FASHION REVOLUTION
United Arab Emirates
Fashion Revolution Week UAE 2025:
Raising awareness & educating the next generation
of consumers and fashion designers
Fashion Revolution UAE is set to host its annual Fashion Revolution Week from April 21st to 27th, 2025. Fashion Revolution is the world’s largest fashion activism movement aiming to promote transparency, sustainability, and ethical practices in the global fashion industry.
This year’s Fashion Revolution Week 2025 invites us to “Think Globally, Act Locally” — a powerful call to reimagine the fashion system from the ground up. Marking the 11th anniversary of the Rana Plaza tragedy, the campaign urges citizens, brands, policymakers, and educators to demand accountability and create change within their own communities. Through storytelling, education, and action, we’ll explore how local movements can fuel a global transformation toward a more transparent, regenerative, and equitable fashion industry. Learn more about the campaign here.
Fashion Revolution UAE focus on the development of these three key manifesto points:
- Fashion respects culture and heritage, fostering skills and craftsmanship, and never appropriates without giving due credit or permission.
- Fashion stands for solidarity, inclusiveness, and democracy, championing diversity as crucial for success.
- Fashion is mindful of waste, repairing, reusing, recycling, and upcycling to prevent overflowing wardrobes and landfills.
Throughout the week, Fashion Revolution UAE will host various events, panel discussions, workshops, and even a digital showcase where you can get inspired and vote for your favourite sustainable looks.
FASHION REVOLUTION WEEK UAE 2025 AGENDA
The most awaited event of the year is finally here! This year, we’re reimagining our beloved student competition into a fully digital experience — and making it more inclusive than ever. While the showcase remains a platform for emerging talent, it’s now open to students, hobbyists, and anyone passionate about creating their own clothes- sustainably of course. Please note: this initiative is reserved for non-established designers/ brands — it’s a space to uplift fresh voices and creative minds!
🌍 #FR25 Digital Sustainable Fashion Showcase
Welcome to the #FR25 Digital Sustainable Fashion Showcase — where creativity meets consciousness!
Join us online for an inspiring celebration of sustainable fashion, featuring cutting-edge designs from students, emerging creatives, and passionate hobbyists of all ages.
From upcycled statements to zero-waste silhouettes, this virtual runway is your front-row seat to a more mindful and meaningful fashion future. Each look is a testament to the power of innovation, ethics, and self-expression in design.
Ready to participate or just curious to explore? Find all the information you need to join the showcase here: #FR25 Digital Fashion Showcase Info and support your favorite looks by voting them! Yes, your vote is very important! How can you vote?
🎥 Stay tuned to our social media to watch the showcase unfold and vote for your favorite looks. Help us spotlight the next generation of conscious creators!
✨ Don’t miss the chance to support, celebrate, and share a vision of fashion that’s kinder to people and the planet.
Dates:
- Submissions until the 7th April 2025. The info to apply is here.
- Showcase from 18th April to the 30th April 2025.
- Winners announced in May.
Where: Online- Check our Social Media Channels and cast your vote.
Want a reminder to vote for your favourite look? Join our Eventbrite!
🤖 Panel Discussion – Can AI Help Fashion Become More Sustainable?
Technology meets sustainability in this thought-provoking #FR25 panel discussion exploring the intersection of artificial intelligence and conscious fashion. As the fashion industry navigates urgent calls for transparency, circularity, and ethical production, AI emerges as both a challenge and a catalyst for change.
Join industry innovators and digital disruptors as we examine how AI can reshape the way we design, produce, consume, and engage with fashion. From smarter supply chains to personalized design and waste reduction, this session dives into the real potential—and the real risks—of AI in the race toward sustainability.
📅 Date & Time:
April 21st, 2025 |6:00 PM GST
Online via Zoom – Free with registration
🎙️ Speakers include:
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- Dr. Irina Raicu – AI Advisor at Microsoft & Founder of the Institute for Applied AI
- Tanushri Roy – AI Fashion Week Winner & Senior Womenswear Designer at Lulu Retail
- Dr. Deepak Ranganathan – AI thought leader, Vice President at DAMAC Group, with a doctorate in AI and global experience across five continents
- Nitin Kumar– Co-founder and CEO, The F* Word, a trailblazing fashion tech company, and author of The Future of Fashion.
Board member of the Metaverse Fashion Council.
- Moderated by Araceli Gallego – Fashion Revolution UAE Country Coordinator, Founder of Goshopia and currently studying a Masters in AI.
