Dubai’s creative economy will grow exponentially on the back of the initiative to raise the number of creative jobs in the emirate from 70,000 to 150,000 and the number of creative firms from 8,000 to 15,000 within the next five years.
Launched by Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum earlier in April, the initiative was positively received by the city’s creatives who have seen the industry grow steadily.
Fashion design in the emirate has seen significant growth over the past two decades, said general manager at Level Shoes Elisa Bruno who began frequenting Dubai 20 years ago as part of her then work in luxury retail.
“When I first came here, the passion for style and styling was still in an exploration mode, but we now have many designers based in Dubai and who produce from here,” said Bruno.
“We have a design district where tailors work alongside both new and well-established designers. It is fantastic to see this creativity. The region itself is an incubator and it is very promising. This is why I believe this is the best place to be as a design business,” she continued.
Local department stores are also giving more opportunities to regional designers as they are becoming stronger in the international fashion scene and more high quality fashion schools have popped up in the Middle East over the past few years, observed Bruno.
Level Shoes describes itself as an incubator for local designers and stylists. Roughly 20 percent of the shoe brands displayed in Level Shoes, or 15 out of 200, are made by regional designers.
“I think designers from this region are very creative and are able to merge Western influence with local influence without losing their authenticity. They reach out to global trends but create a unique style of their own,” said Bruno.
Elisa Bruno, General Manager at Level Shoes
When asked how they curate the regional shoe brands for sale at Level Shoes, Bruno said they are often approached by the brands themselves but that they also reach out to fashion schools and showrooms as a way to nurture these talents.
Level Shoes is set to expand to Saudi Arabia by year-end, marking both its regional expansion and its second physical branch, and allowing the store to reach another big community, said Bruno.
Aside from their physical space in Dubai Mall, Level Shoes has a fully operational e-commerce platform and an app.
“Retail has changed since the pandemic and behaviour is more digital now and consumers will probably not go back to pre-pandemic behaviour. Since behaviour has evolved, and the way we shop has evolved as well, retail organisations need to evolve too. We are already omni-channel but how do we design our organisations to be relevant for the consumers of the future and fit for the future?” asked Bruno.
Without revealing details, Bruno said Dubai’s Level Shoes is designing a “store of the future” renovation, to be revealed in 2022, which will provide customers with a totally new experience.
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