Dubai by Design

It was in 2013 when the Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, envisioned a purpose-built neighbourhood focused entirely on nurturing emerging Emirati design talent and providing a home for the region’s creative thinkers. The result was the Dubai Design District, popularly known as d3.

One cannot underscore the need for d3. For decades, as the Emirate of Dubai grew from modest beginnings into a cultural and economic powerhouse for the region, the influx of design talent has had a strong influence on awakening Emirati designers. An incubator of this sort has been long sought after, what with the design industry in the Middle East worth around $2.3 billion in 2014.

Conceived as a creative ecosystem, far from the madding crowd, yet with spectacular views of the Burj Khalifa, d3 consists of industrial warehouses, side-street art houses, pop-up galleries and small individual run cottage industries.

It is not lost on the government of Dubai that most similar projects have grown organically over years, even decades. Toronto’s Distillery District for example took decades to achieve its current stable economic and diverse existence. Such projects, however, build upon an existing infrastructure based on decades or centuries old structures and areas. Dubai needed to make the same happen with a lack of similar options, hence the mandate became to build the infrastructure quickly, and let the community be the catalyst for organic growth. This has worked in the city’s favour, providing people with a built-up area has allowed for instant – or should I say ‘pop-up’ – participation en-masse.

Dubai’s technology and media free zone authority (Part of TECOM Investments) is investing over four billion dirhams into this first phase of d3, followed by Chalhoub Group’s moving its regional headquarters to the District. Chalhoub acknowledged the design business in the UAE is forecast to be worth nearly $36 billion over the coming four years, which is why the fashion giant (they hold the agency for Louis Vuitton and Fendi for the UAE) wants to move there. In fact, in its initial call for investors, d3 received over 500 expressions of interest. This is sound business when one considers that d3 is expected to help Dubai generate $83 billion and 20 million tourists anticipated by 2020.

Much of the hype behind d3 is focused on what exactly the 21 million square foot development will be able to achieve for the design economy.

The focus is shifting from the usual Dubai project expectations that surrounded the Dubai Media and Internet Cities, towards a more holistic vision of how d3 will influence the lives and culture of the Emirate.

Speaking of culture, the walls of the district are not just cement and glass – d3 is a living, breathing community of artists, designers and creative minds accessing a space that is also open to global brands, studios and ateliers, entrepreneurs and freelancers.

To further stamp d3’s presence as the premier destination for the creative community, the District partnered with the inaugural of Dubai Design Week (DDW) in October this year.

Held under the Patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice Chairman of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, DDW’s importance was underscored by the support it garnered from both the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (DCAA), and the Dubai Design and Fashion Council (DDFC), key players in the journey Dubai’s cultural community is taking.

DDW’s events were spread over six days, with pop-up bars and restaurants, hipster food trucks – a new trend in Dubai that has quickly taken the Emirate by storm – and of course art galleries featuring the works of local and regional designers, photographers, videographers and digital artists.

The pop-up business concept is a new one in the Emirate, featuring a blend of creative offerings, such as food, crafts and services which include hair-styling, fashion and lifestyle, all with a conceptual marketing element. Relying primarily on word of mouth and social trends to drive footfall, pop-up cultures are marketing’s ‘bad boys with bikes’ in Dubai’s saturated advertising and POS market, which is quickly running out of new ways to feature brands in a small city.

Topping off the week was the Ripe Market, Dubai’s home-grown farmers’ market, now in its fourth year and offering local food artisans, family pop-ups and aficionados a space to showcase the best there is about what nature’s nutritious goodness has to offer, in an artful setting.

Speaking to some of the artists, we learned that a common misconception about designers is that their choice of career was to design beautiful and interesting forms or objects of expression. In their opinion, however, designers exist to give shape to an idea that has long been formed in their minds. DDW allowed them to explore the journey of that idea and not the destination they said. Countries featured at DDW included: Jordan, Kuwait, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates.

The Pakistan Pavilion was part of the country pavilions set up at DDW and took pride of place next to the UAE’s own pavilion on the main promenade. The hosts were Pakistani architect Salman Jawed and Hina Fancy, a textile designer and fine artist.

The Pavilion’s focus was to showcase glimpses and moments of ancient and traditional Pakistani board and leisure games in action, as enjoyed by millions throughout the centuries, using an artistic twist. It was called Daalaan, a place made for Pakistanis to entertain and interact with each other, based on the central courtyard where all doors lead to. The Pavilion represented the essence of Pakistanis, with the games showcasing their spirit, sounds and openness and finally friendliness.

DDW also featured the Global Graduate Show, focusing on installations by the world’s leading design schools. Comprised of 47 projects, the Show was divided into six categories: Construction, Play, Home, Health, Memory and Work.

DDW turned out to be six full days of the human mind’s creative impulse unleashed in the salad bowl of cultures that is Dubai. We can’t wait for the 2016 edition.

Anthony J. Permal is a marketing specialist based in Dubai.
@anthonypermal or @marketingdude