TUESDAY, 28th JULY, 2015 | SALA ROSSA (RED HALL) / TURIN

Strategic Partner
Photo credit to Citta' Di Torino
TUESDAY, 28th JULY, 2015
30 / 100 / 100 / 50
0 / 100 / 100 / 0
0 / 80 / 100 / 0
0 / 40 / 90 / 0
|
SALA ROSSA (RED HALL) / TURIN TOWN HALL
PIAZZA PALAZZO DI CITTÀ, 1 – TURIN
27th July 2015
19.30 – 22.00
EXCLUSIVE DINNER RECEPTION
28th July 2015
08.30 – 09.00
REGISTRATION & NETWORKING
09.00 – 09.05
WELCOME ADDRESS
Piero Fassino, Mayor of Turin
Licia Mattioli, President of the Unione Industriale of Turin and Vice
President Confindustria for Internationalization and Investment attraction
09.05 – 09.10
OPENING REMARKS
Abdulla Al Awar, CEO, Dubai Islamic Economy Development Centre (DIEDC)
09.10 – 09.15
DISCUSSION LEADER REMARKS
Mustafa Adil, Acting Head of Islamic Finance, Thomson Reuters
09.15 – 11.00
WHO’S DOING WHAT? MAPPING THE MODEST FASHION
ECOSYSTEM
Discussion Points:
Identify the leading brands and businesses operating specifically under
the Modest Fashion label. This should include the entire value chain, from
designers to manufacturers.
Identify other leading brands and businesses already contributing to the
sector but that are not specifically categorised as ‘Modest Fashion’
providers. This should include the entire value chain, from designers
to manufacturers.
Identify weak points: At which part of the Modest Fashion value chain is
there a missing or weak link that needs more attention or further developments?
This might differ from one country to another.
Given the above discussions, what are the general prerequisites to create
a robust Modest Fashion cluster or ecosystem?
How to leverage the strengths of different economies.
Moderator: Abdulla Al Awar, CEO, Dubai Islamic Economy Development
Centre (DIEDC)
Speakers: Afia R Fitriati, Senior Associate, DinarStandard
Silvio Cattaneo, President, Fashion Artisan Confederation
CNA Federmoda
11.00 – 11.30
REFRESHMENTS & NETWORKING BREAK
11.30 – 13.15
BEYOND REPROACH: ESTABLISHING ETHICAL STANDARDS
AND CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE FOR MODEST FASHION
Discussion Points:
Identify end-to-end (from design to point of sale) ethical business practices
and processes in order to uphold the Islamic mandate throughout the
value chain. At this stage, this would involve issues related to products
and processes involving halal/Islamic/ethical-certified raw materials and
manufacturing.
Is there opportunity for Islamic Economy stakeholders to set a global
Islamic/Ethical certification akin to Fair Trade?
Will a better alignment of Modest Fashion practices with the more mainstream
ethical standards help to change negative Islamic/Islam-related perceptions?
Can we at this stage in the sector’s development start to also map Modest
Fashion’s upstream and downstream within a supportive paradigm of the
Islamic Economy? For example, is the leather used for Modest Fashion
downstream from the halal meat sector? Is financing/funding Shariahcompliant? Are designers and marketers working in partnership with
the halal travel and tourism sector to organise fashion festivals and
shopping experiences?
Can we set minimum ethical standards that industry players need to
adhere to? What should they be?
What are the challenges to implement these ethical standards? What are
the things that can be done to lower the barriers and encourage better
compliance of ethical standards?
Identify issues and growth constraints that arise due to lack of policies
and standardisation in the sector, as well as moving forward when these
standards are in place.
Recognise the very diverse nature of the sector. Should standardisation be
made on a global or regional level?