✨ Whether you’re a designer, tech enthusiast, sustainability advocate, or curious mind—this conversation is for you. Let’s explore the future of fashion, one intelligent idea at a time.
Register here to secure your spot and join the revolution!
🌿 #FR25 Fashion & Its Roots: Moving Forward, Appreciating the Past
As part of Fashion Revolution Week, this online panel invites you on a journey into the rich cultural heritage of fashion. From intricate Tatreez embroidery to timeless lacework and artisanal techniques, we’ll explore how traditional craftsmanship continues to shape and inspire a more sustainable future.
This conversation brings together advocates, artisans, and cultural curators to spotlight the value of preserving ancestral skills while reimagining their place in the contemporary fashion landscape.
📅 Date & Time:
Tuesday, April 22, 2025 | 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM (GMT+4)
Online Event
🎙️ What to Expect:
- Explore fashion’s deep cultural roots through diverse craft traditions.
- Learn how heritage techniques like Tatreez and lacework carry powerful stories.
- Discover how traditional artistry can foster sustainability and innovation.
- Gain insight into preserving cultural identity in a fast-paced fashion world.
🎙️ Speakers include:
- Selyna Peiris leads Sri Lanka’s only Fair Trade-certified handloom company, driving its vision forward while championing the country’s craft industry. As an Attorney-at-Law, she plays a pivotal role in empowering artisans—especially women—by fostering sustainable growth and preserving traditional craftsmanship.
- Robert Meeder : Visionary in luxury fashion and sustainable innovation, he advises the EU and has worked with global brands like Gucci and Burberry. Co-founder of the Institute for Future Creations, he pioneers sustainability through craft, tech, and education. He will represent The Comitato per la Promozione del Merletto is an Italian organization dedicated to preserving and promoting the art of merletto, or lace-making, a centuries-old craft deeply rooted in regions like Burano and Cantù. Merletto is a meticulous and intricate textile art form, traditionally handmade using bobbins or needles, embodying Italy’s rich cultural heritage and artisanal excellence.
- Aishwarya Lahariya is a textile scientist turned entrepreneur for her brand Jiwya, a 100% plant-based and bio-circular ecosystem preserving 100+ heritage textile arts of India by directly working with 150+ grassroots art clusters of India. Also the lead designer for Jiwya, she is passionate about preserving arts and nurturing them through science.
Moderated by Anwita Chirravuri: fashion designer and entrepreneur driving sustainable innovation at the intersection of heritage craftsmanship, technology, and biomaterials. With projects across India, the UAE, Italy, and Sri Lanka, she is dedicated to advancing research in sustainable textiles and reimagining heritage-inspired fashion for a circular future.
✨ Whether you’re a designer, artisan, student, or conscious consumer, this session will deepen your appreciation for the hands, history, and heart behind what we wear.
Register here to receive your event link and be part of the cultural revival shaping fashion’s future.
🎤 #FR25 Behind the Seams: The Struggles of Fashion’s Makers
As part of Fashion Revolution Week, join us for an intimate and inspiring online panel exploring the unseen realities of fashion’s most essential yet overlooked creators—its makers. From underpaid labor to invisibility in the value chain, the challenges are many, but so are the changemakers.
This session brings together visionary designers and innovators from the UAE and beyond to shed light on the systemic obstacles slow fashion makers face—and how together, we can build a more just, ethical, and beautiful industry.
📅 Date & Time:
Wednesday, April 23, 2025 | 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM (GMT+4)
Online Event
🎙️ Host:
Kashesh Bhatia Garg – Founder of Konscious Kollective & Kashesh Global, fashion designer, stylist, and mentor. With over 15 years in the industry, Kashesh fuses heritage, culture, and sustainability through handcrafted design. Her work has even been recognized by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed.
👥 Speakers:
- Vino Supraja – Award-winning sustainable fashion designer, architect, author, speaker, and host of a conscious lifestyle podcast.
- Dr. Beatrix Henkel – Educator, leadership coach, and co-founder of Hempy People, a Dubai-based initiative promoting innovative hemp-based solutions.
- Pooja Jain – Co-founder of Tamarind Clothing, designer, and advocate for Indian handicrafts and zero-waste design. Empaneled with India’s Handicraft Development Commission and an alumna of UAL.
💬 Let’s bring visibility to the makers who stitch our values into every garment. Be part of this vital conversation on innovation, creativity, craftsmanship, and fairness in fashion.
Register now to receive the online event link and join the movement.
