Local luxury: Villa Moda showcases Dubai design

Dubai – Villa Moda, the Kuwaiti luxury fashion emporium, has opened two new multi-brand stores in the Gate Village of the Dubai International Financial Centre. The stores – one for womenswear and one for menswear – will share the luxury labels and cutting-edge design that characterise Villa Moda’s existing stores in locations such as Damascus and Doha, while also featuring a distinctive Dubai twist.

The shops mimic the ‘glass box’ appearance of the Villa Moda flagship in Shuwaikh, Kuwait, an architecture that emphasises movement and light. In the menswear store, mirrors are built into rough concrete walls, creating an industrial look. The boudoir-like women’s store sees chandeliers hung in a dusky pink interior. Both shops carry emerging labels alongside well-known designers including Dries Van Noten and Issey Miyake.

A third of each store’s range is made up of local and regional products and designs, such as kaftans, jewellery and antique furniture, underscoring a sense of locality. Further, the store windows showcase the work of Patricia Millns, the Dubai-based artist known for her combinations of traditional and modern objects – classical yet contemporary creations that are in keeping with the Villa Moda aesthetic.

Read our interview with Sheikh Majed Al-Sabah, founder of the Villa Moda empire.