SOLE DXB 2017 ANNOUNCES HEAVYWEIGHT PROGRAM FEATURING KANO, PUSHA T, GOLDLINK, HIROSHI FUJIWARA, JEFF STAPLE, MELODY EHSANI AND MORE
THIS DECEMBER 7-9, THE ANNUAL DUBAI-BASED STREET CULTURE FAIR RETURNS FOR ITS 6TH EDITION at DUBAI DESIGN DISTRICT (d3)
Tuesday 24 October, 2017, Sole DXB in partnership with d3, announces its full program for 2017, with the support of Cadillac, Coca Cola and in association with Dubai Tourism. The three-day global street culture festival returns this December 7th, 8th and 9th at d3, Dubai, revealing a heavyweight billing that brings together some of the world’s finest names from across art, food, music, sports and style. Having celebrated American Hip Hop heritage in 2015, and its British street-evolved counterpart in 2016, Sole DXB returns in 2017 to spotlight the legacy and influence of Japanese contemporary design.
Reflecting the booming appetite for alternative culture that Sole DXB has steadily cultivated since its inception in 2010. Sole DXB is again delighted to call Dubai Design District (d3) home to the region’s only street and urban culture festival. Mirroring what d3 has set out to achieve; to build a thriving creative neighbourhood for a diverse community that share common interests.
The confirmed music billing for 2017 welcomes hip-hop greats of both present and future. Artists to perform most notably include award-winning musician Kano, G.O.O.D Music President and rapper Pusha T, American silk-soul rapper Goldlink, German rapper Serious Klein, and Manchester urban jazz singer IAMDDB, hailed as one of the breakout stars of 2017 and already amassing streams in excess of 1 million hits per track. And it wouldn’t be Sole DXB without some intimate after-parties, with the OGs DJ Stretch Armstrong, DJ Shortkut, streetwear icons PATTA Soundsystem, and DJs Tom Crane, Dave Lubin, and Andy Baxter providing the flavours this year.
Opening night Thursday 7th December welcomes all to a now-ritual free-to-public annual film screening. This year, with the international premiere of Word is Bond is the turn of Mass Appeal and their recently produced hip-hop documentary, to take centre stage. Directed by Mass Appeal’s Chief Creative Officer, Sacha Jenkins, the documentary examines the
transformative power of lyrics in the world of Hip Hop. With an open door policy, it’s the first in a long line of socially driven moves from Sole DXB aimed at providing legitimate, culturally-weighted entertainment, stimulating grass roots artistry.
On Friday 8th December, Sole DXB opens in its entirety, with a series of cultural talks unveiled, including intimate ‘no holds barred’ conversations with some of the biggest names in design, fashion and music. These include: headlining musician Pusha T; Fragment Design founder and much heralded Godfather of Streetwear Hiroshi Fujiwara; designer and style icon Jeff Staple of Staple Design; Peter Bittenbender, CEO of New York-based media company/record label Mass Appeal (of which hip hop legend Nas is a partner); founder of global alternative culture platform Highsnobiety, David Fischer makes a guest appearance; jewelry designer and famously the only woman to own a store front on notorious LA shopping destination Fairfax Avenue, Melody Ehsani; and Peter Jansson and Mubi Ali – founder and head buyer respectively of Sweden-born cult classic (and previous Online Retailer of the Year winner) sneaker retailer Sneakersnstuff.
From conversation to conversion, a host of highly sought after brands will show and retail never-before-seen wares across the weekend, each individually housed in bespoke retail units taking design cues from the finesse of Tokyo architecture. In parallel with some of the world’s biggest lifestyle brands on display including Asics, Nike, PUMA, Reebok. Japanese designers will provide some of the most highly-sought-after and hard-to-find product over the weekend, from brands including Neighborhood, Visvim, Wacko Maria, Undercover, Non-Native, and White Mountaineering. A sign of the growing importance of streetwear in the fashion sector, Sole DXB also enter into the world of luxury for the very first time – partnering with two standout luxury brands to preview their forward collections and create unique retail experiences for guests; the brands, both luxe icons: Dior Homme and Kenzo.
It was in 2010 that Sole DXB was founded, back then in a small Dubai community arts centre. What began as a small gathering of like-minded sneaker and hip-hop lovers coming together to swap kicks and share tracks, has rapidly grown into a 17,000 person, 3-day annual event with the support of the world’s leading cultural figures. A testament to the rise of the event and the region, Sole DXB is now a mainstay in the global events calendar and, when it comes to pushing cultural boundaries, is proving itself again as the one to watch.
