Simon Lock founded Mercedes Australian Fashion Week and has developed major style events throughout his career. The chairman and chief executive of The Lock Group, a marketing communications and events company, is also creative director for Dubai Fashion Week. He discusses his first show in the Emirates, which was held in October, as well as his vision for the future.
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What benefits are there to the fashion industry by expanding Dubai Fashion Week?
If we can attract more buyers to the event from Dubai, the Middle East and internationally, it can be an important part of the industry's supply chain. In essence, a fashion week is a very glamorous trade show. The outcome is more orders, and that means more business growth and employing more people.
How do you draw in more buyers?
One of the strategies is positioning the show in the Middle East. It'll be based on the strength of Emirati designers; to that we'll be adding the best ready-to-wear designers around the region. We'll be working with designers in Beirut, Doha, Yemen, Saudi.
Is Dubai Fashion Week in October the first time you will pitch to the region beyond the Emirates?
Pretty much. It really wasn't promoted as an integral part of the international circuit. In the past it's been in the hands of people who have been event producers and who have not really understood the structure of the fashion industry and how it operates. Hopefully, myself and my team can give more focus.
Why are you looking beyond Dubai and the UAE?
We're using the base of our designers from Dubai and UAE, and that's always going to reflect a good percentage of the event - probably 50 per cent, if not more. I think to have a fashion week that is going to be successful it needs to have not just quality but also quantity. From a buyer's perspective, to spend five days at a trade show, they need to see 50 to 70 killer collections. To put that in perspective, in New York's fashion week, there are about 200 collections shown, 250 in Sydney and 350 in Paris. So you need to have a momentum of numbers to make the event valuable for a buyer to attend.
How many collections are you aiming for at the next show?
Upwards of 70 or so in total.
How has the show's corporate sponsorship programme performed in the past?
I'd say it was unsuccessful. The event had a reputation of not being able to deliver a quality product, nor was it getting substantial media coverage. Obviously, there is a raft of international brands that like to associate themselves with international fashion weeks: MasterCard, Samsung, Audi, Nokia. In the past, sponsors have sat on the sideline … but we've been able to show them we have turned the event around. We generated about Dh20 million [US$5.4m] worth of media coverage on the event, and sponsors see that as valuable.
* Neil Parmar
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Dubai College A 50-12 Dubai College B
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A new relationship with the old country
Treaty of Friendship between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates
The United kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates; Considering that the United Arab Emirates has assumed full responsibility as a sovereign and independent State; Determined that the long-standing and traditional relations of close friendship and cooperation between their peoples shall continue; Desiring to give expression to this intention in the form of a Treaty Friendship; Have agreed as follows:
ARTICLE 1 The relations between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates shall be governed by a spirit of close friendship. In recognition of this, the Contracting Parties, conscious of their common interest in the peace and stability of the region, shall: (a) consult together on matters of mutual concern in time of need; (b) settle all their disputes by peaceful means in conformity with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations.
ARTICLE 2 The Contracting Parties shall encourage education, scientific and cultural cooperation between the two States in accordance with arrangements to be agreed. Such arrangements shall cover among other things: (a) the promotion of mutual understanding of their respective cultures, civilisations and languages, the promotion of contacts among professional bodies, universities and cultural institutions; (c) the encouragement of technical, scientific and cultural exchanges.
ARTICLE 3 The Contracting Parties shall maintain the close relationship already existing between them in the field of trade and commerce. Representatives of the Contracting Parties shall meet from time to time to consider means by which such relations can be further developed and strengthened, including the possibility of concluding treaties or agreements on matters of mutual concern.
ARTICLE 4 This Treaty shall enter into force on today’s date and shall remain in force for a period of ten years. Unless twelve months before the expiry of the said period of ten years either Contracting Party shall have given notice to the other of its intention to terminate the Treaty, this Treaty shall remain in force thereafter until the expiry of twelve months from the date on which notice of such intention is given.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned have signed this Treaty.
DONE in duplicate at Dubai the second day of December 1971AD, corresponding to the fifteenth day of Shawwal 1391H, in the English and Arabic languages, both texts being equally authoritative.
Signed
Geoffrey Arthur Sheikh Zayed
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Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
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Fight card
Preliminaries:
Nouredine Samir (UAE) v Sheroz Kholmirzav (UZB); Lucas Porst (SWE) v Ellis Barboza (GBR); Mouhmad Amine Alharar (MAR) v Mohammed Mardi (UAE); Ibrahim Bilal (UAE) v Spyro Besiri (GRE); Aslamjan Ortikov (UZB) v Joshua Ridgwell (GBR)
Main card:
Carlos Prates (BRA) v Dmitry Valent (BLR); Bobirjon Tagiev (UZB) v Valentin Thibaut (FRA); Arthur Meyer (FRA) v Hicham Moujtahid (BEL); Ines Es Salehy (BEL) v Myriame Djedidi (FRA); Craig Coakley (IRE) v Deniz Demirkapu (TUR); Artem Avanesov (ARM) v Badreddine Attif (MAR); Abdulvosid Buranov (RUS) v Akram Hamidi (FRA)
Title card:
Intercontinental Lightweight: Ilyass Habibali (UAE) v Angel Marquez (ESP)
Intercontinental Middleweight: Amine El Moatassime (UAE) v Francesco Iadanza (ITA)
Asian Featherweight: Zakaria El Jamari (UAE) v Phillip Delarmino (PHI)