A Celebration Of Culture
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“It was one of those moments where everything just clicked,” said Sole DXB co-founder Raj Malhotra, speaking of the experience when the team in charge of Sole DXB realized the potential for their event to act as a catalyst and driver of culture for Dubai’s Design District (d3). “We’ve known for a long time the regional significance of d3 – and its vast potential – but when we sat down to discuss the outline for moving Sole DXB to d3 with their partnership team, we noticed immediately that we were talking the same language. We want the same things. To build a cultural legacy in the region. To empower youth and creativity. And when we moved here two years ago, I believe that is what we truly started to do.”
d3 and Sole DXB now lay claim to the most hotly anticipated and renowned urban lifestyle festival the region has to offer, the go-to date in the annual events calendar. Building on the ongoing success and popularity of the Middle East’s street style summit, both Sole DXB and d3 are now excited to bring another showcase event to Dubai this November. Famous for combining an eclectic mix of established and emerging artists, designers, musicians and brands, Sole DXB and d3 together pioneer what makes Dubai unique; a melting pot of culture, regional and otherwise, bridging East and West. Together Sole DXB and d3 have fostered a reputation for nurturing the cutting edge in style and innovation – setting a bar of success excited fans eagerly expect to be met this November.
Taking street style to a wider audience is the core motive for the Sole DXB and d3 collaboration, providing a platform for designers and brands to evolve and thrive. Inspiring collaboration in other design partners is also a key aim and the festival has seen many other brand alliances come together such as Pepsi and internationally acclaimed artist, Hassan Hajjaj. Cadillac x Lisa Leone
As Mohammad Saeed Al Shehhi, COO of Dubai Design District commented: “Sole DXB is a true celebration of urban culture showing the richness of the design scene here in Dubai, and also providing a platform for internationally renowned urban designers and performers to inspire each other. Since Sole DXB’s inception, both the event and the Dubai design scene have grown substantially. As it enters its fifth year, d3 is delighted to collaborate on what will be another incredible event. Sole DXB has become established as a highly popular urban festival, with the setting of d3 helping to reinforce the importance of promoting innovation in urban design and culture to a wider audience in the Middle East. It is very exciting to bring together an eclectic mix of established artists in this way, reinforcing d3’s purpose as a truly unique creative community.”
Dubai is a world-leading retail destination but for many, its urban culture and design scene remains relatively undiscovered. Urban and street culture has gained huge popularity across the globe, growing from roots in the hip-hop movement into one of the fastest growing lifestyle industries that touches every aspect of design. Sole DXB helps to bridge the gap between haute couture and street fashion on a broad and accessible scale. The backdrop of d3, Dubai’s premier platform for the creative industries, enables some of the urban community’s brightest stars to have a chance to be seen and appreciated alongside the world’s leading brands and labels.
The key to enabling the rapid growth of the region’s design industry is assisting the evolution of raw creativity and assimilating talent into the mainstream community, in front of an audience who may not be aware of its existence. It is this transition from design concept, to street to commercial success that the Sole DXB and d3 collaboration aims to inspire in urban brands, designers and performers alike.
