Highlights from the first Men's Arab Fashion Week: Amato, Michael Cinco and Roni Helou present collections

UAE designers Amato Couture and Michael Cinco presented their signature embellished styling, while Lebanese creatives such as Roni Helou, Emergency Room and Boyfriend offered a more relaxed, gender-fluid aesthetic

Amato Couture unveiled its first men's collection on the opening day of the inaugural Arab Fashion Week Mens. Courtesy Amato Couture

The 13-piece capsule collection featured all the brand's signatures, including a muted palette and ornate embroidery. Courtesy Amato Couture

The collection was presented in a short film shot in and around Sharjah's abandoned Al Madam village. Courtesy Amato Couture

Lebanese brand Boyfriend presented a line of minimalist, genderless pieces during Arab Fashion Week Mens. Courtesy Boyfriend

Boyfriend is the brainchild of stylist and art director Amine Jreissati. Courtesy Boyfriend 

All of Boyfriend's pieces are conceptualised and produced in Beirut. Courtesy Boyfriend

Anomlalous's collections focus on duality – unifying day wear and night wear, men’s and women’s, and the wearable and unwearable. Courtesy Anomalous

Anomalous was founded in Dubai in 2019 by Rabih Rowell. Courtesy Anomalous

Lebanese brand Emergency Room uses vintage and deadstock fabrics. Courtesy Emergency Room

A look by Emergency Room. Courtesy Emergency Room

Emergency Room was launched by Eric Mathieu Ritter in 2018. Courtesy Emergency Room

EGONlab's autumn/winter 2021 collection was dubbed the Horror Story. Courtesy EGONlab

A look by emerging French brand EGONlab. Courtesy EGONlab

 A look from EGONlab's autumn/winter 2021 collection. Courtesy EGONlab

Lebanese designer Roni Helou showed off his signature edgy aesthetic. Courtesy Aly Saab  

Roni Helou is committed to promoting sustainability, free education and human and animal rights through his eponymous fashion brand. Courtesy Ghiya Haidar

Roni Helou specialises in androgynous ready-to-wear pieces. Courtesy Aly Saab

Michael Cinco takes embellishment to the nth degree. Courtesy Michael Cinco 

Sharp cuts on show in the Michael Cinco menswear collection. Courtesy Michael Cinco

In a dramatic short film shot in and around Sharjah's abandoned Al Madam village, Amato Couture kicked off the inaugural Men's Arab Fashion Week on Thursday with the unveiling of its first men's collection.

The 13-piece capsule collection by Amato Couture's Filipino creative director Furne One featured all the signatures that have made the Dubai brand’s womenswear such a success – including a muted palette, ornate embroidery and embellishments.

Fellow Dubai-based Filipino designer Michael Cinco may also be better know for his couture gowns, but he showcased a men's line that was similarly rich in its use of luxe materials, sharp cuts and exquisite detailing.

While technically genderless, Lebanese label Boyfriend the Brand presented a line of stunningly simple pieces. The brand's founder, stylist and art director Amine Jreissati, served up voluminous playsuits, classic shirts, roomy trousers, tailored shorts, and T-shirts emblazoned with Arabic calligraphy, all conceptualised and produced in Beirut.

Also taking a gender-fluid approach to their collections were EGONlab and Anomalous, which is helmed by Rabih Rowell, one of the youngest creative directors and stylists in the Arab region. Born and raised in Lebanon, Rowell moved to Dubai in 2018, and launched his clothing line a year later at the age of 19.

Roni Helou displayed his customary edgy aesthetic, as did fellow Beirut resident Eric Mathieu Ritter, who founded clothing brand Emergency Room in 2018, in an attempt to inject ethical and sustainable practices into the fashion industry. The brand uses locally sourced vintage materials and dead-stock fabrics to create one-of-a-kind pieces.

Take a look through the gallery above to see more from this first-of-its-kind event.