M7, Qatar’s epicenter for innovation and entrepreneurship in fashion, design, and technology, will propel 21 local Qatar-based brands and designers onto a global stage at the upcoming QFU by CR Runway fashion show, taking place on December 16 at Ras Abu Aboud 974 Stadium.
Aligning with M7’s mission to connect creative local designers with the wider creative economy eco-system, and to provide platforms for them to scale their designs internationally, this opportunity gives both established and emerging local talents a stage to showcase their artistic flair in front of a huge global audience.
Director of M7, Maha Ghanim Al Sulaiti said: “Qatar Fashion United by CR Runway is a global celebration of fashion, sport and music that bring communities together across cultures. The multicultural showcase will feature over 150 designers, out of which 21 designers will represent Qatar. It will coincide with the FIFA World Cup as part of the Qatar Creates offerings. The fashion industry in Qatar has seen rapid growth and we hope that this fashion show will put Qatar’s talent on the map amongst regional and international players in the industry. M7 is proud to be the vehicle that champions creative talents in Qatar.”
The selected brands will share the stage with some of the most acclaimed and iconic names in fashion. The Qatar-based talents include two well-renowned brands: Aliya Al Obaidly Official and Harlienz, that have partnered up to curate a symbolic and unique special performance, showcasing their luxurious couture pieces. The collaboration will be accompanied by a musical piece composed by Hala Al Emadi and vocals by Qatari singer Dana. The show will also include performances from globally renowned artists including Post Malone, Zakes, DJ Snake, Ozuna, Khaled, Nancy Ajram and Kadim.
Held under the auspices of Qatar Creates — the movement that curates, promotes, and celebrates the diversity of the country’s cultural activities — this extraordinary fashion show and cultural gathering will put a global spotlight on the connections between fashion, sport and music that bind people and communities together across cultures.
The brands being spotlighted on the runway include:

Trzi Official accessorised by Hairaat Jewellery
Founded in 2010 as a brand inspired by women, art, lifestyle, and culture. TRZI’s attire blurs the line between a cultural garment and the global fashion world one stitch at a time.

Lorenaa Michelle
Lorenaa Michelle was established in 2019 and incorporates Middle Eastern and urban Latin styles. The brand showcases culture, legacy and sustainability. The designer’s multicultural upbringing serves as an inspiration for the brand.

Naila Al Thani
Emerging designer Naila Al-Thani’s namesake brand draws its inspiration from nature - how it grows, regenerates and transforms. The look being showcased at QFU by CR Runway is made with material grown from mycelium, combined with upcycled textile waste collected from local bisht tailors in Qatar.

Aldukan
A Qatari brand founded in 2008, Aldukan uses traditional designs and embroidery combined with modern fashion trends to create unique abayas. Their abayas represent the ever-evolving taste of women in the Gulf. Rich colours, embroidery, and various textures tell the story of an Arab woman’s love for fashion, but also a story of her culture.

Wit Noiz accessorized by Ghada Albuainain Official
Wit Noiz is a contemporary brand created by AlDana Khalid Al Mesnad. The brand reinterprets stylistic fashion layering into simplified yet meaningful silhouettes that directly respond to our changing times. The brand shuns bulk production standards and work with 100% sustainable fabric while creating functional pieces.

Maryam Al Darwish
The brand is known for its modern yet modest aesthetic. Designer Maryam Al Darwish’s taste in chic, asymmetrical, and bohemian embroidered style has given her a unique fingerprint amongst other designers.

Mhefhef accessorized by Kaltham’s Pavilion
Curated pieces that are all-natural, sustainable and timeless. Mhefhef collaborates with artisans from various parts of the world, allowing fabrics to be canvases for textile art. The signature Upcycled Abayas are handmade entirely from fabric waste that would have otherwise been in a landfill.

By Tamader Alsultan accessorized by Ghada Albuainain Official
A fashion label with experimental Ready-to-Wear lines that seek to push the limits of local Qatari fashion.

Drizzle accessorized by Hairaat Jewellery
The brand is focused on elegant, timeless, and minimalist pieces. A piece from Drizzle will fit all times and ages, always elegant and classy.

Muna Saad Official
Muna Saad is a luxury demi-couture line. Gender, cultural and racial equality is a key part of the brand and is expressed through the designers. Muna Saad emphasis duality and uses innovative techniques and fabrics in creating her pieces.

WADHA
Wadha Al Hajri launched her women’s pret-a-porter label, WADHA, in 2010. For QFU by CR Runway, WADHA will bring textures and lines together in a marriage of pure architectural beauty that does not overpower the wearer but lets the independence and strength of the woman come through. The brand focuses on custom-made fabrics - silks, faille, gazar - and a reduced palette of neutrals.

Yasmin Mansour
Yasmin Mansour is one of the first luxury and sustainable fashion labels in Qatar. Launched in 2014, the namesake brand aims to create unique, one-of-a-kind pieces inspired by art and architecture. The brand was selected as one of the FTA Prize 2022 finalists in the Evening Wear category.

1309
Founded by Qatari designer Ghada Al Subaey, 1309 is a concept to revolutionize the way fashion in Qatar is perceived. Beyond creating collections with a bold, contemporary aesthetic, 1309 boasts strong sustainability credentials.

WAAD Designs
WAAD Design is a Qatari abaya brand launched in 2010 with a passion for creating unique, ready to wear attire, dressing modern women with all shapes, sizes, ages, and backgrounds in easy-to-wear yet luxurious pieces that project elegance.

Tiiya
Founded in 2015, TIIYA debuted in Arab Fashion Week, as part of the international fashion calendar, however, the first label that evolved into TIIYA was founded in 2006. It prides itself on being the first Qatari haute couture brand The labor of love derives from the mother-daughter duo with a shared passion for ethnography and anthropology – the study of cultural attire, motifs, and references that can be found in archival imagery and from nature.

Taking place at Ras Abu Aboud 974 Stadium, QFU by CR Runway marks the beginning of a new era in fashion, an embracement of tradition and heritage in a contemporary context. It will celebrate some of the country’s most acclaimed fashion designers and highlight tomorrow’s locally-based design talents whose specialties in contemporary wear and accessories are reinventing the fashion and design scene in Qatar – and around the globe.
Qatar Fashion United by CR Runway was conceived by Her Excellency Sheikha Mayassa Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, curated by the French editor and visionary stylist Carine Roitfeld, and directed by CR Runway CEO Vladimir Roitfeld. This will be the third edition of CR Runway, following CR Runway x LuisaViaRoma in Florence in 2019 and the CR Runway x AmfAR virtual show to raise awareness about COVID-19 in 2020.

For information on purchasing tickets for Qatar Fashion United by CR Runway or the Qatar Creates One Pass, please visit www.qacreates.com. For viewings of the fashion show, audiences should visit www.qacreates.com and www.crfashionbook.com.