Heya Arabian Fashion Exhibition, in its 16th edition, will welcome model Halima Aden as special guest to the opening of the Arabian Fashion Exhibition tomorrow. Aden will be flown in by Qatar Airways to attend the showcasing of the latest Arabian and modest fashion and will participate in a discussion on women’s empowerment in fashion and the arts on the first day of the exhibition.
Aden, a Somali-American model, made history as the first hijab-wearing model to appear in Sports Illustrated magazine’s swimsuit issue donning the modest attire favoured by many women.
Aden, who was born in a Kenyan refugee camp and moved to the US when she was seven years old, first made waves when she wore a hijab and burkini during the swimsuit competition of the Miss Minnesota USA pageant in 2016, becoming the first contestant to do so during the pageant.
She has since been featured on fashion magazine covers across the world, having made the cover of Vogue Arabia twice, challenging the meaning of conventional beauty across the globe. At Heya’s 16th edition, in collaboration with Bianca Bonomi, publisher of Harper’s Bazaar Qatar, Grazia Arabia and Esquire Qatar and a highly respected cultural voice in the Middle East, Aden will participate in the Celebrity Talk: Breaking boundaries, a history of firsts’, where she will share her journey to success and the rise of modest fashion on the international fashion scene.
The talk will take place on the main stage at 5pm on day one. The first day of the exhibition will also include a presentation by Cosmoprof at 5.30pm, followed by a talk with Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar (VCUarts Qatar) chair of Fashion, Christopher Fink, on ‘The International Fashion Scene in Parallelism to the Arabian Vogue’ at 6.35pm, all to be held on the main stage.
Day one will conclude with a fashion show that will include designers such as Tahani al-Otaibi, Apple Wang, Al Marya, Bebe Collection, Sweet Dolce, Lialy Line and Kyra. A series of workshops will be held throughout this edition of Heya by major partners, including the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, VCUArts Qatar, Galeries Lafayette, Bioskinspa, Maison de Joelle and Tajmeel.
Heya Arabian Fashion Exhibition will be held at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre until October 29.
The event is delivered by Design Creationz, with the support of the Qatar National Tourism Council (QNTC), as part of its effort to empower the private sector to attract and host global events.
The 16th edition of the exhibition has collaborated with several key partners and high-profile stakeholders in Qatar, the region and globally, including a partnership with VCUarts Qatar, Qatar Business Incubation Centre and the Bedaya centre.
For more information on the 16th Heya Arabian Fashion Exhibition, one can visit www.heya.qa