The second edition of Arka Fashion Week, the trailblazing event with a mission to democratize the country’s fashion, is all set to captivate the audiences from June 13 to 16 at the Aloki Convention Centre, Tejgaon in the capital.
Held between October 26-28 last year, the maiden edition of the Arka Fashion Week took the city by storm. With a staggering footfall of over 7000 people, the event proved to be extremely popular, especially among the youth.
Inspired by the success of last time, this unique initiative of Arka Studio will once again reaffirm its commitment to providing equitable opportunities to all kinds of designers and brands, the organizers of the fashion event said at a press conference on Tuesday, held at the venue of the fashion week.
The press conference was joined by Arka Fashion Week’s founder Asad Sattar, alongside co-organizers Aumia Khundkar, and Sk Saifur Rahman. Representing Azra Mahmood Talent Camp for Face of Bangladesh (the national competition of Face of Asia), Dewan Sajid Afzal was also present at the press event.
Breaking down the details of the four-day fashion week, the organizers at the press conference said that the prime intention of this unique fashion event is to initiate an appropriate and world-class fashion week, with several different offerings for the fashion enthusiasts in the country.
“Arka Fashion Week's main goal is for Bangladesh to transition from exporting clothing to exporting fashion, with the goal of seeing Bangladeshi retail labels and companies contribute to the export of culture. These changes in the fashion and textile industries will elevate our country's profile and strengthen our economy, as we want to see ‘Designed in Bangladesh’ tags attached to our fashion elements, besides our hard-earned ‘Made in Bangladesh’ tags,” Asad Sattar said at the event.
The event will feature specially curated runway shows, clothes and accessories by the country’s best brands and designers, and most importantly, the event will continue to be a place for fashion-savvy individuals to express their sense of style, the organizers said. The event will once again have a food zone and diverse musical performances every night, along with its other exciting offerings - a dedicated Marketplace, an innovative Design Lab, The Runway and several exhibitions and seminars on different fashion-related topics.
The Marketplace, the heart of the event, will house entrepreneurs and brands made in Bangladesh, which work with fashion, fashion accessories, and fashion-related products. A core philosophy to expect among the brands to be found in the Marketplace is sustainability. Most participants of Arka Fashion Week Marketplace are small boutiques and/or e-commerce/f-commerce brands, according to the organizers.
This year, a couple of new segments, workshops and seminars will be introduced at the Arka FW, to cover all aspects of fashion including the challenges and issues faced by the industry. The fashion week this year will facilitate an exhibition concerning Tangail weaving and ways to preserve the traditional art of handloom textiles.
The first of seminars, ‘Tangail Tant Weaving the Future: The Role of Tradition in Contemporary Fashion’ will be held on June 14 at 2:40 pm to 3:30 pm and set to be moderated by Zeeshan Kingshuk Huq; the second seminar will take place on June 15 at 2:40 pm - 3:10 pm titled ‘The New Vanguard: Empowering Next-Gen Leadership in Bangladesh's RMG Sector’ and will be moderated by Asad Sattar; the third seminar will be held after that during 3:20 pm - 3:50 pm titled ‘Fashion Forward: Crafting the Future of Bangladesh's Fashion Education’ which will be moderated by SK Saifur Rahman and the fourth seminar titled ‘What Contemporary Consumers Actually Want: Gaps in Retail’ will be moderated by Aumia Khundkar on June 16 at 3:20 pm to 3:50 pm.
With a goal to integrate Tangail Tant into the contemporary design conversation, Arka Fashion Week has connected seven emerging artists with the weaver community to create a collaborative exhibition that showcases the deep history, current artistic practices, and future possibilities of Tangail Tant. Led by Nawshin Khair, Sk Saifur Rahman, Tahsin N Choudhury, and curated by Jewel A Rob, the results of the initiative, titled Tangail Tant Exhibition, will be exhibited at this fashion event, with the participation of artists Tulsi Rani Das; Asif Iftekhar; Tanisha Tasnim Kuasha; Anika Tasnim Anup; Sarah Jabin; Mohosin Kabir; and Najmun Nahar Keya. The inauguration of this unique exhibition will take place on the fashion week’s inaugural day at 5 pm.
Several concerts will also mesmerize the music lovers across the four days of this fashion event. The schedule features Firoz Jong and Karnival on the inaugural night; Muza on Friday, Indalo on Saturday and EDM (artists TBA) on its closing night on Sunday.
On the fashion week’s inaugural day at 5 pm, the special modeling competition ‘Face of Bangladesh’ will take place. ‘Face of Bangladesh’ is the national competition of ‘Face of Asia’ that takes place at the Asia Model Festival in South Korea, and this year’s winners will be traveling to South Korea in October for Face of Asia 2024, Road to Gangwon Land.
The second edition of Arka Fashion Week will welcome everyone from 11 am to 10 pm every day, and the festivity will conclude on Sunday, June 16.