Retail Abu Dhabi festival will celebrate collections and collectors with exciting line-up of consumer experiences, brand activations, exclusives, and live performances from 7 – 16 October
Abu Dhabi will catapult to the forefront of global collectors’ attentions this week, with the inaugural Abu Dhabi Collectors’ Week – a city-wide festival celebrating collectors and collections, which will take place from 7 – 16 October. The event will amplify the UAE capital’s allure as a world-renowned destination for unique collector and retail-based experiences.
Conceived by Retail Abu Dhabi, the retail platform of the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), to strengthen the emirate’s positioning as a key destination for immersive brand experiences and all-things exclusive and desirable for collectors, the 10-day Abu Dhabi Collectors’ Week event will provide collectors and visitors with access to bespoke collectors’ items, limited-edition products, exclusive product launches, only-in-Abu Dhabi brand activations, live performances and much more.
“The inaugural Abu Dhabi Collectors’ Week is set to underline the emirate’s reputation as an innovation hub for the region’s design and creative industries, recognising the importance of collectors in the consumer economy and celebrating them. The festival will include a remarkable array of uniquely diverse programming and in-person experiences which celebrate collectors and their passions,” said HE Ali Hassan Al Shaiba, Executive Director of Tourism and Marketing at DCT Abu Dhabi.
Abu Dhabi Collectors’ Week will kick-off with The Collective, a series of four immersive experiences in association with a host of exciting brands and influencers. The Collective will be unveiled at an exclusive Collectors’ Prom and will be showcased at Hudayriyat Island from 9 – 16 October. Experiences include The Sneaker Lab; superstar influencer and content creator Mo Vlogs’ supercar collection; an exclusive, first-of-its-kind NFT collection exhibition; and an immersive Collectors’ Room that explores the stories and emotions behind the art of collecting, which will be hosted at Manarat Al Saadiyat from the 14 – 16 October.
Semi Permanent Middle East, the region’s first creativity and design festival will close Abu Dhabi Collectors’ Week. Taking place 14 – 16 October at Manarat Al Saadiyat, Semi Permanent Middle East will bring exclusive, new-to-the-region brand retrospectives, branded culinary experiences, as well as art exhibitions and installations by some of the world’s leading contemporary artists.
The stellar international talent line-up includes more than 20 leading international collectors, designers and entertainers, including Grammy and Academy Award-winning musician Mark Ronson, who will perform a live DJ set; Daniel Arsham, the leading designer with creations spanning sculpture, architecture, drawing and film; Refik Anadol, the Turkish-American new media artist and designer; and Aaron Rose, the American film director, artist, exhibition curator and writer. The Middle East’s hottest creative talent is also onboard, including Lebanese singer and visual artist Dana Hourani; the German-born designer of Air Max fame Bunyamin Aydin; and Hussain AlMoosawi, an Emirati communication designer and photographer. The event will also feature the international debut of renowned culinary space The Flower Shop, with the brand’s first-ever F&B pop-up outside of the USA.
Abu Dhabi Collectors’ Week will activate across the UAE capital through a series of city-wide retail and culinary activations, including a first-in-Abu Dhabi Supper Club in collaboration with Faisal Al Khoori, the Emirati collector personality renowned in the world of collectors for his extensive luxury watch collection; a branded culinary experience in collaboration with the world’s first and only all-women supercar club Arabian Gazelles; and an immersive culinary experience by Dior in collaboration with Michelin starred French pastry chef Julien Dugourd, who will reinterpret the mysterious ‘Diorama Gourmand’ menu.
“Being a lifelong watch collector, I am delighted to have the opportunity to participate in the first-ever destination-wide event paying homage to collectors and to be able to share my story of how I have grown my collection over the years,” said Emirati watch collector and designer, Faisal Al Khoori. “Abu Dhabi Collectors’ Week will undoubtedly curate new and exciting collectors’ experiences, providing a unique platform for collectors such as myself to inspire existing and aspiring collectors, so they can experience the joy of building their own unique collections.”
In celebration of the ‘Year of the 50th’ and to commemorate the UAE’s milestone golden jubilee, Abu Dhabi Collectors’ Week will also see a curated exhibition titled ‘50 Extraordinary Objects’ featuring rare pieces from the personal collections of a select group of VIP Emirati collectors, including handbags, watches, jewellery, and womenswear assembled from the biggest names in global fashion, giving enthusiasts a glimpse into some of the most prestigious private collections. The exclusive display will be hosted at Manarat Al Saadiyat from 14-16 October and will be supported by the launch of a unique, luxury coffee table book – a must-have collectible in itself – which will reveal the stories behind many of the items featured in the collections.
The festival will be further supported by collection launches at leading malls across Abu Dhabi, including a Breitling pop-up to celebrate the launch of its latest capsule collection, an exclusive preview of Dolce & Gabbana’s FW21 runway collection, a unique shoppable pop-up experience introducing FILA in Abu Dhabi for the first time, tying in with the brand’s 110th birthday celebration, and more.
In support of DCT Abu Dhabi’s ongoing domestic and international tourism objectives, Abu Dhabi Collectors’ Week aims to strengthen the emirate’s position as a key destination for exclusive shopping experiences, recreational initiatives and unique culinary activations. Abu Dhabi Collectors’ Week will be held under DCT Abu Dhabi’s ongoing Go Safe Certification initiative, which continues to apply strict health and safety protocols in line with Government of Abu Dhabi directives.
General admission tickets to Semi Permanent Middle East are now on sale at https://semipermanent.com/events/middle-east-2021. For more information, please visit https://retailabudhabi.ae/collectors-week/
