Arab Fashion Council welcomes Amina Taher as Chairwoman and launches its Emirati Chapter
Amina Taher becomes Chairwoman as the Council unveils the AFC Fashion Fund Emirati Chapter, a new initiative to carry Emirati designers from the atelier to the global stage.
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The Arab Fashion Council has opened a new chapter, quite literally. At an intimate private dinner in Dubai, Founder and CEO Jacob Abrian welcomed Amina Taher as the Council’s new Chairwoman on behalf of its Board, and unveiled the AFC Fashion Fund Emirati Chapter, an initiative devoted entirely to nurturing Emirati designers and the houses they are building.
Over the past decade the Council has secured an international standing for Arab fashion. The Emirati Chapter is among the very first steps of its forthcoming manifesto for 2027 to 2029, which turns the Council’s attention squarely to the UAE and to carrying Emirati talent from the atelier to the global stage.
Houses built to endure
Selected designers will receive mentorship, strategic counsel, access to retail partners and international exposure. The ambition is clear and rather beautiful: to help Emirati creativity take its rightful place in the global fashion landscape through houses built to endure.
“For ten years, the Arab Fashion Council has defined the place of Arab fashion on the international stage,” said Jacob Abrian. “The Emirati Chapter is the first expression of our priorities: a commitment to give Emirati designers the structure, the expertise and the partnerships to build houses of lasting significance.”
Amina Taher spoke with evident pride. “Emirati creativity has a distinct voice, rooted in our heritage and driven by a confidence and ambition that is uniquely our own,” she said. “We want to help create an environment where that creativity can thrive, and where the next generation has every reason to believe they can build from here and succeed anywhere.”
An evening at Maison Revka
The dinner was held at Maison Revka, Delano Dubai, at the invitation of Rizwan Kassim, Founder and CEO of Paris Society, with Diptyque candles and fragrances composing the atmosphere of the evening. Around the table sat distinguished figures from government, culture, luxury, retail, real estate, technology and media.
Guests included H.E. Alia Al Hammadi, Vice Chairperson of the UAE Government Media Office; H.E. Buthaina Almazrouei of the Department of Finance Abu Dhabi; H.E. Edoardo Napoli, Consul General of Italy in Dubai; Patrick Chalhoub, Group CEO of Chalhoub Group; Ingie Chalhoub, Founder and President of Etoile Group; couturier Tarun Tahiliani; and Pia Wurtzbach. The world of luxury was represented by leaders from Valentino, Chopard, Tiffany & Co., Van Cleef & Arpels and Level Shoes.
As the UAE affirms its position as a global capital of fashion, design and creative enterprise, the Council is uniting institutional vision with lasting investment in talent, and the Emirati Chapter is how it intends to bring Emirati fashion to the world.
Founded in Dubai in 2015, the Arab Fashion Council is the not for profit authority representing the fashion industry across the 22 Arab countries. Follow the Council on Instagram at @arabfashioncouncil.
