ZAY – The Art of UAE Dress
Contributing to the growth of the cultural fabric of the UAE
"We believe that it is essential to preserve and accurately portray the intangible cultural heritage of the UAE and as such, we are elated to partner with The Zay Initiative who aim to empower and sustain global cross-cultural dialogue to inspire creative minds. Through this competition, we at Hotel Indigo Dubai Downtown, along with The Zay Initiative, aim to shed light on the traditional clothing of the Emirati woman, whilst giving a platform for emerging designers to showcase their creative flair. This exciting competition aims to reach audiences across the globe, allowing people to explore and discover the allure of UAE culture and give participants an opportunity to be a part of the historical journey as the UAE celebrates its 50th anniversary.”
Laura Eggleton
A notable jury
The notable jury included Feryal Al Bastaki, Founder and Designer of Feryal Al Bastaki Fashion, Dr Reem Tariq El Mutwalli, Founder (CEO) of the The Zay Initiative, Patricia Millns, Fellow of Royal Society of Arts (FRSA), Artist Advisor, and Astrid Lesuisse, Art Manager at Hotel Indigo Dubai Downtown and project curator.
Celebratingthe 50th anniversary of the UAE - November, 28, 2021 - Hotel Indigo, Dubai
.Heritage
This partnership with The Zay Initiative was about launching an international design competition to celebrate the UAE’s cultural heritage. The global competition gave designers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to design a traditional Emirati dress with a modern twist and have their winning designs be part of The Zay Initiative’s stunning permanent collection of Arab historical attire. The Zay Initiative, founded in 2019, is a UK registered non-for-profit operation, that celebrates the preservation of Arab heritage through the collection, documentation, conservation, and exhibition of traditional costume and dress, jewellery, ornaments and modes of bodily adornment.
The ‘ZAY – THE ART OF UAE DRESS’ has received numerous entries, all showing a very high level of creativity, singularity, and complex details.
Hotel guests and visitors could be a part of the historical journey as the UAE celebrates its Golden Jubilee this year, by visiting the exhibition and voting for their favourite dress. Each vote was automatically enter a raffle with a chance to win an incredible staycation at Hotel Indigo Dubai Downtown.
The crowned winner and public’s choice will be revealed in a special invite-only event held on Sunday, 28th November 2021.
After receiving a high level of entries, all showing competitive approaches, the jury has shortlisted five finalists. These received the incredible opportunity to bring their winning designs to life and display their works at an exclusive fashion exhibition at Hotel Indigo Dubai Downtown from 2nd November until 15th December 2021.
Each winning design became part of The Zay Initiative’s permanent collection of Arab attire, where they collect, document, conserve and exhibit traditional Emirati historical attire and their stories for global viewing.
This exclusive exhibition showcased the work of competition winners: Pavwan Malik, Pakistani fashion design student at DiDi, Hala Louna Bunni, Lebanese-Iraqi artist, Shaikha Alghaithi, Emirati Fashion Designer, Sauda Akhlad, Indian fashion design student at the American University in the Emirates, and Marwa BenSlil, Libyan fashion design student at the American University in the Emirates.
