Mall of the Emirates unveils the Fashion District
- First time stand-alone boutique brands to Dubai include: McQ, Halston Heritage, Alice & Olivia, Maje, Elie Tahari, Sandro and C Wonder
- AED 100 million investment to significantly enhance Mall of the Emirates’ luxury fashion offer with a refreshed collection of contemporary brands
- Reveals phase one of Evolution 2015, Mall of the Emirates’ multi-stage redevelopment worth AED 1 billion
Dubai, UAE – Contemporary fashion has a new address and it’s at Mall of the Emirates’ Fashion District, which was officially unveiled today by Majid Al Futtaim. Presenting a dynamic collection of modern brands, with influences from fashion’s most enviable cities, Mall of the Emirates has introduced a number of first-time stand-alone boutiques into the UAE including the debut of iconic American luxury label Halston Heritage, the edgy McQ by Alexander McQueen, and Parisian-chic with Sandro. More than 30 contemporary stores define this 5,000sqm fashion destination, unveiling a refreshed mix of debut and existing brands to create a stylish new landmark for the city.
“The Fashion District is a significant milestone in Mall of the Emirates’ Evolution 2015 redevelopment, providing a tangible preview of the mall’s wider ambitions to introduce innovative fashion and lifestyle concepts,” said Dimitri Vazelakis, Executive Managing Director – Shopping Malls for Majid Al Futtaim – Properties. “The redevelopment is Mall of the Emirates’ most aspirational project to-date, with an investment of AED 1 billion to transform our flagship shopping centre to new and compelling standards of design and shopping excellence.”
Mall of the Emirates’ Fashion District offers a fusion of international fashion, with influences from America, Europe including the UK, Japan and the UAE. Halston Heritage, an evolution of the iconic American luxury brand Halston, makes its UAE debut with its timeless collection of ready-to-wear fashion. Other firsts are Elie Tahari, Alice & Olivia and C Wonder. A newly relocated Marc by Marc Jacobs brings the urban flair of New York City, while established west coast brand St. John’s will also find a new home in the fashion district.
“Mall of the Emirates has further diversified its luxury fashion offer with a complementary precinct solely dedicated to modern, contemporary fashion,” said Fuad Mansoor Sharaf, Senior Director – Property Management, Shopping Malls for Majid Al Futtaim – Properties. “With one quarter of the Fashion District dedicated to first-time brands, Mall of the Emirates is underscoring its leadership in the region’s fashion industry, with the influence to attract unique brands from across the world.”
Unique French brands Maje and Sandro will be introducing effortless, yet elegant Parisian style to shoppers, and will be joined by Azzaro, BCBG, Paule Ka and luxury leather goods connoisseur, Longchamps. Contemporary German brand Betty Barclay will also be repositioned amongst its modern women’s wear counterparts. British luxury makes its mark with overstated elegance as the UAE’s first-ever McQ boutique makes a debut, derived from the House of Alexander McQueen. Adding to the string of UK-bred fashion brands are Karen Millen, Ted Baker, Hackett and luxury bath and beauty store Molton Brown.
Finally, from the far east the fashion district will also feature Japanese powerhouse Kenzo unveiling its distinctive collection of ‘east meets west’ collections joined by Malaysian footwear brand Opera; Valencia, showcasing a range of Spanish footwear and accessories, Lori Blu and Fabi, connoisseurs of Italian luxury footwear and Italian accessories brand, Braccialini. Representing the UAE, exquisite designs can be found in Cocoon.
Mall of the Emirates’ multi-stage redevelopment is worth an estimated AED 1 billion. The project, which will reveal a series of exciting new shopping, dining and entertainment concepts, is the largest of its kind undertaken by Mall of the Emirates to-date and will set a new benchmark of design and shopping excellence for the retail landscape. By 2015, 25% of the mall’s retail mix will be completely new for shoppers, including the debut brands now open at the fashion district.
For more information, please visit Facebook.com/MalloftheEmirates.
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About Mall of the Emirates
Mall of the Emirates, the world’s first shopping resort, is located in Dubai at interchange four on Sheikh Zayed Road. The multi-level shopping centre currently features more than 560 international brands with a total gross leasable area (GLA) of 233,467 sqm including department stores, fashion, lifestyle, sports, electronics and home furnishing outlets and the largest Carrefour in the city. The compelling family leisure offer includes a Magic Planet family entertainment area, a multi-screen VOX Cinemas, the world-renowned Ski Dubai – the Middle East’s first indoor ski resort and snow park, the 500-seat capacity Dubai Community Theatre and Arts Centre (DUCTAC) and more than 90 international dining and café options. Mall of the Emirates features an unmatched luxury offer housing more than 80 of the world’s most renowned designer brands in Fashion Dome and Via Rodeo. For the convenience of guests, the mall has two adjoining hotels: the 5-star Kempinski Mall of the Emirates and the 5-star Sheraton Dubai Mall of the Emirates Hotel
About Majid Al Futtaim
Founded in 1992, Majid Al Futtaim is the leading shopping mall, retail and leisure pioneer across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).
A remarkable business success story, Majid Al Futtaim started from one man’s vision to transform the face of shopping, entertainment and leisure, and to create great moments for everyone, every day. It has since grown into one of the United Arab Emirates’ most respected and successful businesses spanning 12 international markets, employing over 26,000 people, and achieving the highest credit rating (BBB) among privately-held corporates in the Middle East.
Majid Al Futtaim owns and operates 16 shopping malls, 11 hotels and three mixed-use communities in MENA, with further developments underway in the region. This includes Mall of the Emirates, City Centre malls, and also 4 community malls which are in joint venture with the Government of Sharjah. It holds exclusive rights to the Carrefour franchise in 19 markets across MENA and Central Asia, operating a portfolio of over 50 hypermarkets and over 50 supermarkets in 12 countries.
Majid Al Futtaim operates 92 VOX Cinemas screens and 17 Magic Planets across the region in addition to iconic leisure and entertainment facilities such as Ski Dubai and iFly Dubai among others. Majid Al Futtaim is parent to the consumer finance company issuing ‘Najm’ credit cards, a fashion retail business and a healthcare business. In addition, it also has a joint venture operation with Dalkia and has recently expanded into food & beverage in partnership with Gourmet Gulf.