ARKA Fashion Week 2023: Celebrating the vibrant spirit of Bangladeshi fashion

Fashion is a reflection of culture, art, and self-expression, and in Bangladesh, the fashion scene is no less dynamic. This year, the ARKA Fashion Week 2023 is captivating fashion enthusiasts and industry insiders alike. The three-day extravaganza is taking place from 26 to 28 October at Aloki Convention Center, 211 Tejgaon Link Road, from 11 AM to 10 PM.

ARKA Fashion Week, the brainchild of Asad Sattar, founder of ARKA Studio, aims to offer equitable opportunities to local fashion designers and elevate Bangladesh's fashion industry by promoting local brands and fostering cultural exports.

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Asad explains, "Young designers of our country deserve to have a platform where they can showcase their designs and compete with the big retailers. So, with the ARKA Fashion Week, young entrepreneurs and designers can bring fresh ideas to the table and sell their creativity and brands, not just in Bangladesh but in the global market."

The event includes a marketplace showcasing sustainable fashion products, a food zone, and a design lab that will allow participants to customise products using different techniques as well as music concerts to immerse the visitors in a festive vibe along with an exhibition curated by Shehzad Chowdhury and Adrita Mahin Khan on the theme "analogue to digital."

An exclusive and invite-only two-day fashion show is set to take place — highlighting young designers and talent from design institutions. This segment, with a total of eight shows, is being held on October 27 and 28. Designers with Bangladeshi roots who are now based in the US or Europe are also taking part, and the runway will feature 15 design students from design institutions.

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Aumia Khundkar, Managing Editor of Ice Today, states, "ARKA Fashion Week hosts young designers having bursts of energy and different vision. So, you will find clothes that you tend to wear on a regular basis, and this is one of the main features of this event — it promotes contemporary fashion and intends to see Bangladesh graduate from exporting garments to exporting fashion."

The fashion industry thrives on fresh perspectives and new voices, and ARKA Fashion Week serves as a launchpad for young designers to make their mark.

A mother-daughter duo, Rabeya Begum and Israt Nahar are participating in the event with their clothing brand, Vintage All The Way. "The clothes we bring are vintage and recycled, which have been either used, thrown away or rejected by garment factories. So, we upcycle and bring them to life," Israt informs.

Aranya Crafts, a locally grown brand participating in the event, uses natural ingredients to make the products and has brought a beautiful hand-stitched kantha sari to be showcased. Assistant Manager of Aranya Crafts, Sumaiya Hossain Seoul, says, "We use natural dye instead of chemical colours, and this is one of our specialities — nature is our inspiration, and we mostly feature hand-crafted products."

ARKA Fashion Week houses a food zone as well, offering a diverse variety of food and a choice of different cuisines.

Afsan Sattar — owner of Ganachery, specialising in baked desserts — emphasises, "This event is about the fusion of food and innovation. There are many people experimenting with interesting combinations of food, such as Korean-Bangladeshi fusion, French-Bangladeshi fusion and whatnot! It feels good to see that innovation goes beyond fashion and influences food as well."   

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As part of the opening day at ARKA Fashion Week, the pageant competition, Miss and Mister Celebrity Bangladesh 2024 was organised on 26 October. Sajria Tabassum Proma and Rajiul Islam Shadhin have been announced as the winners of the titles, Miss and Mister Celebrity Bangladesh 2024 respectively.

From traditional saris to contemporary streetwear, Bangladeshi fashion caters to a diverse range of tastes and preferences. ARKA Fashion Week aims to showcase this diversity and present it in a way that resonates with both local and international audiences.   

According to the organisers, ARKA Fashion Week will return again and is scheduled to take place bi-annually. Currently, the general entry tickets are priced at Tk 100 and can be secured from tickets.arkafw.com.

For more information, visit: https://www.facebook.com/arkafashionweek