The Doha Fashion Summit, held in Qatar on September 18, brought together international designers and models from 12 countries, showcasing a diverse array of talent and signaling plans for expansion throughout the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region and beyond. Organisers announced intentions to extend the event’s footprint with future editions planned across GCC countries and in London.
Mansoor Abdul Majeed, producer and organiser of the summit, outlined the vision to develop a traveling fashion event starting within the GCC. He noted that auditions had taken place in Riyadh in August, with a follow-up meeting scheduled for October, as preliminary steps toward expanding the summit’s reach. Other possible locations under consideration include Oman, Bahrain, Dammam in Saudi Arabia, and London.
This marks the third edition of the event in Qatar, previously held under the name International Designer League before rebranding as Doha Fashion Summit earlier this year. Abdul Majeed described the summit as the flagship event of a broader portfolio encompassing musical programmes, trade shows, and corporate functions.
Abdul Wahid, creative director at Guidance Events and one of the event partners, highlighted the relative novelty of fashion shows of this scale in Qatar, citing his company’s near decade-long experience in event management within the country. Wahid emphasized the emerging interest in fashion, which has encouraged his company to pursue additional projects across Saudi Arabia, Oman, and the United Kingdom.
The summit’s runway featured international designers alongside locally based talent. Notable participants included Doha-based Ramon Elorta Sarmiento of Rosabella Fashion from the Philippines, Ukrainian designer Mishel Jaan of Diva Boutique, French designer Laila Allaoui Ouadah of Colour Your Mood Design, and Japanese designer Shinobu Harima from S. Shieno. Other collections presented were Vesti by Martha Rodriguez, Sonya Styles by Sonya Gurung, Khanfir by Yossra Khanfir, Calypso by Natascha Asselstine and Monisha Sikka, as well as group showcases such as the Filipino Fashion Designers of Qatar and Sinag Fashion Campers.
Complementing the fashion presentations was a harp performance by Hristina during the Rosabella Wedding Collection segment. Support services for the event included hair and makeup by Jrtistic Women Beauty Salon, while the title sponsorship was provided by LuLu Hypermarket. Event partners included Guidance Events, Rehaab Media represented by Shafi Parakal, and Tala Digital Media, Advertising and Events led by Mon Sarmiento.
During the summit, the Golden Falcon Awards recognized outstanding contributions in entrepreneurship, style coaching, digital influence, and marketing. Among the honourees were Amal Ameen al-Mehani for entrepreneurship, Mariam Ammar for style coaching, and digital influencer Ahmed Saif Alnoufali, known as Ahmed Pato. Qatar Living was honoured for its social media platform, and Sara Chatila received recognition for marketing excellence. Iris Rodriguez was presented with a lifetime achievement award, while Farhan al-Sheikh al-Sayed and Khalid Abdul Rehman Fakhroo were acknowledged for their support of the event.