In an unprecedented move throughout the global modest fashion space, Islamic Fashion & Design Council (IFDC) has dedicated a fund to help emerging modest brands find success in the business of modest fashion & lifestyle. The first event where the fund will be applied is the upcoming Pret-A-Cover™ Buyers Lane, The Retail Summit Edition from February 13th to 14th, 2019.
Great excitement and relief rippled through the fashion industry this week as IFDC announced the funding of modest fashion & design participants who have the potential to become a strong part of the global modest fashion narrative and the $1.9 trillion global Muslim lifestyle market. This is a first in the global modest fashion space, and necessary for the proper development of the industry. A designer’s career can be made or broken by their ability to showcase work and gain critical exposure at key events like Pret A Cover™ Buyers Lane, yet with rising event production costs that get passed on to the designers, it has made for a challenging proposition – until now. IFDC will be working together with brands, helping them to remove roadblocks thereby increasing their pathways to development and success. By covering fees and certain costs, IFDC’s aim is to significantly bolster the momentum of the growing modest lifestyle industry.
"This is a seminal moment for brands to share a platform alongside the ultimate elite of the retail industry at our upcoming The Retail Summit in Dubai on Feb 13 & 14, 2019. And with the added support of the IFDC fund, the Pret-A-Cover™ Buyers Lane modest market component of our event becomes an invitation-only platform where well selected modest fashion and design brands will be showcased to global attendees; an opportunity that can very well catapult their journey to the next level”, said Gary Thatcher, Co-Founder and CEO of The Retail Summit.
VIP names confirmed to attend the event include Sir Richard Branson, Founder of the Virgin Group, Huda and Mona Kattan, Co-Founders of Huda Beauty, Jo Malone, Founder of Jo Loves, Mark Johnson, Global President, Molton Brown, Sumit Chandna, CMO of Aditya Birla, Massimo Piombini, CEO of Balmain, Paul Kotrba, CEO of Seafolly, Chieh Huang, CEO & Co-founder of Boxed, Asil Attar, CEO of Al Yasra Fashion, Chris Folayan, CEO of Mall for Africa, Anthony Spary, Head of Retail CBRE ME, North Africa, and Turkey, Patrick Chalhoub, CEO of Chalhoub Group, Alia Khan, Founder & Chairwoman of IFDC and many more leading names in the global retail sector.
In addition to the support given by the IFDC fund, the partnership between IFDC and The Retail Summit will give designers direct access to prominent global retailers, VIPs, industry leaders, and more looking to discover opportunities within the lucrative Muslim fashion & lifestyle markets and also within the wider secondary market of modest lifestyle consumers.
Alia Khan, Chairwoman of IFDC stated, “The Retail Summit is the first event where modest designers will be able to gain access to IFDC funding. As it’s the highly anticipated retail event of the year, The Retail Summit is the perfect partner for us to offer bigger opportunities to the global modest lifestyle players. We have exciting plans for Pret-A-Cover™ Buyers Lane, The Retail Summit Edition, it’s wonderful to see it all come together!”.
The IFDC funded designers will also be part of more firsts as they form the action-packed modest lifestyle showcases of Pret-A-Cover™ Buyers Lane at The Retail Summit’s very own The Market Place. These exhibitor platforms will showcase innovative designs, new collections, cutting-edge ideas, interactive networking, demos and tutorials, interviews, retail innovation sessions and more. The VIP fashion showcase and highly coveted IFDC Awards will be the central attraction on the opening night of Feb 13th where guests will be treated to a unique format which will unveil the final selection of leading modest fashion looks by global design talent.
