Ready couture store 1422 to open in Dubai’s City Walk

1422 – a ready couture store licensed by the Arab Fashion Council (AFC) – is getting ready to open at City Walk, a Meraas development in Dubai on April 24, alongside the 8th edition of the Arab Fashion Week.

So, what does 1422 stand for?

“1422 stands for the AFC’s slogan, 1 Council for 22 Arab Countries,” explains Jacob Abrian, founder & CEO, AFC. “1422 is a Dubai grown initiative as a pride for the entire region and a sign to the unprecedented business opportunities that Dubai offers to investors.”

Spanning around 7,535 sqft, 1422 is a new building dedicated for luxury shopping, custom-made fashion and lifestyle experience. The venue – being developed by Austrian design company umdasch The Store Makers – promises to become a designer’s acceleration hub.

“From the design point of view, black and white hues dominate at 1422 to let the products stand out. It is going to be the permanent home of the Arab Fashion Week and will showcase unique ready couture fashion items that cannot be found anywhere else in Dubai,” shares Patrick Fallmann, managing director, umdasch The Store Makers – Middle East.

In that sense, 1422 is a tribute to the life of the Arab women who are globally known for their sophisticated elegance, knowledge and admiration for luxury living, uniqueness, exclusivity and taste. The 1422 story is reflected on the interior architecture of the space that promises to enable guests to live a journey and experience the dream of every woman in a museum-style shopping.

At 1422, customers will discover not only couture evening gowns, ready-to-wear, designs, selected art, accessories, cosmetics, niche perfumes and high-tech gadgets but also tailor-made recipes at the world’s first Sayidaty Café along with a selected range of must-read fashion books. Infusing technology with fashion and design, 1422 will become the official stage for the Arab Fashion Week where customers can shop directly from the runway, in line with the ‘See Now, Buy Now’ trend.

Estimated at AED40 million, the 1422 project will also host the AFC’s headquarter, which will be open to designers in order to support them to achieve their business goals aimed at accelerating their growth and boost the creative economy.

“We are proud to be part in making history by hosting the first ready couture store in the world, which highlights City Walk’s importance as destination to both the local community and international market,” observes Sally Yaccoub, chief malls officer, Meraas.

“umdasch is delighted to be part of this international project and to join efforts with the AFC and Meraas in redefining the luxury retail landscape in the region by sharing our experience from more than 30 years of delivering projects in the Middle East and the ambition to make successful stores,” Fallmann concludes.