The 'Prince of Prints' Pucci takes the crown tonight at Abu Dhabi Fashion Week

Considered a major influence in contemporary fashion and a major force in Italian sportswear, the Pucci fashion house is one of the hottest Italian brands today, with its instantly recognizable colour combinations worn on the backs of many celebrities.

The House of Pucci will bring to a close what has been an astonishing exhibition of not only Western but Eastern talent - a fitting finale for the capital's first fashion week.

Emilio Pucci gained fame in the 1950s for his graphic abstract designs which swirled in a kaleidoscope of colour and liberated women at the time from the heavy and rigid clothing with lighter free-flowing lines.

The fashion house today is partly owned by French luxury group LVMH, with Emilio's daughter Laudomia as Image Director and Vice-President, and celebrated designer Matthew Williamson as Creative Director. Laudomia Pucci has flown in to Abu Dhabi especially to be part of the Abu Dhabi Fashion Week.

'We're so happy to be part of the Abu Dhabi Fashion Week,' commented Ms Pucci. 'This is a great showcase of the talent that exists within the Arab region as well as for international designers like us. For Pucci, this is en excellent way to reach out to our customers in the region and enable them to interact with the brand in a direct manner. As one of the oldest Italian ready-to-wear fashion houses, we wish Abu Dhabi fashion week years of success ahead'.

One of the highlights of tonight's show is the auction of a fashion collection created by UAE fashion design students that demonstrates the rich talent pool in the country.

The collection is the work of twenty-one young ladies from the Sheikh Zayed Private Academy, aged between 15 and 17, who spent the last few months designing a fashion collection that debuted in front of crowds of international and regional buyers, fashion critics and media on the opening night of the fashion week.

In addition, Amina Al Jassim, one of Saudi Arabia's top designers, will display her wearable creations with their sleek and structured contemporary mixed in with a traditional touch.

In addition, Lebanese fashion house Gardem will exhibit its couture line.

The inaugural Abu Dhabi Fashion Week had the eyes of the global fashion industry firmly focused on it, with buyers and representatives of leading regional and international brands, retailers, fashion magazines and media.

Guests included: Vittorio Missoni, Albino D'Amato, Maria Luisa Trussardi, and Giuseppe Rossi (Calvin Klein).

Regional and international buyers also flew in, including those from Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue (USA and KSA), along with key opinion makers from the fashion world such as the Editors-in-Chief of Vogue and of Elle magazines. The Italian delegation was led by Mario Boselli, the President of Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana, organisers of Milan Fashion Week.

Sponsors for the Abu Dhabi Fashion Week include ALDAR - the Foundation Sponsor - and Mubadala, Etihad, Proctor and Gamble and Emirates Palace. The Abu Dhabi Fashion Week takes place from 15-18 March at a specially constructed venue at the Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi.