Berlin-Dubai Festival 2011
The Goethe-Institut in Dubaibrings us the second Berlin-Dubai Festival week. Last year's festival addressed multiculturalism and identity through a film screening, book reading and panel discussions. This year's edition will focus on the fashion and the creative industry in Berlin and Dubai and will present the rich diversity and uniqueness of the developments in both cities.
Due to its young and energetic urban cultural scene and its influences on fashion, Berlin designers became extremely popular in Europe, America and Asia. Dubai with all its multicultural influences became also a hub for modern fashion, influenced by its Arabic and Asian heritage. Similarities and differences in fashion and in the designers’ approaches will be explored and discussed during the events by professionals and the interested public.
Schedule of events:
Exhibition - Inspiration Berlin
Dates: 29th October - 2nd November 2011
Venue: The Pavilion Downtown Dubai
How can you transform a city’s unique atmosphere and life-style into fashion? The German style icon, model and artist Veruschka Countess of Lehndorff aka VERUSCHKA’s interpretation of New York in the 1990s was illustrated in an extraordinary photo-series, which was presented in international museums and galleries. Having the same cutting-edge feeling now about the vivid German capital, VERUSCHKA arranged a workshop with ESMOD Berlin students with the topic “Inspiration Berlin” in the form of fashion. They worked with interesting materials from Berlin, which showed a high variety of a fascinating metropole consisting of controversy and likeable details transformed into fashion. The exhibition was first presented at the Deutsche Bank Atrium in Berlin, June 2011.
Panel discussion - Globalised Fashion
Date: 30th October 2011 at 8.00pm
Venue: The Pavilion Downtown Dubai
Dubai-based designers and Berlin designers will discuss the challenges and problems of the fashion industry in a globalised world and the importance to keep traditions alive.
Participants include Christine Pluess, co-founder of Berlin-based fashion label Mongrels in Common, Khulood Al Thani, founder of Emirati fashion label bint thani, Mona Fares, founder of the Dubai based fashion label Neon Edge, Leila Al Marashi, co-founder of Emirati label Sugar Vintage and Julia Bruchwitz, co-founder of Dubai-based fashion label JZ Couture.
Film Screening - Notebook on Cities and Clothes
Date: 30th October 2011 at 9.30pm
Venue: The Pavilion Downtown Dubai
Notebook on Cities and Clothes by Wim Wenders is a documentary about fashion and its place in contemporary society. Wenders talks with Japanese designer Yohji Yamamoto about the creative process and ponders the relationship between cities, identity and the cinema in the digital age. Moving between Tokyo and Paris, the movie creates a dialogue between two rapidly changing forms of communication – fashion and film, which both search constantly for new modes of expression.
Workshop - Fashion Blogging
Date: 31st October 2011 at 8.00pm
enue: The Pavilion Downtown Dubai
Jessica Weiß, the cofounder of Germany’s most popular fashion blog lesmads.de will host a workshop on Fashion Blogging. Since the creation of the first fashion blogs, the fashion debate has become more multi-voiced and faster moving. Today, everyone can express his or her ideas about fashion, styling and trends. Jessica Weiß will talk about her experiences and the opportunities and challenges of creating one’s own fashion blog.
Jessica Weiß studied marketing communication in Berlin. In 2007, she cofounded LesMads.de, today Germany’s leading blog for fashion, which won the Lead Award 2010 (Gold) and was shortlisted for the Grimme Online Award 2011. 2011, she starts working as Executive Editor Online at Interview Magazine Germany. She lives in Berlin.
Book Presentation - German Fashion Design 1946-2012
1st November 2011
The German journalist and author Nadine Barth, the editor of “German Fashion Design 1946-2012” a miscellany of essays, interviews, portraits and photo collections, will talk about the significance of fashion in Germany during the last decades and today, the existence of a typical German fashion style, and its influence on modern culture.
Nadine Barth lives in Berlin. She studied philosophy, literature, and art history in Hamburg, worked as an author and journalist, was one of the chief-in-editiors at Amica magazine, and founded a gallery for fashion photography. She now owns the agency barthouse and organizes exhibitions and cultural projects. She has published the books "Berlin Fashion", "Traumfrauen", "Traummänner" and "Amazonen".
Closing Reception - Fashion Party
Date: 2nd November 2011 at 8.00pm
Venue: Kempinski Hotel & Residences, Palm Jumeirah
The end of the Berlin-Dubai Festival will be celebrated with a reception in the gardens of the new Kempinski Hotel & Residences Palm Jumeirah.
DJ Terrible, who is part of the legendary “Washing machine” parties and who played in all the famous Berlin clubs e.g. E-Werk, Tresor and Chacha, will let you dive into the trend-setting ear of Berlin music. A fashion show with designs of young Berlin and Dubai fashion designers will be the highlight of the evening.