More than 230 local, regional and international brands of abayas and modest fashion brands from 14 countries on display at 14th Heya
The Region’s foremost Arabian fashion exhibition creates a valuable platform for Qatari entrepreneurs with the participation of key industry players
Doha, Qatar, 28 October 2018: The 14th edition of Heya Arabian Fashion Exhibition presents visitors with more than 230 fashion brands from Qatar and around the world to explore and shop at. Complementing a wealth of quality Qatari collections, brands from the Middle East, Central America, Europe, Asia and North Africa are also participating at the show, including; neighboring Kuwait and Oman as well as India, Turkey, Sri-Lanka, Italy, Morocco, Hong Kong, Lebanon, China, Spain, Belgium, and the US.
Representing a 65% increase in local designers from the previous Autumn/Winter 2017 edition, this highly-anticipated event saw new and returning brands from around the world, including Antonia Serena, Bouret, Lucia de Miguel and Inunez from Spain; Alter Era from Belgium; Luna Italia from Italy; Bocan from Turkey; Tosca New York from the US; as well as 3batch by Fatma Alahmed, Almotahajiba and QLabel from Qatar; Dar Alamria from Kuwait; Aikeya from India and Lala Moda from Morocco,.
This edition, Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar (VCUQ) and Qatar Business Incubation Center (QBIC) also continue their partnership with Heya to provide valuable insights for visitors in everything from fashion marketing to finance, and how to get a fashion business off the ground via daily workshops, forums and talks. New partnerships have been forged as well with Discover America Week, Tajmeel (Qatar International Beauty Academy), and Istituto di Moda Burgo Qatar (Fashion and Arts Academy), participating for the first time.
Responsible for delivering Heya, Design Creationz’s spokesperson Esraa Abel said: “This year, we have strengthened the number of Qatari designers participating at Heya, with a 65% increase since the previous Autumn/Winter 2017 edition. It is fantastic to see the quality of home-grown design talent, showcasing local expertise, entrepreneurship and vision. Knowledge-sharing and networking partnerships with VCUQ and QBIC have added significant value for exhibitors and visitors, and it is great to see Heya evolving from a modest fashion shopping destination to a platform where designers can also learn from and engage with industry experts and their peers.”
“As Heya continues to evolve and grow, we have also seen a great response from the international community. New partnerships have allowed us to create valuable knowledge-sharing workshops and forums for lively debates on pressing trends and issues across the global fashion industry”, concluded Esraa.
Adding depth to this year’s programme, partnerships forged with the Belgian and US Embassies presented catwalk shows and hosted forums and workshops to help nurture and develop local design talent.
Guests also participated in ‘Breaking Boundaries: Simply Women’, an insightful forum led by Asma Al-Thani who recently made history by becoming the first Qatari to ski to the North Pole as well as Nada Zeidan, first GCC female rally driver.
On the third day of Heya, a series of workshops took place designed to support aspiring entrepreneurs including a workshop by Qatar Red Crescent on ‘How to Make a Difference’, a workshop on Fashion Styling by Istituto Di Moda Burgo for entrepreneurs and designers, and a workshop by Tajmeel that discussed Hair Styling. With a mandate to empower entrepreneurs to start and grow companies by incubating, developing, investing and connecting, Qatar Business Incubation Center QBIC presented a dedicated forum highlighting successful business stories.
Aysha Al-Romaihi, Business Development Manager at Qatar Business Incubation Center, said: “It’s been such a pleasure to be a part of this incredibly dynamic event, and to take part in shaping such promising and talented women. The ideas and creations I’ve seen over the past couple of days could be the thriving businesses of tomorrow. All these women have such passion and talent, all they need is the right mentorship and support, and we’re thrilled to be here and be able to help provide that guidance.”
A series of fashion shows also took place including Cloche Couture, Bride Atelier, Al Bacarrat, and Sharifa Style.
On Monday, 29th October, Day 4 of the exhibition, a series of workshops will take place with a wealth of knowledge to share with visitors and Qatari entrepreneurs with a workshop at 5:00pm by Istituto di Moda Burgo on ‘Exploring Visual Merchandising’, at 5:30pm, a workshop by Tajmeel on the ‘Beauty of the Eye’, and at 6:00pm a workshop by Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar (VCUQ) to discuss designing a fashion brand identity as well as a forum at 6:40pm on ‘The Trending Effects of Social Media’ with Dr. Syeda Ali, Zahra Rosea, Gigi Jean-Marie Van Loggerenberg, and Zunira Malik.
Held under the patronage of Her Excellency, Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Heya invites all women and girls over the age of 13 to attend Heya at Doha Exhibition and Convention Center (DECC) from today until Tuesday (30 October).
For more information on the 14th Heya Arabian Fashion Exhibition please visit www.heya.qa. Visitors can also download the Heya mobile app, enabling visitors to stay up-to-date with events and easily navigate brands and goods on offer
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