Moderator: Saeed Kharbash, Head of Strategy and Planning, Dubai
Islamic Economy Development Centre (DIEDC)
Speakers:
Alia Khan, Chairwoman, Islamic Fashion Design Council
(IFDC)
Jaafar Malik, Founder, Shukr
Massimo Lapucci, Secretary General, Fondazione CRT
13.15 – 14.30
LUNCH AND PRAYER BREAK
14.30 – 16.15
GOING GLOBAL: BUILDING MODEST FASHION BRANDS
Discussion Points:
What are the local brands that have achieved scale within their domestic
markets?
What are the key constraints that limit the growth of local brands to international
level? Funding/Financing? Sociocultural differences? Others?
Identify global-level issues that relate directly or indirectly, to this sector.
(example: hijab ban in France, negative perception of Islam, etc.)
Which is the best approach to reach a broader market? Marketing Modest
Fashion as a faith-based positioning (this not only includes Muslims, but
also people of other faiths who believe that dressing modestly is an element
of their faith) or positioning modesty as a personal choice outside of
religious considerations?
Many markets often incorporate cultural elements in their fashion offerings
(Indonesian batik, for example). Can a brand have cultural or national
elements and reach a global market at the same time? What are the
factors needed to achieve this successfully?
Muslim consumers’ e-commerce expenditure was approximately $4.8 billion in
2013, according to studies by Thomson Reuters and DinarStandard.
What are the digital/e-commerce opportunities for the Modest Fashion
sector to grow cross-border? What are the constraints?
Sharing of best practices in light of the previous discussions in all three
sessions.
Moderator: Dr. Sayd Farook, Projects Advisor, Dubai Islamic Economy
Development Centre (DIEDC)
Speakers:
16.15 – 16.20
Rabia Zargarpur, President and Creative Designer, Rabia Z
Romanna Bint Abubaker, CEO & Founder, Haute Arabia
Alberto Brugnoni, Founder and Chairman ASSAIF
CLOSING REMARKS
Ing. Dott Gianmarco Montanari, Managing Director, City of Turin
Ph. Roberto Cortese/Archivio Storico Città di Torino
SESSION BRIEFINGS
Objectives
The objective of the sessions in the GIES SERIES is to arrive at meaningful actions that the industry can
take at a collective level, at the minimum, and collectively agree upon a resolution for a way forward
for a key issue or challenge facing the industry. The Discussion Leader will steer the conversations
on what can be done, who should be responsible and how it should be done. If that involves
the members of the Roundtable, and agreement can be reached as to their respective roles
and what the action plan should be, then the GIES Series will have achieved its objectives.
Parties Involved and their Roles
Discussion Leader: Will open up the topic, set the context for the discussion, and ask the right
questions to the right participants and summarise the key issues and resolutions as discussed by
the Roundtable.
Speaker(s): Chosen speakers will provide a set of opening remarks on the specified session topic.
Participants: All other members of the Roundtable who will be participating in the discussion.
Format of Sessions
1. Discussion leader will start by laying out specific gaps / problems to be addressed
2. The allocated speaker(s) for the topic (‘Speaker’) will provide 5-10 minutes of opening remarks
that form the basis of the discussion
3. Discussion Leader will work with Participants and Speakers to identify a few solutions
a. Merits of proposed solutions
b. Key barriers to implementing proposed solutions
c. Identification of relevant stakeholders
d. Who needs to be responsible for taking the lead at i) industry; ii) national; and iii)
international levels
4. Following the discussion, Participant Q&A about Speaker comments, barriers to implementation, key stakeholders overlooked, and cost / benefit of specific proposals
5. Final show-of-hands vote using the same format (reading all solutions, followed by a show of
hands vote when they are repeated one-by-one).
6. Key is to arrive at conclusive recommendations or action plan that can advance the development
of the industry.
