DUBAI — Despite the desert heat, Dubai’s fashion set pulled out their trenchcoats for an evening with Burberry chief creative and chief executive officer Christopher Bailey, who landed in the emirate Tuesday for a two-day visit.
Bailey hosted a party in the brand’s flagship at the Mall of the Emirates to celebrate the “Art of the Trench,” Middle East edition. The campaign, which has been shot around the world, features creative types and influencers from the region wearing the brand’s iconic trench coat.
“It’s really inspiring to be here because Dubai is just so international,” Bailey told WWD. “What’s wonderful about ‘Art of the Trench’ is that you feel the cultural nuance around the world, and here in Dubai you really feel like it resonates very strongly. All the different personalities of Burberry are represented here. It’s really captivating to see everyone from gallery owners to comedians to architects that make up this amazing place.”
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Among the more than 400 guests were model Suki Waterhouse; model and philanthropist Elisa Sednaoui; Kuwaiti fashion influencer Ascia AKF; Dubai Design and Fashion Council chief executive Nez Gebreel; art dealer Sunny Rahbar; entrepreneur Rosemin Manji; architect Tarik Zaharna and film curator Butheina Kazim.
“This is my first time throwing a big event like this here,” said a cheerful Bailey as he posed for photos.
The designer also brought along a team of artisans from Yorkshire, where Burberry coats are made, for craftsmanship demonstrations and personalization services.
Bailey said he plans to come back more often to Dubai, a critical market for the brand. “There is so much happening in Dubai,” he said. “I was here a couple times before and saw the Dubai Design District when it was basically just rubble, and now it’s all these buildings. I can’t wait to see it develop more.”
Bailey isn’t one to leave out his digital audience from his travels, so he gave the brand’s Snapchat followers access to its Art of the Trench shoot in Dubai by sharing content captured in real time. The “Art of the Trench” site has logged over 25 million page views from users in over 221 countries since launching in 2009.
Burberry has previously shot Art of the Trench in Brazil, Chicago, Chengdu, Hong Kong, Istanbul, Kiev, London, Los Angeles, Mumbai, Paris, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Seoul, Shanghai and Taipei.