Gucci, Dior and Louis Vuitton launch new fashion pop-ups in Dubai

Challenging the norm with stunning water views are all in a day's work for the three houses

The Gucci pop up at the Burj Al Arab. Courtesy Gucci

To herald the new, cooler winter weather, the run-up to December and the UAE's 50th anniversary, the three fashion houses of Gucci, Dior and Louis Vuitton have clearly been thinking of new ways to mark the occasion. Here, we take a closer look at the pop-ups that have come to Dubai.

Gucci

In joint celebration of its centenary, the UAE’s 50th anniversary and the opening of Expo 2020 Dubai, Gucci has opened a pop-up at one of Dubai’s most famous locations, the Burj Al Arab.

Open until February 2022, the space is decked out in aquamarine to echo the waters outside. At a height of 142 metres over the Arabian Gulf, the new store can be found next to SAL restaurant, and allows visitors to gaze across the water as they shop.

The pop-up is filled with ready to wear, bags, shoes and jewellery. On offer are also pieces that speak of the hold Gucci has over popular culture, with the lyrics of songs that name check the company written across clothing and accessories.

Louis Vuitton

The French house has unveiled a menswear pop-up in the heart of Mall of the Emirates. On until Sunday, November 21, it is a collaboration between Vuitton’s American menswear designer Virgil Abloh and Nigo, founder of the Japanese streetwear brand Human Made.

With both known for an irreverent take on fashion, together the pair explore their diverse backgrounds through the French prism of Vuitton. On offer is ready-to-wear, trainers, leather bags and accessories as well as gifting ideas.

Constructed as a giant series of circles, suspended above one another, the pop-up is made to resemble the handles on Vuitton bags in tan, brown and touches of red.

Dior

However, the best approach may go to Dior, which has opened a short-term boutique on the beach. To fully embrace the cooler weather, it has opened its pop-up at Nammos Dubai at the Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach.

Made in conjunction with WASP, one of the pioneering companies behind large-scale 3D printing, the space is made of two circular elements that sit on a wooden platform on the sand.

The pop-up is 3D-printed with natural materials such as sand, raw fibres and clay. Not only is the finished building a unique shape, it is perfectly habitable, sustainable, and has created dramatically less waste than standard building methods.

Best of all, thanks to the unique construction of creating the structure layer by layer from the floor up, Dior’s famous quilted cannage motif has been integrated into the walls.

If all of this were not remarkable enough, the space inside is filled with Dior pieces from its toile de Jouy prints to blasts of neon colour.