working in the Arab world. Finally, it regulates the schools of fashion registered under the laws of Arab countries. Its first Honorary President was Cav. Lav. Mario Boselli the former president of Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana. On 18 December 2017, the Arab Fashion Council has announced from London the opening of its office in

Riyadh Riyadh (, ar, الرياض, 'ar-Riyāḍ, lit.: 'The Gardens' Najdi pronunciation: ), formerly known as Hajr al-Yamamah, is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of the R ...

and organised the first fashion week in the history of the

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the Ara ...

under the name of Arab Fashion Week. On 7 December 2015, Jacob Abrian has been elected as chief executive officer for the council, being the youngest appointed CEO for a Council. In September 2017, the Arab Fashion Council has signed a strategic long-term partnership with Meraas, a Dubai-based holding company. that aims to position Dubai as a fashion capital and celebrate the Arab Fashion Week in a citywide activation in the emirate. In April 2018, the Arab Fashion Council has signed a partnership with MBM Holding, a Dubai-based

Royal family A royal family is the immediate family of kings/queens, emirs/emiras, sultans/ sultanas, or raja/ rani and sometimes their extended family. The term imperial family appropriately describes the family of an emperor or empress, and the term ...

office and investment holding company with activities in investments, strategic advisory and social and community development. A 2021 partnership with the Federation de la Haute Couture et de la Mode yielded the first ever Arab Fashion Week for Men, a three-day virtual event based in Dubai. The event is scheduled to occur twice annually in coordination with other men's fashion week events.

Vision

The Arab Fashion Council sets its 2030 vision aiming to create an Arab economy based on creativity and knowledge, by building an industry infrastructure in the region known as the Arab Fashion System. This system anticipates to divide the

Arab countries The Arab world ( ar, اَلْعَالَمُ الْعَرَبِيُّ '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, refers to a vast group of countries, mainly located in Western As ...

into 3 main clusters; the North African Arab countries to fit under the raw materials resourcing and textile cluster, the Arab

Levant The Levant () is an approximate historical geographical term referring to a large area in the Eastern Mediterranean region of Western Asia. In its narrowest sense, which is in use today in archaeology and other cultural contexts, it is eq ...

countries under the manufacturing cluster, and the Arab countries of the Persian Gulf countries under the retail and

merchandise Merchandising is any practice which contributes to the sale of products to a retail consumer. At a retail in-store level, merchandising refers to displaying products that are for sale in a creative way that entices customers to purchase more i ...

cluster.

Structure

Based in Dubai, the Arab Fashion Council operates through partnerships in the entire region, its structure is based on 4 main pillars gon represented by a different department. – Management, Higher Management is formed from the board of Chief Officers, directors, and managers having the duty of running the daily business of the council. –

Advisors An adviser or advisor is normally a person with more and deeper knowledge in a specific area and usually also includes persons with cross-functional and multidisciplinary expertise. An adviser's role is that of a mentor or guide and differs categor ...

is formed out of nominated individuals to support the higher management in their strategic decisions and planning. – Honorary Pioneers are those public notable figures whose work has given the important contribution to the civil society, charity, and the Fashion industry. Among the pioneers are Ralph Debbas the founder of

W Motors W Motors is an Emirati sports car company founded in Lebanon in 2012, being the first developer of high-performance luxury sports cars in the Middle East. Based in Dubai, the company's activities include automotive design, research and development ...

, Marc Ledermann the CEO of

Domus Academy Domus Academy is a private school of design in Milan, Italy. It offers post-graduate and professional courses in fashion, industrial design, and design management. It is not listed by the Ministero dell'Istruzione, dell'Università e della Ric ...

, and Ronnie Jackson. –

Ambassadors An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sov ...

are those people who represent the image of the Arab Fashion Council, only admitted through invitation by the higher management.

Activities

A landmark activity of the Arab Fashion Council is to organize the twice-yearly the prestigious event Arab Fashion Week. It is the only official

Fashion Week A fashion week is a fashion industry event, lasting approximately one week, where fashion designers, brands or "houses" display their latest collections in runway fashion shows to buyers and the media. These events influence the upcoming fashion ...

and the

that is recognized on the international calendar next to the other big four fashion weeks, such as,

New York Fashion Week New York Fashion Week (NYFW), held in February and September of each year, is a semi-annual series of events in Manhattan typically spanning 7–9 days when international fashion collections are shown to buyers, the press, and the general publ ...

London Fashion Week London Fashion Week (LFW) is a clothing trade show that takes place in London twice a year, in February and September. Showcasing over 250 designers to a global audience of influential media and retailers, it is one of the 'Big Four' fashion wee ...

Milan Fashion Week Milan Fashion Week ( it, Settimana della moda) is a clothing trade show held semi-annually in Milan, Italy. The autumn/winter event is held in February/March of each year, and the spring/summer event is held in September/October of each year. It ...

, and

Paris Fashion Week Paris Fashion Week (french: Semaine de la mode de Paris) is a series of designer presentations held semiannually in Paris, France with spring/summer and autumn/winter events held each year. Dates are determined by the French Fashion Federation. ...

