The new Roberto Cavalli boutique was recently opened in Dubai Mall. The event welcomed an exclusive guest list of industry insiders, clients, and influencers who gathered to celebrate not just the expansion of the Italian fashion house but the continued vision of its creative director, Fausto Puglisi.

Marking a pivotal moment for the brand, the launch also unveiled Cavalli’s Spring 2025 collection, Puglisi’s tribute to the late Roberto Cavalli, who passed away just a year prior. The collection pays homage to the house’s legacy through silhouettes reminiscent of its early 2000s aesthetic, while seamlessly integrating Puglisi’s design language. “Go back to my roots in Sicily, where I was born,” he remarked, referencing his hometown of Messina, which inspired much of the collection’s fabric selections and visual storytelling.

The collection features a rich interplay of heritage and contemporary edge from silk shirts paired with denim to fluid evening gowns evocative of the Cavalli era’s most iconic prints. The casting echoed this theme, with supermodels such as Mariacarla Boscono and Isabeli Fontana, muses from Cavalli’s golden years, returning to embody the collection’s narrative.

Dubai, with its dynamic intersection of tradition and modernity, proved to be a fitting location for the launch. “It’s one of the few places in the world where you can see and touch both at the same time: tradition and future, living together,” said Puglisi. Beyond its commercial appeal, Dubai holds deep personal relevance for the designer. He draws a strong parallel between its coastal landscape and the culinary diversity of his Sicilian heritage. “I feel at home here,” he admitted, citing his appreciation for Arabic cuisine, Persian flavours, and the region’s cultural richness.

Reflecting on the city’s fashion evolution, Puglisi spoke with admiration of Dubai’s increasingly sophisticated audience. “People are very stylish, even men,” he observed, praising the way tradition and elegance coexist in everyday dress. “The women are so chic with the hijab… The men with the thobe, I would wear one anytime.”

With the Middle East becoming a strategic focus for luxury brands, Puglisi views Dubai as both a cultural anchor and a commercial frontier. “Fashion in Dubai is a perfect title,” he stated, confirming that the region is already part of Cavalli’s long-term vision for expansion in terms of both design influence/inspiration and retail presence. When asked if another Cavalli show could soon take place in the UAE, his answer was succinct: “I did last year. I feel at home here. Why not?”

In both spirit and structure, the Spring 2025 collection stands as a meaningful dialogue between past and present. Reaffirming Roberto Cavalli’s enduring identity, it allows Puglisi’s personal narrative and creative vision to guide its evolution into a new cultural era, one that finds a natural home in the heart of Dubai.