10 things you should see at SOLE DXB 2024

SOLE DXB is one of those rare, exceptional physical spaces where the region’s creative minds come together. It’s hard to describe it if you haven’t been because, at the risk of sounding corny, it is hardly just a “festival” with an impressive lineup (which manages to outdo itself every year), it’s a meeting point and intersection of basically every person and every creative discipline in SWANA. For three days of the year at the heart of the Dubai Design District, your favourite local brands, food concepts, and musicians materialise, coming out of the corners of Instagram and the occasional pop-up to intersect.

It’s a well of homegrown ingenuity, incredibly communal despite the noise and foot traffic. Everywhere you look, you will see a familiar face—maybe someone you’ve followed for years because you wanted to buy their hoodies, or just because you like their style. Every designer, DJ, and multi-hyphenate from the region is here working, but you will also find them hanging out, watching the skaters grind on the built-in ramps, and, of course, supporting the community by buying each other’s creations—the things that you will not find in any mall or big online retailer. It’s probably the coolest, best dressed and hottest concentration of people in the region, and yet, it’s approachable regardless of how impeccably curated it is.

SOLE DXB is the hub for Dazed MENA’s creative community. We want to share the 10 things you need to see this weekend at this 12th edition of the festival, in our (dare we say?) expert opinion.

Haven

Dubai hotspot and streetwear brand amongst few has partnered this year with Cape Town’s Pot Plant Club in a collaboration called Haven. With a photo project developed by Fujifilm, the idea of the partnership is to spotlight home; this year, Haven is at SOLE DXB, where the photo series is exhibited on the t-shirts you can find at the booth. With the slogan “Two Cities, Two Communities, One Vision,” Haven is about the places where we find relief, comfort, and ease.

Whether it is a youth-focused boxing gym in Cape Town, or in the serene landscape of Ras Al-Khaimah, the capsule collection captures our universal need for community and repose. Haven is about bringing art and our values to accessible forms, so that we can always wear them on our sleeve.

Precious Trust

We love Wathek Allal at Dazed MENA. He’s on the launch cover and the Dazed MENA 100 as well, so we would be amiss not to ask you to check out his label, Precious Trust. You can find the booth at SOLE DXB this year, but that is hardly the limit of Precious Trust’s presence at the festival this year.

At this edition of SOLE DXB, Precious Trust has joined forces with local DJ legend Cascou to present PRECIOUS PARADISE—Paradisea, of course, is the DJ’s recurring party. Between the two of them, the collaboration platforms the energy, sound and aesthetics of the underground. Challenging the limits of all forms of expression, they seek to bring us a full sensory experience. In their words, it is not just a moment but a movement, bringing us “grit and glamour.” Find them at the Power Horse stage, ready to electrify you.

Sure, OK

This is technically Zahra’s first SOLE DXB, but she’s been here many times before. In her own words, she’s never really been a “civilian” at the festival, but she is here for the first time as the founder of Sure, OK. Starting with earrings, she now also makes homeware, exploring the tip of the iceberg of what she can make with spray foam and resin—occasionally using precious stones as well. Zahra wants everyone to touch the art (imagine a tactile gallery) to extend her booth past retail and make it into an experience. She has also collaborated with designer, DJ, and artist Eliza Arienti to create a tote bag collab, which you can find at SOLE DXB this year.

This Saturday and Sunday, Sure, OK will be leading workshop sessions at their booth to get people to do things with their hands and, refreshingly, off their phones! Be there or be square. Sessions will be at 4pm and 6pm both days, each with 5 slots.

Medina

All the way from London, and also on the Dazed MENA 100, is Mabruk here at SOLE DXB for the second time with his brand Medina. Mabruk’s vision is to bring Medina to life and bring us into Libya. For those with a careful eye and ear, you’ll notice that as you get closer to the clothes, you will hear a city soundscape; that’s on purpose, Mabruk has hidden a speaker in the stall that plays sounds from Libya’s streets. Every detail of the booth attempts to recreate this world, “hectic and busy,” with the clothes stored in burlap sacks and bags of rice on the floors.