Global Muslim consumer spending on clothing and footwear reached $266 billion in 2013,
representing 11.9% of global clothing and footwear expenditure. If this market were a
country, it would be ranked third after the largest two in the world – the U.S. ($494 billion)
and China ($285 billion). Muslim expenditure on clothing is expected to reach $488 billion by
2019. Top countries with Muslim consumer clothing consumption (based on 2013 data) are
Turkey ($39.3 billion), United Arab Emirates ($22.5 billion), Indonesia ($18.8 billion), and Iran
($17.1 billion). Within this larger Muslim consumer spend on clothing, the Modest Fashion
industry is rapidly growing, its make up consisting of disparate Muslim economies with a
variety of socio-cultural preferences.
The UAE, China, and Italy lead the Modest Fashion Indicator (MFI), which evaluates 72
countries’ health and development of their Modest Fashion ecosystem. The MFI was first
introduced in the Global Islamic Economy Report 2014/2015 by Thomson Reuters
and DinarStandard. The Index measures three metrics: Supply drivers relative to country
size (clothing export to OIC countries); Awareness (number of news articles and events); and
Social (clothing pricing index and labour fairness index).
Ph. Roberto Cortese/Archivio Storico Città di Torino
Session 1: Who’s doing what? Mapping the Modest Fashion Ecosystem
The fragmented modest fashion market creates a challenge for players in different countries to scale
and expand into other regions. Nevertheless, this diversity is an asset that can be leveraged by
establishing collaborations and synergies among players in different markets. A blueprint to
create a sustainable industry ecosystem is therefore necessary for the future growth of the industry.
The clothing industry value chain involves: designers; raw materials suppliers; clothing manufacturers;
distribution channels; financial services; and marketing and sales eco-system, including media and
events catering to modest fashion. Since the modest fashion industry is still in its infancy, there are
points along the value chain that remain underdeveloped. Identifying these points is the first step
towards improving the whole value chain.
Further, an effort towards promoting collaboration and healthy competition (‘co-opetition’) is necessary
to foster collective growth in this fragmented market. Cross-border networking and collaboration can enable
market players to tap into opportunities in other geographic areas or share and locate resources
which may otherwise be unavailable in certain areas.
General Overview of the Muslim Fashion Ecosystem:
OIC countries represent 7% of global clothing imports ($64 billion) and 14.9% of global clothing
exports ($28 billion).
The UAE, China, and Italy lead the Modest Fashion Indicator (MFI), which evaluates 72
countries’ health and development of their modest fashion ecosystem. These three countries
are also the top clothing exporters to OIC countries.
The UAE (No.1) and Turkey (No. 4) are the only OIC countries in the MFI Top 10 list.
Source: Global Islamic Economy Report 2013 and 2014
Key issues to resolve:
Looking at the modest fashion value chain, what are the biggest gaps faced by designers,
manufacturers and retailers in fulfilling market demands?
Which issues are more pressing for industry players: supply side (ex: ensuring continuous and
consistent supply of materials) or demand side (ex: marketing and distribution)?
What are the challenges that have impeded market players to achieve scale (both in revenue and
geographic reach)?
Is obtaining funding in this space a major problem? What are the specific issues?
How can Muslim designers and producers compete and win the modest fashion market over
cheap mass-produced products, such as from China?
What kinds of quality assurance standards are currently employed by industry players?
How can governments help to facilitate the growth of the modest fashion sector in their
respective countries?
Can the media do more to empower this sector?
Possible Solutions:
To turn value chain gaps into collaboration opportunities: Develop a modest fashion
industry association or a centralized database of stakeholders to identify collaboration
opportunities in key areas.
To narrow value chain gaps among industry players: Conduct regular workshops where
sector players can be educated in certain key areas in the value chain.
To address varying requirements of different markets: Develop a shared database of
key markets’ requirements.
To maintain competitiveness in the global market: Develop specialization and expertise
in certain verticals, especially in underserved niche markets.
To forge better collaboration with the media: Develop a shared list of media outlets that
cater to modest fashion, and a checklist of submission criteria.
To address difficulties in obtaining funding: Integrate finance know-how in workshops
and other educational programs.
