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Life & Culture, Abu Dhabi
Craft & Code to take over Abu Dhabi with Off-White and CJ Hendry’s Flower Market
Text Dazed Digital
Abu Dhabi Retail is putting on a cultural weekend that brings together fashion, design, and art. Off-White will unveil a world-first capsule and limited one-off pieces curated with IB Kamara, Creative Director of the brand. British Nigerian artist and designer Yinka Ilori is also on the roster, and Australian artist CJ Hendry brings her Flower Market, a 200,000 stem installation including native UAE blooms.
Taking place at ERTH, Abu Dhabi from January 30 to February 1, Craft & Code is a three-day exhibition bringing designers, artists, and technologists into the same space, built around the relationship between analogue technique and digital intervention. It begins with an invitation-only gala, before opening to the public with live demos, workshops and open tours.
The style lineup
On the fashion front, the centrepiece is Off-White’s presence, with a world-first capsule and limited one-off pieces curated with IB Kamara positioned as the headline reveal, and framed as part of the event’s wider push for global exclusives and regional firsts.
Alongside that, the programme puts the focus on craft through jewellery, with Gafla Jewellery included in the lineup for its work nodding to the region’s pearl diving history.
The sensory side
CJ Hendry, the Australian hyperrealist artist, is bringing her Flower Market to the Middle East at the event, described as a fluorescence of 200,000 stems, including native UAE blooms, reimagined as collectable art moments.
Fragrance is also at the forefront, with Omani luxury house Amouage set to premiere a never-before-released scent in a limited number meant for collectors.
What Craft & Code is aiming for
Beyond the headline names, Craft & Code is a gesture to bring regional craft traditions into conversation with future facing tools, while letting that exchange happen live through demonstrations, workshops, and tours. Marne Schwartz, Managing Director of ITP Media Group, describes the ambition as, “Our ambition is simple, to celebrate, archive and export Arab creativity to a global audience. Abu Dhabi embodies that ambition, modern and progressive, yet proud of its roots.”
When to go
Craft & Code runs from January 30 to February 1 at ERTH, Abu Dhabi. Public days are listed as Saturday, January 31, and Sunday, February 1, following the opening gala.