19 local designers to hit Malta Fashion Week

Around 19 local designers will be showcasing their work to the public during the seventh edition of the Malta Fashion Week, alongside international designers from Serbia, Italy, France, Romania and Greece.

Apart from fashion shows and fashion parties, this year’s edition of the Malta Fashion Week and Awards also includes exhibitions, presentations and showrooms in which designers will be display their pieces and network with other industry professionals.

Malta Fashion Week, supported by the Valletta 2018 Foundation, is taking place between 22 and 27 May at Fort St Elmo, Valletta.

“Valletta 2018 is proud to have the Mercedes-Benz Malta Fashion Week included in its European Capital of Culture Programme in the run up to 2018,” Valletta 2018 Foundation chairperson Jason Micallef said.

“It attracts crowds of over 13,000 people to attend and participate in Malta’s most prestigious fashion event. Malta Fashion Week is, with every edition, raising the bar for Malta’s fashion industry and putting it on the international map. This proves that such projects are sustainable and will have a lasting legacy up to 2018 and beyond.”

Micallef added that fashion is a major contributor to the world’s visual culture and this event provides a platform for local talent to showcase their artistry.

On his part, Malta Fashion Week chairperson Adrian J. Mizzi said that the main objective of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Malta and Chamilia Fashion Awards has always been to create an international platform for Maltese artistic talent to reach a more global audience.

“This has been made possible through the kind support of many volunteers, corporate sponsors and government entities like Valletta 2018, Arts Council Malta and Heritage Malta,” he said, adding that what was needed now was more determined investments to help the local industry take things to an even more professional level.

Arts Council Malta is funding the Malta Fashion Association, which supports the participation of local young emerging fashion designers in the Malta Fashion Week, through the Cultural Partnership Agreement.

“This investment adds value to our wide range of 11 partnerships with the creative sector whilst upholding our commitment to support the development of creative professionals and their artistic excellence”, Toni Attard, director of strategy at Arts Council Malta, said.

He added that the Malta Fashion Week serves as an important platform for the designers’ creative growth particularly in terms of networking, exposure and visibility in the local and international scene.