Session 2: Beyond reproach - Establishing Ethical Standards and Centres
of Excellence for Modest Fashion
With the growth of the modest fashion sector, criticisms arise about the integrity of the Islamic
principles that underline and uphold the industry; unethical practices can limit the future growth of
this thriving industry. Standards and centres of excellence that operate and oversee this sector are
therefore imperative. It is important to privilege dialogue and discussions on ethical standards that
uphold the Islamic mandate of fairness, justice and equity, and set these standards while the market
is still nascent to preempt future complications (such as those that have arisen in the halal food
sector with regard to certification, for example).
The modest fashion sector would need to confront head-on the full integrity of its value chain.
However, given that the industry is still at its nascent stage and the market players generally fall
under the small-medium enterprise (SME) category, ethical requirements ideally should be set at a
level that does not create extra burden for entrepreneurs in this sector. Stakeholders should carefully
balance a variety of considerations in establishing these standards, such as: impact to value chain,
impact to market growth, and costs involved.
Key Stats: Ethical Fashion – The Next Frontier
Women with relatively low skills represent on average 68% of the workforce in the clothing
industry, 45% in textiles, and 46% in the leather and footwear industries. In some countries
women can make up as high as 90% of the employees in these industries (Source: UNIDO).
170 million children are engaged in child labour, with many making textiles and garments to
satisfy the demand of consumers in the U.S., Europe and beyond. China, India, Pakistan,
Bangladesh, Egypt, Uzbekistan and Thailand are particularly notorious for child labour in the
textile and garment industry (Source: ILO).
After the Rana Plaza tragedy in Bangladesh, in which an eight-storey commercial building
collapsed and killed more than 1,100 people, 200 apparel brands have signed The Accord
on Fire Building and Safety in Bangladesh. Potentially, this Accord can be a blueprint for other
countries (Source: Fashion United).
Key issues to resolve:
What ethical issues plague the modest fashion industry today?
Following on from the previous question, what issues should be prioritized when building and
growing a modest fashion business?
How can universal Islamic values such as fairness, justice and equity be better reflected and
applied in the value chain of a modest fashion business?
Has the time come for industry players to set a minimum ethical standard for the modest
fashion sector?
Following on from the above questions, can such standards be introduced at a global level?
What are the potential obstacles in implementing such standards amongst market players?
What can be done to lower the barriers and encourage better compliance of ethical standards?
Possible Solutions:
To identify ethical issues relating to the sector: Regular conferences and seminars to
share ethical issues at various stages of the modest clothing value chain, discuss case studies
and identify possible solutions.
To argue a strong case for ethical standards: Conduct or commission a s t u d y t h a t
a n a l y z e s the economic benefits of implementation of ethical standards in the modest
clothing section.
To establish ethical standards in the modest clothing sector: Establish a task force
comprising different sector stakeholders to determine minimum ethical standards for industry
players.
To encourage compliance of ethical requirements: In collaboration with fashion media
outlets, set up a reward system for best practices of ethical industry players.
To build leadership of the modest fashion industry in the larger ethical fashion space:
Forge collaboration with relevant NGOs and activist groups.
Session 3: Going global - Building Modest Fashion Brands
In spite of the huge market potential, there are currently no global-level brands in modest fashion.
The goal of this session is to discuss the pre-requisites necessary to build global brands in this sector.
Several characteristics of a global fashion brand are:
A brand persona that resonates with a significant size of the world’s population
Ability to scale and fulfill demand in key markets
Ability to adapt and adjust to different markets’ requirements and preferences without losing
core brand identity
Key Stats: Where are the global Muslim fashion brands?
20% of hijab-wearing young women in Southeast Asia cited Zara as their favourite international
fashion brand, followed by H&M at 10%. Other brands cited are Forever 21, Guess, Levi’s, Mango,
Giordano, Gap, Uniqlo, Calvin Klein, Top Shop and Burberry (Source: Asean Confidential)
Turkey is the largest Muslim clothing consumption market ($39.3 billion), followed by the UAE
($22.5 billion) and Indonesia ($18.8 billion). In terms of e-commerce potential, West Europe
and MENA/GCC are the regions with the highest potential of Muslim clothing spend at $1.30
billion and $1.05 billion, respectively.
