International designers complement local talent at Heya fashion expo

(MENAFN- Gulf Times) The 13th edition of Heya Arabian fashion exhibition is presenting shopping opportunities from more than 300 fashion brands from Qatar and around the world.
Complementing a wealth of quality Qatari collections, brands from the Middle East, Central America, Europe, Asia and North Africa are participating in the show, including Kuwait and Oman as well as India, Turkey, Ecuador, Iraq, China, Hungary, Lebanon, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Morocco, Hong Kong, the UK, Spain and Italy.
This year, the exhibition is 'showcasing more international brands than ever before, the organisers have said in a statement.
New and returning brands from around the world are available to shoppers at Heya, including Dilek Hanif from Turkey, Romani Design from Hungary, Liza Cardenas and Olga Doumet from Ecuador, Rida Couture and Samar Secret from Lebanon, Doris Dorothea from Indonesia, Anardana and KD Boutique from India, Caftan Lalla Salma and Sophia Bin Yahia from Morocco, Valentino Pucci, Krystal B and BKIB from Italy and Inunez from Spain.
Heya is delivered by Design Creationz with the support of Qatar Tourism Authority as part of its efforts to empower the private sector to attract and host global events
Responsible for delivering Heya, Design Creationz spokesperson Esraa Abel said: 'As Heya continues to evolve and grow, we have seen a great response from the international community. New partnerships have allowed us to create valuable knowledge-sharing workshops and forums for lively debates on pressing trends across the global fashion industry. It is great to see experts in fashion sharing their experiences and insights with local designers and visitors at Heya, with the intention of developing Qatar's flourishing fashion and design industry.
Adding depth to this year's programme, partnerships forged with the Ecuadorian, Hungarian and Turkish embassies presented catwalk shows and hosted forums and workshops in order to help nurture and develop local design talent.
Turkey-based world-famous designer Hanif, Cardenas and Doumet from Ecuador, Romani Design from Hungary and Kristal B from Italy were part of the eclectic mix of catwalk shows at the opening of Heya, through the collaboration with their representative Embassies.
Both exhibitors and visitors were treated to a conversation with Hanif who hosted an inspirational talk about her journey to the top of the fashion industry, as well as a catwalk show, two workshops and a forum. The forum looked at ‘Exploring Similarities and Differences between Arabian and Ottoman Fashion'.
The session was led by Hanif as well as Sandra Wilkins, head of fashion at Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar and Fahad al-Obaidly, Qatari designer and artist.
In addition, visitors participated in the forum, ‘The Interrelation of Fashion and Culture', by industry veterans Valeria Mangani and Doumet.
Ecuador-based designer Doumet commented on her participation in Heya, saying: 'I was honoured to be asked to come to Heya. I was excited to come to Qatar, and to see the amazing women's fashion that is trending as well as meet all the local designers. It was also great to get such positive feedback for my designs. This is one of the most elegant shows I've done to date, and I wanted to present a collection to suit the Arab market with my own South American touch.
Guests also participated in ‘What's In and Out on Social Media', an insightful forum by renowned Indian celebrity TV stars and influencers Krystel D'Souza and Sana Khan as well as Omani influencer Areej Balushi, where exhibitors and visitors were able to meet with the Bollywood celebrities and ask questions around fashion, style and trends on social media in the fashion industry.
Held under the patronage of HE Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, Heya invites all women and girls over the age of 13 years to attend the event at Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre today, which is its last day.

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