Imran Amed on how fashion is at a crossroads and the global south is at its centre 

 Imran Amed, founder of The Business of Fashion, has spent the last decade tracing the fault lines in an industry obsessed with legacy capitals. With BoF CROSSROADS, his latest initiative staged in Dubai, Amed draws a clear line in the sand: it’s time to stop talking about the Global South as “emerging” and start recognising it as central to the future of fashion.

Held in a city built on movement and at the axis of exchange between metropoles outside of the West, CROSSROADS brought together designers, founders, and cultural workers from across Africa, South Asia, Latin America, and the Arab world. Not as token voices, but as the ones setting the pace.

The numbers only sharpen the point: while global fashion is projected to reach $1.84 trillion in value by 2025, the momentum is no longer coming from Paris, London or New York. Growth is being driven by the so-called “future markets” — places like Lagos, Mumbai, Mexico City and Riyadh — where a digitally native generation is redefining aesthetics and aspiration without needing validation from the West. Latin America’s fashion and textile market is expected to grow at over 6% annually, while Africa’s industry, valued at $15.5 billion in exports alone, stands to triple with proper infrastructure and backing.

For those listening alongside Amed, the message is self-evident: fashion’s future won’t be authored by a single voice, nor will it follow the script of the past and its oft tedious monopolies. As he tells Dazed MENA below, CROSSROADS is a provocation to rethink what counts as growth, who counts as a leader and crucially, how the industry can finally show up in ways that are less extractive and far more collaborative. 

 Let’s start with BoF CROSSROADS. Why Dubai and why now? What made this the right moment to gather the global fashion industry here? 

Dubai felt like the natural place to host BoF CROSSROADS because it sits — quite literally and symbolically — at the crossroads of East and West, North and South. The city has become a powerful connector, not just for trade and business, but for culture, creativity and ideas. And when we think about where the future of the fashion industry is headed — towards new markets, new voices, new narratives — Dubai is one of the rising global hubs where those worlds collide. 

BoF CROSSROADS emphasises the importance of “future growth markets.” How are you defining growth today beyond just GDP or consumer spending? 

We’re entering a new chapter in global fashion, one where growth and innovation is coming from regions like the Middle East, South Asia, Africa, Latin America — regions that are young, connected, ambitious and ready to be seen and heard on their own terms. 

So growth isn’t just about the size of a market or a company’s revenues. It’s about cultural energy. It’s about creative innovation. It’s about how new generations of fashion consumers are shaping identity, aesthetics and storytelling. In places like the Middle East, Africa, or Southeast Asia, growth means a rapidly expanding creative class, a hunger for self-expression, growing cultural pride and digital behaviours that are reshaping how fashion and beauty brands engage with people. 

In curating this platform, what conversations or voices were non-negotiable for you to include? 

Our goal was that BoF CROSSROADS would not be just another conversation about emerging markets from the outside looking in. It had to centre the people actually building, creating, and leading these stories on the ground. We wanted founders, designers, creatives, investors and operators from the Global South in the room — people who are not just participating in the industry but actively shaping its future. It was non-negotiable to prioritise these voices — to listen first, and then ask: how can the global industry show up in a way that’s more equitable, more curious, more collaborative? 

What did BoF hope to do differently with BoF CROSSROADS compared to other forums like BoF VOICES or the Global Fashion Summit? 

Each of our platforms has its own DNA, but BoF CROSSROADS was designed very intentionally to be a platform about connection and possibility. BoF VOICES is based on big picture conversations around politics, society, culture, technology and fashion. BoF 

CROSSROADS has those elements as well, but it is done through a dialogue between people from the Global South, finding the commonalities between them with a bias towards action. It about understanding new ecosystems, exploring opportunities, and building bridges. With BoF CROSSROADS, we’re going to where the energy is, immersing ourselves in the markets we’re discussing. 

You’ve long advocated for a more inclusive and multipolar fashion industry. Do you think the industry is really listening now or still performing? 

There’s some progress, but there’s still a long way to go. The fashion industry has certainly become more aware of the need to diversify its perspectives — but awareness isn’t the same as action. There’s still a tendency to engage superficially with new markets or to replicate Western playbooks without truly understanding local context. We see brands using formulaic approaches — creating Diwali campaigns or Ramadan collections — without engaging deeply with the local culture. What I hope is that platforms like BoF CROSSROADS can accelerate a shift from performance to participation — from representation to real investment, real collaboration, and real listening. 

Fashion has always had a Western axis of power. Do you see that shifting in a meaningful way or just geographically relocating? 

It’s shifting — but the question is, will it shift deeply enough? This isn’t just about moving headquarters or opening new stores in new markets. It’s about a more fundamental redistribution of decision-making and creative, cultural, and economic influence. I don’t think the future of fashion is about one centre replacing another. It’s about many centres co-existing, cross-pollinating, and defining together what fashion can be in a pluralistic, multi-polar world, empowering people to be the author of their own stories. 

What responsibility do platforms like BoF have in shaping which stories and regions get visibility? 

Media shaped how the fashion industry sees itself — who gets recognised, whose stories get told, whose ideas are seen as valuable. At BoF, we’ve been very intentional about expanding our lens — not just covering the same people in Paris, Milan, London, New York — but looking at Lagos, Mumbai, Riyadh, Mexico City, Jakarta and other global hubs bursting with creativity, energy and ambition. Initiatives like the BoF 500 and BoF CROSSROADS are emblematic of our commitment to make this happen. 

What’s a book, film, or experience outside of fashion that recently shaped your thinking? 

A friend recently introduced me to the book, The Future is Asian by Parag Khanna. It challenges assumptions about global power and influence, not just economically but culturally. It’s a reminder that the world we’re moving into isn’t just multipolar — it’s multi-cultural, multi-layered, and deeply interconnected. 

If you weren’t doing fashion, what would you be doing? 

I don’t know. Probably something still connected to ideas, culture and a global perspective. I’m a third culture kid whose personal history traces South Asia, Africa, North America and Europe. I’ve always been fascinated by how culture travels — how ideas cross borders, evolve, and take on new meaning. Maybe I’d be writing, teaching, or working on building connections across cultures. This is basically my job today, which transcends fashion. Fashion is just the platform I am using to pursue this personal mission. 

What’s one question you wish more people in the industry were asking right now? 

I wish more people were asking: “Whose perspective is missing from this conversation?” If we asked this question more often — in boardrooms, in schools, in creative meetings, in product development — the fashion industry would operate very differently today. 

Finally, what’s one thing you wanted people to take away from BoF CROSSROADS–not just this year, but as a long-term mindset? 

The future of fashion is not going to be written in one place or by one kind of person. It’s going to be shaped by a broad cross-section of voices, cultures, and communities from all over the world. BoF CROSSROADS isn’t just an event — it’s an invitation. To show up with curiosity and participate actively. To seize the opportunity to look for commonalities to build new relationships with people with who have a different lived experience. And it’s an invitation to embrace the possibility of a truly global industry where everyone has a voice and opportunity to contribute.