Source: State of Global Islamic Economy 2014-2015 Report
Key issues to resolve:
How difficult is it for modest/Muslim fashion brands to break into new markets?
What factors are limiting the expansion of modest/Muslim fashion brands to other markets?
How are geopolitical issues affecting the potential growth of Muslim-owned brands?
Is cross-marketing to other religious groups a good idea? Why or why not?
Key issues to resolve:
Should Muslim fashion brands adopt a more mainstream positioning to appeal to a larger
customer base?
How can brands incorporate local/cultural elements while at the same time exude global
appeal?
What skill sets and knowledge are needed to elevate Muslim/modest fashion brands to the
global level?
How can industry players take best advantage of e-commerce platforms to take their brands
global?
Possible Solutions:
To impart brand awareness among industry players: Conduct regular branding workshops
for designers, retailers and modest fashion media.
To grow global Muslim fashion brands: Develop business incubators for modest/Muslim
fashion brands where high-potential designers and entrepreneurs undergo apprenticeship
programs to build world-class fashion brands.
To create unique and distinguishable brands: Identify Islamic or ethnic elements from
Muslim cultures that have strong potential to be adapted to a global audience.
To adopt best practices from the mainstream fashion industry: Compile benchmarking
studies and case studies to be used as references for modest fashion players.
To anticipate legal issues as brands reach international recognition: Integrate patent
and international law know-how in workshops and other educational programs.
SPEAKERS
Piero Fassino
Mayor of Torino
Piero Fassino has been a Member of the Italian Parliament since 1994. He has
served as State Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Minister of Foreign Trade, Minister
of Justice and Chairman of the Political Committee of the European Security and
Defense Assembly/WEU Assembly. In November 2007, he was appointed European
Union Special Envoy for Burma/Myanmar.
He was elected Mayor of Torino on 16th May 2011. He was previously elected
Councillor at the City Council of the City of Torino in 1975 and Provincial Councillor
in 1980. Piero currently serves as President of ANCI, the National Association of
Italian municipalities, and as President of the Turin Metropolitan City.
Abdulla Al Awar
CEO
Dubai Islamic Economy Development Centre
Abdulla Mohammed Al Awar is the CEO of Dubai Islamic Economy Development
Centre. Prior to his current role, Mr. AlAwar was the CEO of Dubai International
Financial Centre for the period 2009 to 2012. During his eight-year tenure with DIFC
that saw him hold various executive positions, he leveraged his exceptional skills
in strategic planning, operational management and financial control to help develop
DIFC into a global financial hub. Under his strategic leadership, DIFC was ranked as
the leading financial centre in the region for the years 2009-2012, demonstrating an
average 13% client growth year on year and improving the organization’s efficiency
and performance.
Afia R Fitriati
Senior Associate
DinarStandard
Afia Fitriati serves as DinarStandard’s Indonesia and halal lifestyle marketing strategy
Research Associate. Afia is a former editor and columnist for a Muslim lifestyle
magazine, Aquila Style. She is a contributor to the Journal of Islamic Marketing
(JIMA). Previously she served as a lecturer on Islamic marketing, at Paramadina
Graduate School and and was a Member of the Advisory Board of Paramadina Islamic
Management Institute.
Alia Khan
Chairwoman
Islamic Fashion Design Council
Alia Khan is the Founder and Chairwoman of Islamic Fashion and Design Council
(IFDC), an organization established for the development of the Islamic fashion and
design industry worldwide. IFDC is the world’s leading fashion and design (art,
architecture, interiors, etc.) council representing the Islamic economy and its
stakeholders. IFDC aligns itself with established and budding mainstream as well as
Islamic fashion and design brands, government organizations, institutions, corporations,
global conferences, and publications to ensure a powerful, sustainable and supportive
presence that will lead its talent to the global marketplace.
