Fashion Trends from Ho Chi Minh and Dubai

Step aside, Milan. Amid a sea of white kandura robes worn by men and dark abaya cloaks worn by women, desert city Dubai is emerging as a fashion capital. International, modern and wealthy, the Emirati city has the tools for success, headquartering Vogue Arabia, boasting gargantuan, luxury shopping centers and even featuring a design district dedicated to hosting galleries and studios for high-end brands like Christian Dior and Burberry. But can Dubai compete with the longstanding fashion hubs of New York, Paris and London?

“Made in Vietnam” is taking on a new meaning. Once synonymous with the export of fast fashion, Vietnam is now giving birth to a generation of homegrown fashion designers. Making international waves are Do Manh Cuong, who has worked with brands including Christian Dior and Dominique Sirop, and Nguyen Cong Tri, whose daring outfits have cloaked A-listers like Rihanna and Katy Perry.

After decades of Western notions of hair beauty, West Africa is embracing natural hair. On the streets of Dakar, Abidjan or Lagos, you’ll be hard-pressed to see the Afros now commonplace in Nairobi, Johannesburg and New York. You might conclude that the natural hair movement has failed to take root in West Africa. But you would be wrong: More and more people are carrying their natural hair these days. They might be wearing it under braids, headscarves, wigs and, yes, even weaves.

You don’t have to enroll in a prestigious design school to be a successful designer. Just ask Tanzanian designer Sheria Ngowi. A lawyer by trade, Ngowi says that, despite his lack of formal training, his designs have been featured alongside pieces from Paul Smith, Burberry and Tom Ford at prestigious fashion week showcases around the world. Ngowi is part of a rapidly expanding cohort of African designers who are forgoing the design-school path, while impacting the world of fashion thanks to a growing global interest in bright colors and expertly made textiles.

Lisa Gachet isn’t your typical Parisienne: For her, fashion isn’t about black turtlenecks and artfully unkempt hair. Instead, her brand, Make My Lemonade, combines over-the-top glam and a DIY aesthetic, encouraging devotees to not just buy clothes at her boutique, but to make their own versions using patterns she provides and classes she hosts.

Tanzanian-born-and-raised entrepreneur Fatima Kanji noticed a disturbing trend when she started checking the tags on her clothing. Many of the “African” clothes she had purchased were, in fact, mass-produced in Asian countries like Bangladesh or India. So she decided to do something about it, founding Pensar Africa, which ethically sources fabric and other goods from African artisans and sells them to buyers across the Americas.

Victoria Ripa was rocking out at the circus-themed fundraising event with her band, Croupier Funk, when she was spotted by Uruguay lingerie brand Srta. Peel founder Loreley Turielle. The day after the event, Ripa had booked her first campaign with the brand. As a size XL, Ripa says that she was at first hesitant to take on modeling as a career because she rarely saw her size or body type represented in South American fashion or advertising. Yet, she has become a celebrity in the world of plus-size modeling.