The Art of Making Clothes: XD Xenia Design’s Couture Debut in Dubai

The room darkened, anticipation rising, and then the first model emerged, a towering black silhouette slashed with vivid green, sculptural and unflinching. It was the kind of opening that silences a room: not designed to dazzle in obvious ways, but to make you lean in, to study the construction, the textures, the story.

And where better for such a statement than Dubai Fashion Week? The city has come a long way, evolving from spectacle to a platform where designers can present collections that are thoughtful, experimental, and sometimes challenging. The energy in the space reflected that shift. This was an audience ready to see fashion as more than clothing.

XD Xenia Design’s Spring/Summer 2026 couture collection, The Art of Making Clothes, marked the Croatian brand’s first-ever runway presentation in Duba

Founded in 1986 by designer Ksenija Vrbanić, the label has carved out an international reputation for redefining classic tailoring with what it calls the “XD dimension,” a philosophy rooted in individuality, confidence, and bold creativity.

Ksenija Vrbanic, Founder & Designer of XD Xenia Design; Image Source: XD Xenia Design

The collection drew inspiration from the Japanese philosophy of Kintsugi, the repairing of broken pottery with gold. On the runway, seams were not hidden but celebrated. Black fabrics carried irregular, sculpted ridges, like fractured surfaces re-formed. Metallic threads ran along edges, catching the light like cracks made precious. “I wanted to create a collection that feels as precious as fine jewelry,” said Vrbanić. “My garments don’t hide the process—they proudly reveal it. They embody the golden hands of our seamstresses in Croatia, celebrating the craftsmanship and knowledge required to create this high form of fashion”.

The Japanese influence ran through more than the concept. Circular headpieces, elongated sleeves, and disciplined cuts carried a sense of ritual, while flashes of emerald and red punctuated the severity of black. These bursts of color didn’t soften the collection so much as remind us that even in structure, there is room for disruption. Oversized florals sprawled across organza, metallic threads traced veins like illuminated scars, and arcs of gold stitching turned seams into ornamentation.

What stayed with me most was the balance of opposites. There was structure: jackets cut with sharp shoulders and taut waists. And there was release: sheer veils, tulle skirts that moved lightly, florals embroidered across transparent layers. One look sprawled with a crimson poppy felt like eruption as much as decoration. Another, stitched in arcs of gold, transformed fracture into elegance. And then came softness: a black dress finished with a bow at the back, delicate and almost dainty.

Image Source: XD Xenia Design

Every piece, every stitch, was handmade in Croatia, reinforcing the house’s ethos of sustainability and transparency.

For all its international references, the collection remained rooted in its atelier, grounded in the artisanal knowledge of Vrbanić’s team.

These are not clothes for everyone. Some may find the silhouettes too severe or the fabrics too intellectual. But that, perhaps, is what makes them resonate. They are not made to please, but to be understood, by those who see fashion as art, as philosophy, as resilience made visible.

As the final look swept down the runway, the applause rose—not the roar of spectacle, but the recognition of conviction. In a week of glitter and gloss, XD Xenia Design stood apart. The Art of Making Clothes offered not perfection polished smooth, but imperfection exalted: fractures turned golden, strength revealed through seams, and beauty found not in what is unbroken, but in what has been remade.