SPEAKERS
Alberto Brugnoni
Founder and Chairman
ASSAIF
Alberto G. Brugnoni is the Founder and Managing Partner of ASSAIF, the oldest
Islamic finance consultancy in Europe. ASSAIF and its related entity NSdV provide
advisory services to governments, central banks, public institutions, and regional and
local authorities on the interlinkages of the principles of ethics, profitability, and
sustainability. ASSAIF, in particular, focuses on the role that asset-backed and
interest-free financing may play in the transformational changes affecting the global
financial system.
Jaafar Malik
Founder
Shukr
Jaafar Malik is Co-founder and Managing Partner of SHUKR clothing, primarily responsible
for corporate strategy and business planning. As an early pioneer of online retailing, Jaafar
is highly experienced in all aspects of e-commerce management and digital marketing.
He is also passionate about the development of the Islamic finance industry to meet the
needs of businesses operating in the current environment. In his leisure time Jaafar enjoys
boxing, tennis, swimming and speed chess.
Licia Mattioli
President
Unione Industriale of Turin
Licia Mattioli is Chief Executive Officer of Mattioli. She is also President of the
Unione Industriale of Turin, Vice President Confindustria Technical Committee for
Internationalization and Foreign Investors, President of Confindustria – Federorafi,
President of the Italian Women Jewellery Association, Member of the Executive
and Council of the Chamber of Commerce of Turin, Councillor of the CDA of SIAS
S.p.A.and Councillor FIAMP – Italian Federation of Fashion and Personal Accessories.
Neslihan Cevik
Advisory Board Member
Sefamerve
Neslihan Cevik, PhD, is a sociologist of religion focusing on the question of “how
religions, especially Islam, respond to modernity”. She is the author of the upcoming
book, “Muslimism in Turkey and Beyond: Religion in the Modern World”, to be released
in November-2015 by Palgrave MacMillan, both in English and Arabic. Cevik’s work
has appeared in CNN-Arabic, Daily Sabah, OrientXXI, and Political Theology Today,
and is translated into Arabic, French, and Turkish. A former Fulbright scholar, she
is an associate fellow at IASC, University of Virginia. She helped found the first
postcolonial studies research center in Turkey, Uskudar University. An engaged
social entrepreneur, Cevik is also a consultant for halal market companies, and
leads start-up projects for Muslim women’s economic and public integration.
SPEAKERS
Massimo Lapucci
Secretary General
Fondazione CRT
Massimo Lapucci is Secretary General of Fondazione CRT, a foundation of banking origin
based in Turin with participations in companies such as Unicredit Bank, Mediobanca,
Atlantia SpA, and Generali SpA. He is also Secretary General of Fondazione Sviluppo e
Crescita-CRT, primarily focused on venture philanthropy and impact investing. Massimo
is also Managing Director at OGR, currently one of the major projects in Europe for
venture philanthropy, whose mission is the conversion of a former large industrial area
in a business accelerator and an innovative and experimental center for contemporary
culture. He has an extensive international experience as board member of public and
private companies such as Atlantia SpA, the Italian railways RFI SpA, and Generali Bank,
and non-profit organizations including the European Foundation Center and the
European Venture Philanthropy Association, both based in Brussels. Massimo was
previously Investment Director for Sintonia S.A. a holding company based in
Luxembourg focused on infrastructure assets.
Saeed Kharbash
Head of Strategy and Planning
Dubai Islamic Economy Development Centre
Saeed Kharbash is the Head of Strategy & Planning at Dubai Islamic Economy
Development Centre (DIEDC). He oversees the development and execution of the
initiatives and strategies related to “Dubai The Capital of Islamic Economy” vision.
Saeed has more than 10 years of experience in diverse financial disciplines and strategy.
