The best of Dubai Fashion Week Spring-Summer 2027

From sharp structure to extravagant embellishment, the Spring-Summer 2027 Dubai runways were a compelling showcase of exciting emerging voices from beyond fashion’s traditional capitals

Words by Arushi Sinha

Fashion may have been championing restraint in recent years, but consider Dubai Fashion Week exempt from that memo. At its Spring-Summer 2027 presentation, which wrapped up late October, pearls cascaded from sculptural gowns, beadwork found its way onto everyday separates, and even traditionally unfussy resort wear acquired a taste for extravagance. But beyond the spectacle, something more significant took shape, with designers from India, Kuwait, Vietnam, Colombia, and beyond, bringing fresh perspectives to the runway, drawing on regional craftsmanship and cultural heritage to blur the boundaries between everyday dressing and occasionwear.

With a growing emphasis on emerging talent, international buyers in the audience, and emerging retail opportunities, this edition of Dubai Fashion Week made an emphatic case for its place on the global fashion calendar, proving that the best way to get there isn’t by imitating Paris, Milan, or New York, but by championing voices and design traditions too often overlooked by traditional fashion capitals. Here are the shows that made their mark on us.

Tarun Tahiliani

TT Dubai

Is there a designer more suited to a grand finale than Tarun Tahiliani? The Indian couturier’s Dubai Fashion Week debut was followed closely by the opening of his first international boutique in the city, and his collection, ‘The Many Moods of TT’, melded the designer’s signature draping, intricate embroidery, and elaborate occasionwear with silhouettes that nodded to the classic Middle Eastern wardrobe. Rich peacock blues, burnt oranges, and shimmering metallics appeared across glowing skirts, sculptural gowns, and modest long coats, while Lebanese singer Maya Diab closed the show in a shimmering silver lehenga. The presentation offered a reminder of the long-standing aesthetic relationship between Indian and Arab dressing, and of Dubai’s growing importance as a luxury market for Indian designers looking beyond their traditional clientele.

Pallavi Puri

Pallavi Puri

Tahiliani was far from the only Indian designer making their mark, with Pallavi Puri’s debut collection ‘Beyond Borders’ exploring the connections between Indian, Emirati, and Moroccan style. Bringing together elaborate hand embroidery, traditional beadwork, and equestrian references across 50 looks, the collection boasts 21 traditional craft forms brought to life by more than 150 artisans. Puri’s cross-cultural ambitions were best crystallized by her choice of bookends — Indian supermodel Lisa Haydon opened the show, while Lebanese actor Cyrine Abdelnour closed the presentation.

Yousef AlJasmi

Yousef AlJasmi

Kuwaiti designer Yousef AlJasmi put a creative spin on more-is-more as a design philosophy, opening proceedings with an unapologetically glamorous collection that included crystal-encrusted gowns, sculpted bodices, and cascading pearl embellishments. AlJasmi worked largely in black, cream, and silver, using embellishment to give form and movement to his silhouettes, with strands of crystals seen extending from the shoulders and sweeping towards the floor.

Krésha Bajaj

Kresha Bajaj

Krésha Bajaj, meanwhile, offered a convincing argument for bringing elaborate beadwork to otherwise unfussy silhouettes. The Indian designer’s ‘The Garden of Borrowed Light’ collection — presented in collaboration with Alok Lodha Jewels — applied intricate beadwork to crocheted tops, capri pants, and relaxed summer suits, before moving on to more elaborate evening wear. Artistic florals, delicate lace, and playful fringe brought movement to Bajaj’s shapes, while multicolored gemstones and embellished hand fans added a glamourous flourish.

Nafsika Skourti

Skourti

Returning to the runway after a nine-year hiatus, Palestinian-Greek label Nafsika Skourti presented their ‘Sisters by Choice’ Resort 2027 collection, celebrating female friendship though a collection that moved authoritatively between sporty zip-up tops, relaxed skirts, and corseted maxi dresses. Founded by sisters Nafsika and Stephanie Skourti, the label employed ribbons, woven beadwork, and metallic details to lend an embellished edge to practical silhouettes. Of particular interest was the collection’s refusal to treat ease and glamour as opposing ideas, with garments that were clearly cut with everyday life in mind, but without sacrificing the more expressive elements of the brand’s aesthetic.

Onori

Onori

Who doesn’t love a fresh face? Emirati designer Sharifa Al Hashemi made a promising runway debut with her label Onori. The collection, inspired by a trip to Sardinia, drew on the romance of 1950s Mediterranean dressing, with patterned capri pants, babydoll tops, fitted midi dresses, and delicate three-dimensional florals. Beneath the mid-century European references were subtle nods to the designer’s Emirati heritage, including pearl details inspired by the region's maritime history, resulting in a showcase that balanced nostalgia with a distinctly contemporary sensibility.

L’Scarlett

L’Scarlett

Vietnamese label L’Scarlett’s ‘Aurea’ collection explored the interplay between feminine strength, light, and opulence, with sculpted silhouettes and sharply-defined tailoring juxtaposed with fluid skirts and voluminous forms. Founded by designer Le Nguyen, the label used striking 3D floral appliqués inspired by lilies, with gold-toned beadwork and metallic accents. Contrasted sharply by what was a predominantly black palette, the gilded detailing took on an almost jewellery-like quality, transforming otherwise restrained silhouettes into statement pieces. Nguyen’s strength lay in balancing romanticism with a more assertive vision of femininity, with precise construction and edgy embellishments sitting comfortably beside gilded botanical motifs.

Adriana Capasso

Adriana Capasso

Presented in collaboration with the Bogotá Chamber of Commerce, Colombian designer Adriana Capasso found inspiration close to home for her ‘Trace’ collection, drawing on landscape and sensory textures from Colombia’s coffee-growing Quindío region, translating her references into sharp tailoring and structured separates that contrasted with fluid dresses and soft draping. Capasso’s ivory, sand, and brown palette was punctuated by black and deep burgundy. The designer’s reputation for working with unconventional materials saw her transforming fabrics more traditionally associated with lingerie into luxury garments, offering an understated interpretation of contemporary Colombian design.

The best of Dubai Fashion Week Spring-Summer 2027

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