Welcome Reader to the December edition of the FashionTech Middle East newsletter. When we started FashionTech Middle East earlier this year, technology still felt like a side note in many fashion industry conversations. Fast forward to the end of 2025, and that has clearly shifted. Technology is now a core theme across events, panels, and boardroom discussions, as brands, retailers, and creators grapple with the pace of change. Adoption is accelerating, experimentation is turning into execution.
Agentic commerce
Agentic commerce emerged as one of the defining technology stories of December 2025, and is shaping up to be a core theme for 2026. In its State of Fashion 2026 report, Business of Fashion highlighted a clear shift: generative AI is moving beyond content and recommendations into autonomous agents capable of acting across discovery, decision-making, and transactions with complex workflows end-to-end (i.e. from search and comparison through to purchase and fulfilment).
In December, Shopify announced the launch of agentic storefronts, designed to allow AI agents to interact directly with merchants, manage inventory logic, and execute transactions, a move described by Vogue Business as a potential inflection point for how online shopping operates.
At FashionTech Middle East, we saw this future discussed up close at Google’s NextGen AI: Payments & Agents event in Dubai, where the focus was on the infrastructure required to make agent-led commerce viable at scale, from verifiable digital identity and spending permissions to programmable payments and agent-to-agent protocols. Together, these signals suggest a fundamental re-architecture of commerce, where demand, discovery, trust, and payment converge into autonomous, always-on systems, and where fashion brands will need to rethink not just customer experience, but how commerce itself is executed.
Digital Product Passports
Digital Product Passports (DPPs) are set to become a key regulatory and operational priority for fashion brands in 2026, particularly those in the Middle East selling into, or planning to sell into, the European market. Upcoming EU regulations will require brands to provide structured digital records covering materials, origin, and lifecycle data, with phased enforcement beginning by product category. While timelines vary, preparation needs to start well ahead of formal deadlines.
We’re already seeing a growing number of regional brands begin to assess their readiness, map their data gaps, and explore technology partners to ensure future compliance. For Middle Eastern brands, DPPs represent not only a compliance requirement but an opportunity to strengthen supply chain visibility and build trust with global consumers.
H&M’s Dubai makeover highlights why physical retail still matters in the Middle East
A recent transformation of an H&M flagship store in Dubai, featuring large-scale LED installations and immersive digital displays, underscores the continued importance of physical retail in the region. Global brands are investing heavily in technology-enhanced store environments to elevate in-person experiences rather than replace them. In markets like the GCC, physical retail remains central to discovery, brand storytelling, and customer engagement, with digital tools enhancing the store experience rather than shifting it fully online. (Invidis)
UAE-based Kingpin raises $3.5M seed to accelerate AI-powered global distribution
Dubai-based startup Kingpin, a B2B commerce platform that uses AI to streamline how brands, distributors, and wholesalers connect and transact with retailers, has raised $3.5 million in seed funding from investors including Infinity Ventures and support from Hub71. The capital will be used to speed up development of the company’s AI-native distribution technology, expand its team, and scale into Europe and North America while deepening its footprint across the Gulf. The raise highlights growing investor interest in AI-enabled platforms that tackle traditional retail supply-chain challenges and signals momentum for regional tech startups addressing global commerce inefficiencies. (Forbes Middle East)
Fashboard was born from a personal obsession with fashion and a clear view of where the industry is heading: technology. After working across global markets in business development, the founders set out to build a smarter way for consumers to discover and purchase luxury goods. The result is a tech-driven platform that allows users to monitor luxury fashion prices across retailers worldwide (think Skyscanner for luxury fashion) while encouraging a more sustainable “buy less, buy better” approach.
👉 Read the full interview here.
December ✨ Events we attended
Sotheby’s Collectors Week
Sotheby’s inaugural Collectors’ Week in Abu Dhabi reinforced a growing shift in the luxury market: provenance is now central to value creation. Across watches, high jewellery, and iconic handbags, collectors are placing increasing emphasis on verifiable origin, ownership history, and condition, particularly as secondary-market prices continue to rise. The defining moment of the week came with Jane Birkin’s original Hermès Birkin bag selling for $2.9 million.
What sits beneath this shift is a deeper structural change in how trust is established and maintained. Blockchain-backed provenance, digital certificates, and immutable ownership histories are gaining relevance as luxury assets become more global, liquid, and investment-driven. Blockchain is emerging as a long-term credibility layer, enabling authenticity to be preserved beyond the point of sale and across resale, transfer, and inheritance.
Global AI Show
Held in Abu Dhabi, the Global AI Show brought together over 5,000 AI leaders, innovators, founders, and policymakers to discuss the future of AI innovation. AI’s impact on retail and commerce was one of the core themes, alongside broader enterprise use cases. Sessions explored how AI is moving from personalisation into prediction, reshaping the retail experience through smarter demand forecasting, seamless shopping journeys, and AI-driven decision-making beyond the checkout. Discussions highlighted how lessons from retail, particularly around customer data, logistics, payments, and experience design, are increasingly informing other industries, from banking to hospitality.
Sole DXB
SOLE DXB returned to Dubai Design District as a celebration of street culture, merging fashion, music, art, design, and lifestyle. The three-day festival featured headline performances, brand pop-ups, limited drops, creative workshops, and panel talks that blended regional talent with global creative momentum. It continues to serve as a premier platform for showcasing urban fashion, sneaker culture, and cross-disciplinary expression in the Middle East.
- World Economic Forum — Davos (19–23 January 2026) The Davos Economic Forum convenes global leaders from government, business, and civil society to discuss major economic trends, technology impacts, and future strategic priorities. FashionTech-relevant conversations often emerge around digital innovation, AI regulation, sustainability economics, and cross-industry transformation.
- ShopTalk Luxe — Abu Dhabi (27-29 January 2026) ShopTalk Luxe explores the intersection of technology, innovation, and luxury retail, with sessions on digital transformation, consumer engagement, next-gen commerce, and AI-driven strategies shaping premium brand experiences online and offline.
We’re planning an intimate breakfast gathering for fashion, retail, and technology leaders to explore how emerging technologies are shaping the future of the industry in the Middle East. Hosted during the week of ShopTalk Luxe in Abu Dhabi, the session will bring together industry operators, innovators, and decision-makers for an off-the-record, discussion-led morning.
Further details will be shared closer to the date. If you’d like to register your interest in attending or explore sponsorship opportunities, please leave your details below.
Expression of interest
Closing Thoughts
If you enjoyed this newsletter, please share it with anyone in your network who might be interested in how technology is reshaping fashion in the Middle East and beyond.
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Until next month,
Karin & Liya
Co-Founders, FashionTech Middle East
