When it was first established in 2013 Dubai Design District (d3) had a very clear vision of supporting and fostering cultural and design talent within the UAE.
As Executive Director, Khadija Al Bastaki is responsible for managing the implementation of d3’s vision and business plans for future growth. By partnering with international events and encouraging local and international businesses to bring their activities to the cultural hub she has firmly cemented d3’s position in the UAE cultural and business landscape. This past year has seen the implementation of many new visa laws, making it easier than ever for small businesses to start their activities in the UAE, alongside the government’s encouragement of freelancers in the country. This has had a huge impact on the arts and culture sector and has allowed it to grow rapidly. Here we discuss with Khadija Al Bastaki the vision and goals of Dubai Design District and how it is continuing to shape the future of the design industry in the region.
What is your vision for the future of Dubai Design District (d3)?
Dubai is funnelling great energy into enhancing the creative economy and transforming the Emirate into an international destination for creativity. Our vision is to play an integral role in enabling this ambition. Our main objective is to seek out new ways to enable our creative community, who are leaving an irrevocable mark on the global design landscape. We aim to provide an ecosystem that allows creatives to experiment, flourish and inspire and to come together to rethink the regular. We plan on facilitating more exciting partnerships on local, regional and international level to demonstrate Dubai’s potential for talent and ground-breaking ingenuity, whilst cementing the emirate’s position as a global destination for design, art and culture.
How do you think Dubai Design District (d3) has changed the face of the arts and culture industries in Dubai since its opening?
Dubai Design District (d3) has provided a common ground for freelancers, entrepreneurs, start-ups and global corporations to engage share knowledge and pursue fruitful collaborations. We truly believe that these are essential ingredients to feed innovation, and the ambitious ideas, technical skills and curiosity of our eclectic community have helped us challenge the boundaries of design in all its different outfits. Events like Dubai Design Week, Downtown Design and Arab Fashion Week have played a pivotal role in placing our Emirate on the global culture and arts map. They create a platform through which ideas, collaborations and audiences can be exchanged between our community and that of the global design ecosystem, allowing us to contribute significantly to the design and arts narrative as a whole.
Over the past years, what have you witnessed in terms of people coming together and the development of the arts and cultures industries in Dubai?
With such an eclectic community in one shared address, exciting events and collaborations are always around the corner – we are certain it’s what makes us a preferred business ecosystem for any individual or business in the creative industry. We have seen so many remarkable partnerships come to life in our community, it’s almost difficult to choose!
Where do you see it going over the coming years?
We look to optimize our support for the creative scene further by enriching our platform to support an increasingly diverse collection of businesses and brands. This will include even more emerging local and regional homegrown talent and entrepreneurs as well as global names across our four segments of fashion, design, architecture and retail. We also aim to build more exciting partnerships on the local, regional and international levels as collaboration is at the heart of everything we do.
Events and activations play a major part of the community at d3 – how do you think these events are helping to raise awareness and enhance the growth of the community in d3?
d3 is responsible for nurturing a passionate collective of creatives in design, fashion, architecture, art and retail, and events with activations provide a strong and far-reaching platform from which they can experiment, grow and succeed. High profile events like Arab Fashion Week and Dubai Design Week play a significant role in amplifying regional talent to a global audience, pushing the dialogue across the world and reinforcing the region as a creative force to be reckoned with.
We continually strive to raise the bar with innovative events and experiences that attract international coverage and brands, widening the pool of opportunities for our creative community. We also launched the Rethink campaign, which covers art, interiors and other key design disciplines to keep a spotlight shining on our talent all year long. I believe it’s this commitment that inspires other businesses and entrepreneurs to choose d3 as their preferred creative business ecosystem, enriching our community with unique skills and insights.
You recently hosted the latest edition of Arab Fashion Week, how do you think this event is helping to put Dubai on the map as an international fashion hub?
Arab Fashion Week is making itself known among fashion circles worldwide, attracting major names and designers to participate. Celebrity designer Jeremy Scott was part of our October 2021 edition, where he presented an archive Moschino collection inspired by Barbie. In the third edition of Men’s Arab Fashion Week, which took place in January 2022, the participation of Asher Levine and Michael Cinco demonstrates the mounting recognition of our event, and we truly believe this reflects the calibre of talent and ingenuity showcased at d3.
Our audience is expanding each year, helping drive the visibility of our creatives and their scope for partnerships. Our district’s very own Amato Couture has been featured on international runways and created original designs for high-profile figures including Beyonce, Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj. Yasmine Yeya’s haute couture label Maison Yeya is another shining star in our community, having dressed the likes of Jennifer Lopez, Nicole Scherzinger and even Vanessa Hudgens for numerous red-carpet events. Such stories are both an inspiration for other designers making their way into the industry as well as a testament to what creatives in our region have to offer.
What else can we expect to see coming up throughout the year?
Flagship events like Arab Fashion Week, Dubai Design Week and Downtown Design are set to return with the exhilarating programs they are well known for in 2022. Rethink Art returns this March during the Emirate’s highly anticipated arts month, to highlight our district’s masterful artists through gallery exhibitions, installations and exciting pop-ups that challenge people to see creativity from a new perspective.
We will also continue hosting smaller-scale events, community markets and other experiences throughout the year to spotlight ongoing projects while nurturing a space where students and independent creatives can earn recognition in the industry. Live shows and community events also drive footfall to our district, inviting people to explore our plethora of fashion, retail and F&B brands.