Prior to DIEDC he worked in TAQA (Abu Dhabi National Energy Company) as a Finance
Manager in the Strategic Planning Department. He has also worked as an Economic
Specialist in ENEC (Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation) where he was part of the
Business Development and Strategy team. He was Associate at Istithmar World, the
Investment arm of Dubai World Group, and focused on investments in Financial Services.
Dr. Sayd Farook
Projects Advisor
Dubai Islamic Economy Development Centre
Dr. Sayd Farook is Vice Chairman and CEO of Middle East Global Advisors, a leading
intelligence and connectivity platform. He is also a Projects Advisor to the Dubai
Islamic Economy Development Center, Government of Dubai. He was previously the
Global Head Islamic Capital Markets at Thomson Reuters, where he oversaw the
Islamic markets strategy, and conceived and led his 25-strong team to achieve a
number of industry firsts while growing and leading a profitable and highly visible
business. He also advises and produces a number of research-based insights for
government entities in the GCC. Dr. Sayd is also the principal architect of a number
of initiatives by the Government of Dubai in relation to their Islamic economy strategy.
Dr. Sayd was previously a legal and structuring advisor at Dar Al Istithmar and he
led the growth and innovation strategy at the Centre for Islamic Finance at the
Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance.
He is currently the Vice Chairperson of the Responsible Finance Institute, a London-based
non-profit institute backed by financial industry leaders promoting the convergence and
expansion of responsible finance practices.
SPEAKERS
Silvio Cattaneo
President
Fashion Artisan Confederation CNA Federmoda
Silvio Cattaneo is President of Cattaneo Cravatte srl, a leading company in the field
of production accessories fashion made in Italy since 1967. The company exports
Cattaneo ties and scarves to the world. He also serves as a Board member of the
Chamber of Commerce Italian UAE.
Rabia Zargarpur
President and Creative Designer
Rabia Z
Rabia Z. benchmarked the concept of ‘conservative chic’, becoming the first designer
and fashion brand in the world to produce prêt and demi-couture ranges catering to
niche needs and the first to showcase this on international catwalks. She has been
hailed a pioneer in modern modest fashion and continues to win numerous accolades
and awards. The Rabia Z brand has recently undergone its first round of investment
and has brought in a management team from the mainstream luxury fashion industry
to re-launch its brand. A flagship store is due to open in December 2015, as a standalone
villa on the prestigious Jumeira Beach Road, close to the iconic Burj Al Arab in Dubai.
A roll out for additional stores will launch in 2016 in London and other markets in the
GCC, followed by wholesale and retail expansion globally. Rabia studied fashion at
New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology (F.I.T) and France’s Esmod.
Romanna Bint Abubaker
CEO and Founder
Haute Arabia
Romanna Bint Abubaker is CEO and Founder of Haute Arabia, the world’s premier
luxury modest fashion destination. Haute Arabia is aggregating the highest traffic of
women from around the Islamic world on one platform through engaging editorial
content and over 500 designers available to shop in one destination. Haute Arabia
breaks national boundaries and cultural takes on Modest fashion, building a truly
global platform. This has also enabled international brands wishing to target the
Muslim consumer a single destination from which to do so. A barrister by training
with a specialisation in Medical law and ethics Romanna turned her hand to Investment
Banking where she moved to specialise in Islamic finance and Venture Capital. An entrepreneur
by nature Romanna established many of her own start-ups in her early career which led
her to be called upon to advise start-ups around the world from Saudi Arabia to the UK
where she most recently managed the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
Seed Fund portfolio.
Gianmarco Montanari
Managing Director
City of Turin
Gianmarco Montanari is the City Manager (ie Managing Director) of the City of Turin,
reporting directly to the Mayor Piero Fassino, where he replaced in April 2013 the former
Director Eng. Cesare Vaciago. On behalf of the City Council has organized the TIEF - Turin
Islamic Economic Forum, the first international meeting sponsored by a local institution in
Europe to explore the themes of economics and Islamic finance: an opportunity to attract
qualified investments and develop the economy local.
Roundtable Sponsor
Airline Partner