🎨 #FR25 Beyond the Bin: Creative Fashion-Upcycling, Recycling & Jugaad
When waste meets creativity, fashion is transformed. This inspiring #FR25 panel explores how upcycling, recycling, and the spirit of jugaad (resourceful innovation) are reshaping the way we view fashion waste.
From discarded textiles to repurposed materials, join changemakers who are pushing boundaries and proving that fashion’s future can be beautifully circular. Dive into the power of creative reuse and discover how innovation, culture, and sustainability intersect in remarkable ways.
📅 Date & Time:
April 24th, 2025 | 6:00 PM GST
Online via Zoom – Free with registration
Host:
Poojitha Lakshman – Upcycling entrepreneur, stay-at-home mom, and sustainability advocate. She transforms discarded fabrics into unique pieces while championing a low-waste lifestyle and autism awareness.
🎙️ Speakers:
Akanksha Kaila Akashi – Founder of Refash, the world’s largest discovery platform for upcycled fashion. She’s on a mission to transform discarded materials into high-value, one-of-a-kind creations that redefine fashion waste.
Wen Hsiu Chang is the founder of Reconstructed by WHC, a UAE-based sustainable fashion startup redefining style through upcycled materials and ethical design. Passionate about innovation and impact, she empowers entrepreneurs to build purpose-driven, eco-conscious brands.
Jack Ostrowski is the founder of Yellow Octopus Circular Solutions. Serial entrepreneur and Impact Investor in circular infrastructure and reCommerce technology. Jack turns “commercial sustainability” into reality by building profitable business models dedicated to circular fashion. Yellow Octopus Group Ecosystem is a trusted provider of innovative sustainable solutions to leading global brands and retailers in the fashion industry. Multiple business awards’ recipient including The Queens’ Award for Enterprise, EDIE Sustainability Leaders Award and 2024 Drapers Awards. Jack holds Masters in Sustainability Leadership from Cambridge University.
✨ Whether you’re a designer, DIY upcycler, sustainability lover, or just curious—this session will inspire you to rethink what waste really means. Let’s turn the old into gold, and fashion into a force for good.
Register now to be part of the movement and join the revolution!
🌀#FR25 Are We Going Backwards? Sustainable Fashion vs. Ultra-Fast Fashion
Is the fashion industry making real progress—or losing ground to ultra-fast fashion? This critical #FR25 panel dives into the tension between sustainability and the rise of disposable fashion giants like Shein and Temu.
Join leading advocates, marketers, and changemakers as we examine how sustainable brands are navigating price wars, shifting consumer mindsets, and the overwhelming pace of trend-driven fashion. Together, we’ll explore innovative strategies to keep ethics, purpose, and people at the core of fashion’s future.
📅 Date & Time:
April 25th, 2025 | 6:00 PM GST
Online via Zoom – Free with registration
Host:
Ninoksha D’Souza – Creative strategist and sustainability lead at a UAE-based advertising regulatory board. She champions climate communication, combats greenwashing, and upskills brands for real change.
🎙️ Speakers:
Ayesha Siddequa – Founder of Ethical Elements, CSR consultant, and long-time ethical fashion advocate with 12+ years driving sustainability across business and design. Former Fashion Revolution UAE Country Coordinator.
Haniya Mansoor – Country Coordinator for Fashion Revolution Pakistan, leading the charge for transparency and ethics in South Asian fashion.
Saachi Sheth – Founder of The Conscious Circle, a purpose-driven marketing strategist helping ethical brands grow with impact and intention.
✨ Whether you’re in fashion, advocacy, marketing, or just care about what you wear—this conversation is a must. Let’s get real, get strategic, and move fashion forward.
Register today and be part of the revolution that doesn’t take fast for an answer.
🎊 #FR25 Celebrating the ‘Year of Community’: A Fashion Revolution Week Party
Let’s wrap up Fashion Revolution Week UAE 2025 the best way we know how—together! Join us for an unforgettable night of connection, music, mindful fashion, and celebration as we honor the spirit of community in this year’s #FR25 theme.
This all-ages, in-person gathering brings the UAE’s conscious fashion crowd under one roof for a feel-good evening filled with food, networking, and fun. Whether you’re a designer, activist, student, or fashion lover—this party is for you!
📅 Date & Time:
April 26th, 2025 | From 6:00 PM GST till late 💃🕺
📍 Location: Accents Restaurant & Terrace- InterContinental Dubai Marina
🧒 All ages welcome! Family-friendly event
🎉 What to expect:
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Meet & mingle with the UAE’s slow & sustainable fashion community
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Delicious food and drinks (pay as you go – order what you love!)