This year saw the introduction of more flexible working visas in the UAE, which will help to support local talent especially freelancers and independent businesses, what does that mean in terms of the arts and culture industries and how do you think it will encourage the community to flourish?
Freelance talent is integral to transforming our economy by bringing diverse skills into the community, playing a critical part in enhancing Dubai’s creative economy and injecting fresh perspective and competitiveness into the city. Freelancers also offer unique experiences and insights by working on a variety of projects and clients, providing them with a certain level of knowledge and flexibility that might not be available to start-ups and businesses in-house. Offering them a platform where they can grow, thrive and engage with the larger community is important not only for their success but to enrich the overall quality and productivity of the greater creative industry.
Over the last years, many people who were working in traditional corporate jobs have chosen to pursue their passions, which means there’s potentially a large selection of individuals who are looking to enter the creative industry. Such initiatives make it easier for people to follow their ambitions, which allows us to tap into a wider pool of talent that we might not have encountered otherwise. This is why we offer the GoFreelance package which simplifies the set-up process and provides creatives with everything they need to have an independent future. Freelancers also get access to exclusive opportunities to find and bid on projects and expand their network through the online platform, Marketplace.
Freelancers can also sign up for a competitive membership scheme to use creative facilities at the in5 Design business incubator at d3. It offers tremendous resources such as the in5 Fashion Lab for independent fashion designers to create their bespoke labels with lower investment, as well as a prototyping lab, which houses 3D printers and a library of raw materials.
MENS ARAB FASHION WEEK X BY SLIMI
How does Dubai Design District work with the UAE government to support SME businesses and allow them to grow and what are you doing to attract new businesses?
We are aligned with the government’s vision to position Dubai as a global creative capital and increase the sector’s contribution to the GDP, and SMEs are playing a significant role in helping us achieve that. We have earned our reputation as a global creative platform dedicated to design, fashion, architecture and art by engaging public and private stakeholders to cultivate an ecosystem that promotes the growth of all our business partners. Whether that’s enhancing policies that encourage more creative businesses to set up shop in Dubai or delivering standout events to make our existing businesses more prominent, we are continually seeking innovative ways to empower our start-ups and SMEs.
Collaboration is at the heart of everything we do, and it is what allows us to host events that catch the eye of the global design industry. Dubai Design Week, for example, is hosted in strategic partnership with Art Dubai Group – we firmly believe our web of support and expertise is why this event has evolved into the region’s most important platform for regional design and creativity.
What is the biggest challenge you face in what you do?
d3 is home to a diverse community of businesses that are at varying stages of evolution and growth, and there’s no one size fits all solution when it comes to the kind of support they need to thrive. It is an exciting challenge to explore how we can best bolster their success by tailoring solutions and advisory that best addresses their challenges and ambitions.
The success of our students and start-ups is especially important to us, and we invest a lot of resources to bolster their growth. We are constantly evaluating and enhancing the scope of opportunities and assistance available to them and conceiving innovative ways to boost their visibility for future investment, partnerships and prospects.
In terms of women’s empowerment and gender balance, how have you seen things progress in the UAE over the past few years?
The UAE has always championed gender equality and female empowerment, and the founding of the UAE Gender Balance Council in 2015 is a testament to our leadership’s commitment.
We see such inspiring women hold positions of power and leadership in the UAE, bringing their unique perspective and expertise to the decision-making table. Noura Al Kaabi is the UAE Minister of Culture and Youth and one of the key figures spearheading the development of the creative sector. We share our passion for nurturing young creative talent.
Even beyond the creative fields, women hold important positions. Sarah Al-Amiri is the chair of the UAE Space Agency and the Minister of State for Advanced Sciences who led the historic Hope Probe operation. Nora Al-Matrooshi was the first Arab woman to train as an astronaut. In fact, 80% of the Hope Probe mission’s scientists were women – isn’t that extraordinary?
Women continue to contribute enormous value to national progress and development, so we must prioritise developing avenues to support and celebrate their contribution. According to the World Economic Forum, empowering women to participate equally in the global economy could add US$28 trillion in GDP growth by 2025. It is important for us to tap into that huge pool of female talent.
We know sustainability is something that is very important to you – how do you think communities such as Dubai Design District can support a sustainable future?
Absolutely, sustainability is incredibly important to me and I believe it is a vital value for any brand or creative that considers itself forward-thinking. Sustainability has become increasingly important in our world today and we at d3 have strived to demonstrate and advance human-centric approaches to design in efforts to make our lives more sustainable and increase efficiency and wellbeing.
We have woven sustainability into the fabric of our DNA here at d3, and it has become an integral conversation at many of our flagship events. Many studios and designers that have participated at Dubai Design Week in the past have explored material and production processes that advance the conversation on sustainable design. In 2020, we developed a theme for outdoor installations that explored responsible design, which included an installation that repurposed construction scaffolding and disused Emirati finishing nets into public seating areas. The 2040: d3 Architecture Exhibition this past November also investigated how we could create vibrant, healthy and sustainable communities and living spaces.
In addition to all that, we are home to the Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation (DIDI), which offers the region’s first multidisciplinary Bachelor of Design. Students at this institute are making remarkable strides in developing innovative products and solutions paving the way for a greener future.
What is a message you would send to individuals and businesses, especially female-owned businesses looking to grow in the region?
I want to tell them that whatever you aspire to do – whatever goals you set your sights on – you are capable of achieving. Stay committed and persevere. Let your adversities and challenges serve as moments of growth and learning. And when you find yourself in the driver’s seat, don’t forget to make room for other women climbing their way to the top. We rise when we lift each other up.
