Fashion expo to celebrate Qatari designers

Some 90 Qatari brands out of the more than 150 international brands willtake part in the 12th Heya Arabian Fashion Exhibition from November 3-7at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre. The number of Qatariexhibitors represents a 25% increase in local designers this yearcompared to the previous edition of Heya.The event, held under the patronage of HE Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamadbin Khalifa al-Thani, will showcase a wide range of abayas and modestfashion brands from emerging and established designers from 12countries. These include Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, India, Turkey, Lebanon,Indonesia, Morocco, Hong Kong, Spain, Germany and Italy, organisers haveannounced.Speaking at a press conference yesterday, QTA’s festivals and tourismevents director Mashal Shahbik said they are fully supporting Heya aspart of their strategy to bolster and grow the business events sector inthe country.“We have worked closely with our partners at Design Creationz to ensurethis edition of Heya provides a solid platform for local emerging andestablished businesses, designers, and institutions to enrich and offerwell-rounded experience to our visitors,” she noted.She cited HE Sheikha Mayassa’s “generous support’ to this exhibition,which demonstrates her keenness to shed light on Qatari culture andtraditional design at its best.Heya, Qatar’s biggest platform for contemporary Arabian fashioncreations launched in 2007, will hold a Qatar National Day catwalk showhosted by local designers.In collaboration Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar (VCUQatar)and Qatar Business Incubation Centre (QBIC) led by CEO Aysha al-Mudahka,the event will also hold numerous fashion shows, workshops and paneldiscussions with experts who will be talking about various topics suchas fashion marketing and finance, and how to start a fashion business,among others.French-Algerian model, actress and filmmaker Farida Khelfa will speakabout empowering women to achieve in fashion, the arts and other fieldswhile two German designers will host a fashion show of their collectionbefore holding a discussion, which forms part of the Qatar Germany Yearof Culture.Two Italian designers will also showcase their collections as part of a new partnership with the Italian embassy in Doha.The exhibition will also offer shoppers and visitors unique collectionsfrom high-street apparel, couture and luxury, to the latest modestfashion evening gowns, leather accessories, and for the first-time,perfumery and make-up.