Qatar - UK 2013 Fashion Exchange

London and Doha

December 2013

As part of the Qatar-Uk 2013 Year of Culture, Fashion Exchange was established as an innovative new platform to promote the work of contemporary fashion designers in both Qatar and the UK.

Developed by Farheen Allsopp and Sheikha Raya Al-Khalifa with the British Council, the Fashion Exchange programme organised a series of shows in the UK and Qatar with the aim of establishing new opportunities and collaborations between the two markets.

Cultural Exchange Programs

The first Fashion Exchange show took place in September 2013 in the stunning setting of the Raphael Gallery at the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in London. The show paired Abayas and Jalabiyas by emerging female designers from Qatar’s Roudha Centre, Elham Al Ansari, Fathiya Al Jaber and Hessa Al Mannai with headdresses by iconic British milliner Philip Treacy.

The Abaya was celebrated as a garment of style, modesty and expression much like the Kimono and Sari have been with Japanese and Indian cultures.

A second fashion show was held in December 2013 at Mathaf, Arab Museum of Modern Art in Doha, highlighting designs by celebrated UK designers alongside their Qatari counterparts.

'An Enchanted Evening’ was a first of its kind fashion show featuring designs by L'Wren Scott (couture womenswear), Stephen Jones OBE (milliner), Nicholas Kirkwood (footwear), Emilia Wickstead (women's ready to wear), and Robinson Pelham (jewellery) as well as new work by Elham Al Ansari, Fathiya Al Jaber and Hessa Al Mannai (inspired by their time spent in London).

Designers L'Wren Scott and Stephen Jones also gave talks and shared their expert advice with Virginia Commonwealth students and Roudha Centre entrepreneurs.