Indian fashion in Dubai is more than just bling

Last Friday, while waiting to enter the Manish Malhotra show scheduled to close Dubai Fashion Week, I chatted with some of the guests who had made their way to watch the Indian designer take a global platform. London- and Dubai-based couple Raj and Deepak were both dressed in Malhotra’s eveningwear—Raj a strapless, mirror-encrusted gown and Deepak a sequin-embroidered navy-blue suit. They described themselves as “dedicated” clients of the brand who first bought his clothes for their wedding seven years ago and continued to wear the label after he opened a boutique in Dubai in 2023. “For the main function I wore Sabyasachi,” says Raj, whose caramel-highlighted hair is slicked back to the nape of her neck, “but for the reception it was Manish.” Deepak adds, “His stuff is great for parties, for special occasions.” When I ask them how they discovered Indian designers, the answer came quickly. “Bollywood! I love the films,” said Raj.

Luckily, Malhotra’s show was a typically MM celebration with plenty of Bollywood—actor Kriti Sanon walked the ramp to remixed versions of classic songs like ‘Mangta Hai Kya’ from Rangeela, the iconic 1993 film that Malhotra created the costumes for, and ‘Chura Liya Hai Tumne Jo Dil Ko’. There were models flown in from India and the front row included guests in saris, even a few mirror-work-encrusted lehengas. But looking at the final line-up of clothes, you were quickly reminded that we were in Dubai, not India.

This was thanks to a distinctly Gulf-inspired aesthetic that Malhotra and his team doubled down on for his second solo show in the region. Models walked out wearing abayas covered in chikankari, sequinned gowns layered with capelets, slouchy suit jackets that came with a loose hood to mimic the fall of a head covering, and even a duo of white wedding gowns. “It’s very important to adapt to different cultures,” said Malhotra backstage after the show. “It’s so interesting. The embroidery is from different regions across India. We’ve introduced our new business vertical of bags, for which the moulds are from Florence and the leather is from Tuscany; everything is assembled in Mumbai and Delhi. This is how the world of fashion is coming together.”

Designer Krésha Bajaj also stayed away from Indian wear for her show on day five of Dubai Fashion Week. Titled ‘Tempered’, the 30-piece collection was a sort of throwback to Bajaj’s early years in fashion when she was dressing young party girls in gothic minidresses, corsets, and beaded capes before she built her brand’s current focus on couture-level bridalwear. So, rather than bringing her signature lehengas to Dubai, she showcased pinstripe suits with wide shoulders, draped trousers, fringed trench coats, slouchy jackets, and metal-toned beaded evening gowns with attached head coverings.

“This collection is a lot of my personal style,” said Bajaj backstage. “I wanted to explore hard versus soft, structure with movement, metal against skin, and leather alongside handmade lace. Nothing is decorative for the sake of it; every element reflects something shaped by time, craftsmanship, and the months of work that go into each piece.”

Back outside the Manish Malhotra show, I met friends Sadaf J Khan and Zainab Malik, both in black columnar sheath dresses, who were waiting to get to their seats. The two are part-time content creators and fans of the label who live between the UK and Dubai. Khan was more familiar with Indian brands, citing names like Tarun Tahiliani and Sabyasachi as ones on her radar, while Malik said she was there “to see what’s trending, what’s new, which way the year is going in fashion, and what people will be wearing”. For the pair, a Manish Malhotra show is about more than just bling or Bollywood; it’s also about tapping into the newest silhouettes and getting a first-hand look at the colour palette or mood of the season.

Jacob Abrian, CEO of the Arab Fashion Council and Dubai Fashion Week, was clear about the curation of the designers on the schedule: “We wanted brands that are Indian but also definitely very global in their outlook, because that’s what Dubai is all about.” Abrian is of Lebanese and Italian heritage but started the Arab Fashion Council in 2015 to, “build an institution that could nurture regional talent, create structure within the industry, and position Arab designers alongside the world’s leading fashion capitals.“ For Abrian, Dubai’s strength lies in its openness, “It is a city without rigid creative boundaries, here tradition and modernity coexist seamlessly. Designers here are not confined by a single aesthetic; instead, they are encouraged to experiment, innovate, and think globally." Which is where Indian designers with their focus on, “handwork, embellishment, luxury, and occasion dressing, while also embracing modern silhouettes and global sensibilities,“ come into the picture. 

Even away from Dubai Fashion Week, it’s become increasingly clear that customers are seeking out Indian designers for more than the typical heavily embellished eveningwear that one has come to associate with fashion in Dubai. At the city’s tony Alserkal Avenue, brands like Nappa Dori and Jaipur Rugs already have standalone stores alongside Subko Coffee. Multi-designer boutiques like The Edit, which is helmed by lawyer Rumana Nazim, retail Bodice alongside jewellery brands like Outhouse, Misho, and Valliyan. Shuffling Suitcases, another multi-designer outlet specialising in Indian brands, like péro, Khara Kapas, and Yam, opened its first standalone in January this year in the bungalow-lined Al Wasl neighbourhood.

As Dubai establishes itself as an increasingly cosmopolitan city (local Emiratis make up about 11 per cent of the population, while the rest are expatriates largely from India, Pakistan, the Philippines and more), its residents’ fashion needs have evolved too. Just as they seek out Japanese ramen, French butter, or Chinese chilli oil from the grocery story, they’re seeking fashion that’s equally diverse. It’s no longer enough to just have the latest logo-covered bag from a European brand. As content creator Malik said outside the show, “We’ve got so many expats here, and just like there are people from all over the world, there should be fashion from all over the world too.”