North Africa’s cultural heritage is woven into Medina’s collections and the physical spaces where these clothes are shown to the world. That’s what makes Medina worth a visit at SOLE DXB.

SUBARU WORLD

Nigerian artist Santi is at SOLE DXB selling for the first time, but he’s actually been featured as a musical act here twice before. This year, his booth, SUBARU WORLD, tries to connect everything that he loves. SUBARU WORLD draws on the work of Hideo Kojima, creator of the Metal Gear franchise, who believed in expanding our ideas of what we think a game should be into a world-building exercise. Santi’s doing the same with his albums—allowing us to escape into a world of his making. This SUBARU WORLD bridges gaming, music and manga, creating the first-ever Nigeran manga which was written by himself and drawn by Upson.

Having lived in the UAE for 8 years, Dubai’s creative community means a lot to Santi. SUBARU WORLD previously collaborated with Wathek Allal, creating the Precious Trust x SUBARU WORLD collection. Santi also shouted out Dazed MENA’s creative director, our very own Chndy.

One of More

Engy Mahdy is definitely not a first timer at SOLE. In 2019, she first featured with her brand, the experimental One in Four, and last year, she came to SOLE DXB just as Engy Mahdy, a designer offering a bespoke experience. This year, she comes to SOLE DXB with One of More, a label focused on essentials, a more “engineered” approach to clothing—her booth reflecting this precise simplicity. Painting it the same lime green that is used in her collection, she invites the visitors to be immersed in the space without distracting from the pieces on display. Engy shares that she “didn’t want noise in the background.”

Though “basic,” the structure and fabric of the clothes stand out. She reveals that every aspect of the process is custom, having even chosen the fibres in every piece and hand-drawing every line.

SN3

SN3, the Sudanese label that also graced this year’s Dazed MENA 100 list, is celebrating its third year at SOLE DXB. Launching their fourth collection, they have introduced knitwear and leather into the mix—inspired by what “your big brother would wear.” SN3 also shared that they are launching jewellery soon. As for the booth, it reflects SN3’s idea of what a retail experience should be: lived in and cozy. That is exactly what they’ve done, creating an inviting space where everyone is welcome: they embody this with the gathering space by the booth, decorated with chairs and a rug.

It is also where they will be serving Sudanese tea on Saturday and Sunday–come through!

paria /FARZANEH

Also at her first-ever SOLE is Paria Farzaneh, who was featured in conversation with Caroline Issa in our launch issue. Always bringing her roots the forefront, Paria made sure that her booth’s walls showcased the scaled photos of Iranian photographer, Amir Abbas Asadi. Motivated primarily by her desire to make the booth feel like her home, she has used light wood as a central feature of the space, bringing a very warm feel to those coming to see her collection. With a beam of wooden balls connecting the far ends of the booth together, Paria’s  love for the abstract shines through, though simultaneously evoking both nature and luxury.

Of the collection itself, Paria emphasises that the clothes are one-offs, things that have been upcycled. Departing from wholesale collections, she now makes clothes in the studio for the season, releasing really quickly. Not interested in mass producing, she wants to make garments that mean something.

Claudette

Coming back to SOLE DXB for the third time, Kuwaiti label Claudette’s latest booth is mean to make visitors feel like they are entering a lounge in Paris, London, or even Dubai. Transporting visitors to a specific destination has always been the brand’s goal—last year it was a beach club. But this year, the dark, red velvet interiors bring us to a late-night rendez-vous with our favourite people, where the night passes by in minutes because we are having fun with our favourite people. That’s the theme of their latest collection as well: “with you, time flies.”

The space goes well with the messaging of the clothing, it’s intimate and romantic. In the words of the founder, all 6 senses need to be stimulated for emotional connection, and that is what they are trying to do with their creations, whether a space or clothes. They want to invigorate us, to create a feeling.

Dazed MENA

We won’t pretend to be humble…Having just launched, this is our first ever SOLE DXB! We aren’t trying to sell you anything, so you know it’s real. Please come by and check out our launch issue, talk to us, and if you need a little rest, have a seat on our comfy booth.