Niche fashion labels, beauty demos and catwalk shows were the highlights of the Modern Woman Show held at the World Trade Centre in Dubai over the weekend. Three of the best exhibitors talk about their designs.
Best Emirati designer
Fatima Al Qassimi, founder and creative director of Distinctive
Jalabiyas and abayas
“My label was established in May. I was first inspired by fashion a long time ago. I used to design for myself and would receive compliments about the pieces I was wearing, which was encouraging, so I decided to develop a line. My first collection was calligraphy-themed [dresses and jalabiyas], and I then designed more abayas [in black with jewel embellishments].
“As an Emirati, I’m proud that Arabic is my first language – and since His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum declared 2016 as the year of Arabic language, I thought why not embrace it through my designs? And yes, inshallah, in the future I will continue to work more with calligraphy. It’s unique and it attracts so many people, especially westerners.”
• Follow Distinctive by Fatima Al Qassimi on Instagram at distinctive.ae or visit www.distinctive.ae
Best contemporary couture
Apple Wang, Chinese, designer and owner of the Apple Wang label
Evening wear, wedding dresses, abayas reminiscent of Chanel’s quilted and pearl look
“Famed fashion designer Gabrielle Chanel changed the history of women’s clothing, from the jacket to the skirt. All of our cuts, like hers, are workable for everyday. I’m designing mostly for clients from the GCC – I have many Emirati clients.
“My collections are also season-less, meaning that every month I’ll bring out five to 10 new pieces. During Ramadan and Eid, I’ll produce up to 30 designs in a collection. And every month we have sales to make way for the new lines, so our ‘seasons’, if you like, are very fast.
“My basis was art, and it was my primary area of study in China. After a time, I had to select a major and I chose fashion design. As much as I love pure art, it’s hard to survive as an artist.
“So, I started designing party dresses and launched first in Ajman, then expanded to Sharjah and Dubai. You can see that our abaya cuts are haute couture, with that ‘party’ influence.
“I’ve been here 15 years. I converted to Islam and I married an Emirati, so there was also a personal need for me to design abayas, joining fashion, tradition and religion – all three elements together.”
• See Apple Wang’s designs on Instagram: Abayat_Applewang or call 06 748 6826 for details
Best foreign label
Sakina Ahmed (based in India, travels frequently to the UAE)
Saris, salwar kameez, lehenga and evening gowns with zardozi embroidery
“I travel here each year and I’m getting more and more clients. Every client is different, which is lucky because I produce a big variety of styles with each collection. There’s something to suit everyone and I find it too monotonous to stick to one rigid style of designing – I like to keep a big mix.
“My clients are Emiratis, Indians, westerners – lots of English people. Mostly they come to me looking for party-wear and wedding outfits. “Commissions can take anywhere from a week up to three months for an intricate sari. Clients can place orders online and we’ll courier the pieces to Dubai. For special outfits, of course, I can come here to them.
“The pieces are beautiful but I made sure to keep prices within an affordable range. My label needn’t be out of reach for people, I’ve no interest in producing pieces people can’t afford.”
• Visit www.sakinaahmed.com
rduane@thenational.ae
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
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Titanium Escrow profile
Started: December 2016
Founder: Ibrahim Kamalmaz
Based: UAE
Sector: Finance / legal
Size: 3 employees, pre-revenue
Stage: Early stage
Investors: Founder's friends and Family
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
The five pillars of Islam
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
The five pillars of Islam
Earth under attack: Cosmic impacts throughout history
- 4.5 billion years ago: Mars-sized object smashes into the newly-formed Earth, creating debris that coalesces to form the Moon
- 66 million years ago: 10km-wide asteroid crashes into the Gulf of Mexico, wiping out over 70 per cent of living species – including the dinosaurs.
- 50,000 years ago: 50m-wide iron meteor crashes in Arizona with the violence of 10 megatonne hydrogen bomb, creating the famous 1.2km-wide Barringer Crater
- 1490: Meteor storm over Shansi Province, north-east China when large stones “fell like rain”, reportedly leading to thousands of deaths.
- 1908: 100-metre meteor from the Taurid Complex explodes near the Tunguska river in Siberia with the force of 1,000 Hiroshima-type bombs, devastating 2,000 square kilometres of forest.
- 1998: Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 breaks apart and crashes into Jupiter in series of impacts that would have annihilated life on Earth.
-2013: 10,000-tonne meteor burns up over the southern Urals region of Russia, releasing a pressure blast and flash that left over 1600 people injured.
Where can I submit a sample?
Volunteers can now submit DNA samples at a number of centres across Abu Dhabi. The programme is open to all ages.
Collection centres in Abu Dhabi include:
- Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC)
- Biogenix Labs in Masdar City
- Al Towayya in Al Ain
- NMC Royal Hospital in Khalifa City
- Bareen International Hospital
- NMC Specialty Hospital, Al Ain
- NMC Royal Medical Centre - Abu Dhabi
- NMC Royal Women’s Hospital.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
Name: Brendalle Belaza
From: Crossing Rubber, Philippines
Arrived in the UAE: 2007
Favourite place in Abu Dhabi: NYUAD campus
Favourite photography style: Street photography
Favourite book: Harry Potter
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In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
The specs
Engine: 4 liquid-cooled permanent magnet synchronous electric motors placed at each wheel
Battery: Rimac 120kWh Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide (LiNiMnCoO2) chemistry
Power: 1877bhp
Torque: 2300Nm
Price: Dh7,500,00
On sale: Now
What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