. The Arab Fashion Week represents all 22 Arabic countries and is hosted in Dubai at The Meydan Hotel, promoting both Arab and International designers into the global market where notable fashion brands show their Ready-Couture collection along to the Arab designers. On its 4th edition, the Arab Fashion Week became the world's main platform for the Pre-collections and Ready-Couture. The Arab Fashion Week has also been organised in

in April 2018 becoming the first fashion week in the history of

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...

. On the 11th edition in June 2020 and the 12th edition in October 2020 the Arab Fashion Council hosted the Arab Fashion Week virtually as precaution to the spread of COVID-19. In September 2020, the Arab Fashion Council hosted the first Arab designers showroom on the official calendar of

in partnership with the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode.

Similar Activities

Other fashion weeks similar to the event organized by the Arab Fashion Council are the

and

Education

In partnership with leading fashion schools and

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

Office in Doha, the Arab Fashion Council promotes the Fashion Education and support the Arab talents by providing a fully covered scholarship for an Arab student after entering an annual competition to study bachelor's and master's degrees in Dubai.

Charity and peace

It is the first fashion association to work on a health and pension strategy to protect its members after reaching the age of 65. In addition, it tries to achieve peace in the Middle East through fashion inspired by the United States Federation for Middle East Peace. The Arab Fashion Council has joined forces with

Dubai Health Authority The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) is a government organization overseeing the health system of Emirate of Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Background The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) was formed in 2007 under the directives of Sheikh Mohammed ...

and

Dubai Design District Dubai Design District (d3) is a purpose-built community in Dubai dedicated to the design, fashion, and culture community, including startups, entrepreneurs, and well-established international design, luxury, and fashion brands. It was establishe ...

to launch #thread4cause, an initiative of which the Arab Fashion Council's members of designers, brands and companies have produced Personal Protection Equipment to support the health care sector amid the spread of

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. On 13 August 2020, and following the

2020 Beirut Explosion On 4 August 2020, a large amount of ammonium nitrate stored at the Port of Beirut in the capital city of Lebanon exploded, causing at least 218 deaths, 7,000 injuries, and United States dollar, US$15 billion in property damage, as well as lea ...

at the port of the city of

Beirut Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...

, the capital of

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...

which caused at least 204 deaths, 6,500 injuries, and

US$ The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...

15 billion in property damage, and leaving an estimated 300,000 people

homeless Homelessness or houselessness – also known as a state of being unhoused or unsheltered – is the condition of lacking stable, safe, and adequate housing. People can be categorized as homeless if they are: * living on the streets, also kn ...

, the Arab Fashion Council in partnership with the international

fashion magazine Fashion journalism is a component of fashion media, with a focus on writing and photojournalism. Fashion journalists write about fashion events, trends and have to cultivate and maintain a relationship with stylists and designers. A fashion jour ...

Marie Claire Arabia has launched a charitable project titled Beirut Fashion Relief Initiative to aid and support the Lebanese fashion designers who were affected by the blast.

Countries covered by the Arab Fashion Council

} ') (

Tamazight The Berber languages, also known as the Amazigh languages or Tamazight,, ber, label=Tuareg Tifinagh, ⵜⵎⵣⵗⵜ, ) are a branch of the Afroasiatic language family. They comprise a group of closely related languages spoken by Berber communi ...

: National Language) (

Darija Maghrebi Arabic (, Western Arabic; as opposed to Eastern or Mashriqi Arabic) is a vernacular Arabic dialect continuum spoken in the Maghreb region, in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Western Sahara, and Mauritania. It includes Moroccan, Alge ...

: Vehicular Language) * ( ar, البحرين ') * ( ar, جزر القمر ') ( Comorian and French are the other official languages) * ( ar, جيبوتي ') (French is the other official language) * ( ar, مصر ') * ( ar, العراق ') (

Kurdish Kurdish may refer to: *Kurds or Kurdish people *Kurdish languages *Kurdish alphabets *Kurdistan, the land of the Kurdish people which includes: **Southern Kurdistan **Eastern Kurdistan **Northern Kurdistan **Western Kurdistan See also * Kurd (dis ...

is the other official language (minority)) * ( ar, الأردن ') * ( ar, الكويت ') * ( ar, لبنان ') * ( ar, ليبيا ') ! style="width:33.33%; text-align:left; vertical-align:top; font-weight:normal;", * ( ar, موريتانيا ') * ( ar, المغرب ') (

Berber Berber or Berbers may refer to: Ethnic group * Berbers, an ethnic group native to Northern Africa * Berber languages, a family of Afro-Asiatic languages Places * Berber, Sudan, a town on the Nile People with the surname * Ady Berber (1913–196 ...

is the other official language) * ( ar, عمان ') * ( ar, فلسطين ') * ( ar, قطر ') * ( ar, المملكة العربية السعودية ') * ( ar, الصومال ') ( Somali is the other official language) ! style="width:33.33%; text-align:left; vertical-align:top; font-weight:normal;", * ( ar, السودان ') (English is the other official language (minority)) * ( ar, سوريا ') * ( ar, تونس ') * ( ar, الإمارات العربيّة المتّحدة ') * ( ar, اليمن ')

References

{{reflist Arab League Fashion organizations