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Style spotting & fashion flair encouraged
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Music, dancing & joyful vibes all night long
✨ Come as you are, bring your friends, and let’s celebrate everything we’ve built together. It’s more than a party—it’s a movement.
Follow us for venue updates and get ready to dance the revolution into motion! 💫
♻️ #FR25 Fashion Revolution Clothes Swap – Refresh Your Wardrobe Sustainably!
Ready to mix up your wardrobe without buying new? Join us for the ultimate #FR25 Clothes Swap and discover the joy of circular fashion! Bring your gently used clothes, earn swap tokens, and walk away with pre-loved gems—no money spent, just good vibes and great style.
This is your chance to clear out what no longer serves you and find something that sparks joy… sustainably, of course!
📅 Date & Time:
April 27th, 2025 | 11:00 AM – 1:30 PM GST
📍Capital Education Dubai Campus, Onyx Towers 2, Dubai
👕💫 How it works:
✅ Bring clean, gently used clothes in good condition
✅ Receive tokens based on what you bring
✅ Use your tokens to swap for “new-to-you” pieces
🌿 Come connect with fellow fashion lovers and take part in a stylish, fun, and eco-friendly experience. Let’s reduce waste, embrace circular fashion, and make sustainability the new normal—one swap at a time.
#FRW25 #ClothesSwap #LovedClothesLast
and while we wait for the volunteers to sort and make our swap shop ready (by the way if you want to be part of the Swap Volunteers, let us know!), the one and only Poojitha Lakhsman will be showing us how to do Furoshiki wraps. Don’t miss it! Register here.
🎁 #FR25 Upcycling Workshop: Furoshiki Workshop
Let’s get hands-on and creative with this beautiful #FR25 workshop celebrating the art of sustainable wrapping! Join us to learn Furoshiki—the traditional Japanese technique of folding and tying fabric to wrap gifts, carry items, and style everyday essentials… without a single piece of tape or paper!
Led by upcycling expert Poojitha Lakshman, this workshop brings together culture, creativity, and circular fashion for a truly special experience.
📅 Date & Time:
April 27th, 2025 | 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM GST
📍 Capital Education Dubai Campus
Onyx Towers 2, Dubai
🎨 What you’ll learn:
✅ Traditional Furoshiki folding & tying methods
✅ Creative ways to use fabric for gift wrapping & more
✅ How to repurpose leftover textiles for everyday use
🌿 Bring your own scarf or fabric—or borrow one at the event! Let’s turn scrap into style and make wrapping beautiful and waste-free.
Perfect for all ages—come solo or bring a friend and wrap up your Fashion Revolution Week with creativity and intention.
#FRW25 #FuroshikiWrap #WasteFreeStyle
Fashion Revolution aims to raise awareness about the impact of the global fashion industry on the environment and people while inspiring a shift towards more sustainable consumer behavior. The events will engage industry leaders, educators, designers, academics, writers, marketers, producers, makers, workers, and fashion lovers in a collective effort to create a better future for fashion.
As a community-driven initiative, we want to thank our sponsors and supporters, the universities and schools, the designers, the hobbyists, the makers, the creators.. and above all, our Volunteers!
The fashion industry is one of the largest and most powerful industries in the world, with a significant impact on the environment, workers, and communities. However, it is also an industry that has the potential to be a force for good. By joining the Fashion Revolution UAE community, you can help us create a more sustainable and equitable future for fashion.
For further information and interview requests, please contact: Araceli Gallego, Country Coordinator, Fashion Revolution UAE: uae@fashionrevolution.org +971 55 5752608 and follow the event on social media @fash_revuae using the hashtags #FRw2025 #FashionRevolutionWeek2025 #WhoMadeMyClothes, #WhatsInMyClothes, and #LovedClotheslast.
Meet the Team
Araceli Gallego – Fashion Revolution UAE Country Coordinator
Aizza Soberano-Kashesh Bhatia- Jane Olivia- Anwita- Hannah- Nasreen -Poojitha Lakhsman- Abdullah
Sana, Sonam & Ayesha from Ethical Elements- Armelle Montmayeur- Habiba Bien- Pauline Doctolero- Rachel Vuong- Seema
Some snapshots of previous editions
✨ FRW2023 ✨✨ FRW2021 ✨FR2021 BTS
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Fashion Revolution is only nine years old and already the world’s largest fashion activism movement.
We will continue to push for greater transparency through investigative research, inspiring informative content and creative events, but we need your help.
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