Sole DXB 2023: Inside Dubai’s Premier Youth Festival Where Style Meets Sound
The city’s youth and culture festival returns for three days of fashion and hip-hop this month
Fashion and music have always been inextricably linked. In the 1920s, debaucherous jazz (not exactly how we think of the genre now) influenced the flappers to change the way women behaved and dressed. In the ’50s, teens wanted to dress like Elvis, so brands that had previously ignored that demographic saw the dollar signs and began catering to them. The hippies of the ’60s were responding to anti-establishment music coming out of America during the Vietnam War, leading to trippy tie-dyed clothes that matched their psychedelic music. Of course, the ’70s punks were aggressive and so were their uniforms of leather, mohawks and safety pins. In the ’90s, grunge came in with its muddy sound and ‘I-found-this-shirton-my-floor’ aesthetic.
So connected are the two, that this year, the founders of Sole DXB, Dubai’s foremost celebration of music, fashion, visual arts and sports, were inducted into the Business of Fashion’s 500 Class of 2023. It’s the definitive index of people shaping the global fashion industry – think of it as fashion’s answer to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Sole co-founder Joshua Cox never intended to be a fashion hall-of-fame-r. Having grown up in Dubai, Joshua moved to Melbourne, Australia, to study industrial design at the Swinburne University of Technology. When he returned, he had an urge to take what he’d learnt from Melbourne’s cultural scene (arguably one of the best in the country) and apply it to Dubai’s. In 2011, Sole was born. Initially, a grassroots media platform built to bring together a community of like-minded music, fashion, visual arts and sports enthusiasts with a mission to use arts and culture to make cities more livable, Sole has grown into an international stage that reaches tens of thousands of people, with more than 35,000 fans attending last year alone. It’s the region’s most celebrated youth and contemporary cultural festival, with three days of live music, workshops, film screenings, brand activations, fashion drops, art installations and the region’s most competitive basketball tournament.
Over the course of our lives, we’ve seen hip-hop grow from unlikely underdog to top of the cultural food chain”
Rajat Malhotra
As the organisation’s design director, Cox’s domain is translating the brand into the physical world through experiences. He met his business partner and Sole co-founder, Hussain Moloobhoy, at a creative workshop where they immediately hit it off. Hussain grew up between London and Bombay, and he graduated from London’s premiere fashion college, Central Saint Martins, where famous alumni include John Galliano, Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartney and Phoebe Philo, to name a few. After graduating, he spent four years in advertising at Saatchi & Saatchi, moving from London to Dubai in 2006 as the company’s creative director. The year before he met Joshua, Hussain was on a sabbatical, exploring design and fashion industries across the globe. Now, his role at Sole sees him dedicated to the creative direction of the brand, transforming their ideas into the visual world.
Because all good things come in threes and because behind every creative mind is a brilliant business one, Sole also includes Rajat Malhotra, a partner whose focus is on business strategy, talent and programming. Rajat is a true child of the world, having lived in Los Angeles, Kuwait, India, Italy and New York before moving to Dubai in 2004. He, too, was on sabbatical in 2013 when he had a chance encounter with Joshua and Hussain, becoming fast friends and immediately invited to join the team.
“We’re honoured to be awarded a place in the Business of Fashion 500,” Hussain said in September when the announcement was made. “We’ve been blessed to be part of a community that has shared their love and support, and we simply could not have built Sole without them. We’ve never been more optimistic about what the future holds for Dubai and the wider region, and we’re looking forward to where this adventure continues to take us.”
Where it’s taking them this year is into a massive celebration of 50 years of hip-hop. From December 8 to 10, the festival will partner with Nas-backed record label and entertainment company Mass Appeal for the official Arab world celebration of Hip Hop 50, a global love letter to hip-hop that celebrates the movement through film, activations, music and more. “Working with Mass Appeal, we’re here to celebrate hip-hop’s past but also salute its future as we look to the next 50 years,” says Joshua. “We’re grateful to have the chance to play a role in telling this story, and as we look to all the parts of the world the movement has touched, we can’t think of a better place than Dubai to showcase it.”
“Over the course of our lives, we’ve seen hip-hop grow from unlikely underdog to top of the cultural food chain,” adds Rajat, who spent part of his sabbatical building a recording studio in Dubai as a space for visiting artists to create and connect with regional talent. “When Peter Bittenbender, CEO of Mass Appeal, had the foresight three years ago to build the Hip Hop 50 story, he was kind enough to include us in the conversation and choose us as their partner for this region,” he continues. “We’re grateful for the opportunity to be part of this moment and understand our responsibility to tell this story authentically.”
The lineup features some of the genre’s most influential figures, including the pioneering American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer Busta Rhymes headlining the festival on Sunday, December 10. His impressive and iconic discography includes records with Janet Jackson, Mariah Carey and Lil Wayne. Also on the lineup is a wellcurated selection of regional and international artists including American rapper Jadakiss; Zambian singer, rapper and songwriter Sampa the Great; and Lil Zey, the first Turkish artist to perform and the first female rapper in Turkey’s trap scene; among many, many more.
Further solidifying the relationship between fashion and music, Sole DXB will also mark the opening event of the 29th Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF; until the 14th of January). Khadija Al Bastaki, senior vice president of Dubai Design District (d3), one of Sole DXB’s strategic partners, along with Dubai Calendar, is looking forward to the return of the event, saying, “Art, music and fashion are the building blocks of culture. Sole DXB [is bringing] the creative community together once again for an experience to remember… It’s a testament to the vibrant performing arts scene in our city.”
For more information, please visit soledxb.com
From Harper’s Bazaar Arabia’s December 2023 Issue.