Leatherworld: A gateway to luxury!

 

Sunaina Rana / Emirates Business

Leather industry is one of the most expensive and luxurious industries and plays a significant role in the
export earnings of many developing countries. Sighting the growth of the leather products demand in the GCC, Messe Frankfurt Middle East provided a platform to potential global leather traders to participate in B2B trade at the second edition of Leatherworld Middle East.
The three-day event at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre, features 70 exhibitors from 16 countries, who are planing to expand their businessess in the
region.
Ahmed Pauwels, CEO of Messe Frankfurt Middle East, the organiser of Leatherworld Middle East, said “GCC’s US$4.09 billion worth of leather imports and exports in 2014, along with US$1.9 billion worth of manufacturing capabilities together reinforce an ideal backdrop for the event to become one of the world’s premier trade and networking platforms.”

UAE Manufactures
Emirates’ only hide leather producer Al Khazanah is known as the most technologically advanced tannery in the country. Originally, a Dubai-based start-up, Al Khazanah aims to earn a global name in leather accessories. Al Khaznah Tannery is the founding sponsor of the exhibition.
Mohammed Ghanem Al Mansoori, General Manager, Al Khazanah, said, “Al Khaznah is the only factory in the Middle East that is using the latest technology to produce leather. We have chrome-free hide leather from camels, cows, etc. our product is 100 percent metal-free.”
Al Khaznah Tannery from the UAE showcased its biodegradable and metal-free camel hide. The company supplies camel hide for saddles and traditional sandals and it is worth a mention that Emirati artist Zeinab
Alhashemi used Al Khaznah’s hides
for her 2015 Abu Dhabi
exhibition named ‘Camoulflage’.
“With the increase in demand of chrome-free leather worldwide, we are concentrating on producing sustainable products. This exhibition is a great platform for us to get connected with the other companies in the business, as we aim to expand our business and start exporting very soon. We are primarily focusing the Europe and southeast Asia market,” he added.
Abu Dhabi government-owned
facility produces about 4.2 million sqft of camel leather annually, and is one of the few tanneries worldwide equipped to recycle up to 80 percent of water required in production.
“We are experts in colouring and
believe in delivering a high-end soft hide. Our products have a double coating, with two layers of hide compressed
together,” he said.
Al Mansoori elaborated on their expectations from the second edition, “We are the founding sponsors of the exhibition, and considering last year’s edition being introductory we are expecting a good response this year.”

High End Luxury Market
New business alliances were formed at the event, as it featured
exuberate pieces of
designs which grabbed plenty of
attention. Italian Designer Antonio Vietri showcased his unique handmade leather shoes made of 24 karat gold was the highlight.
“The gold and palladium is very beautifully woven into leather to
create these highly fashionable and unique shoes. These hand-crafted shoes are available in platinum, palladium and silver finishes, as alternatives for those who prefer other metals to gold. The shoes are debuting in the region with a price tag of 18,000 Euros for a gold pair, 20,000 for platinum and 3,000 for the silver-finished pair,” said Vietri.
The UAE is a heaven of luxury spending; last year, the retail value for the UAE’s luxury leather goods
market, including wallets, bags, purses, handbags and accessories, grew 14 percent year-on- year, valuing US$413 million. This is
expected to nearly double in size by 2020, when the market will be worth US$800 million.
Vietri further added, “Considering the high appetite of unique and luxury items of the Middle East consumers led to the creation of this ultra-modern shoes. Also, keeping intact the
exclusivity of the high-end products we are offering a limited edition.”
The exhibition also showcased an exclusive range of luxurious global leather innovations and animal hides for the first time in the region, from stingray skin pouches and laser printed calf hides, to 22-carat gold-embossed alligator skins.
Tenerias Omega was another
company exhibiting its luxurious bovine hides dedicated to high end upholstery, contract and hospitality, aircraft, automotive, and equine industries.
Patricia Ponce, Head of export sales at Tenerias Omega, said, “The Middle East is a very interesting and fast-growing region, where our large product portfolio will fit very well for diverse segments such as contract and hospitality, upholstery and others.”
“As a part of the Tenerias Omega philosophy, we feel that new areas have to be explored and developed, and we woud like to gain a stronger presence in this region. We are presenting at Leatherworld Middle East a range of our new articles for a variety of uses, using vibrant colours and trends from our Spring- Summer 2017 collection,” she added.

Designer’s arena
One segment at the Leatherworld Middle East 2016 was the Designer’s Area. This section showcased the UAE’s most talented up-and-coming fashion designers who displayed their creative flair to a global
audience.
ESMOD Dubai, a Dubai-based
fashion institute, was also one of the sponsors of the event. The second year students of the fashion school exhibited their creations which consisted of array of leather garments, handbags, and accessories at the event. Their creation was an amalgamation of traditional techniques, leather manipulation and cutting edge technology.
Thomas Perreaux, Project Manager for ESMOD Dubai said, “The students have improvised leather into their creations.”
He added, “We had organised a competition in the school, where the students presented their creations and we selected 14 out of them that have been exhibited on the mannequins at the event.”
Another Dubai-based supplier of European leather for the automotive and interior design industries Afriwest General Trading also marked its presence at the event.
Having met with local independent handbag designers at the show last year, Afriwest is now aiming to attract other designers with the launch of its new exotic leather range, including high-end Python, Stingray, Alligator and Ostrich leathers from Italy.