Elliott Gittelsohn takes a picture with Google Glass. Josh Edelson/ AFP Photo
Elliott Gittelsohn takes a picture with Google Glass. Josh Edelson/ AFP Photo

Is wearable technology the future of fashion?



There can’t be many product launches for which Gwen Stefani and Dr Dre will travel. But the music megastars pooled resources to be at the Apple Watch presentation in California in September, sharing Dre’s private jet and arriving in a single motorcade (don’t say they never think of the environment). Their reward was face time with the world’s fashion and technology press, a live performance by U2 – and a first look at a device that could shape the next generation of luxury goods.

Note the “could”. Analysts expect 2015 to be the year that wearable technology goes mainstream, with 64 per cent of internet users having worn it already or keen to do so, according to a survey by Global WebIndex. But the sector is very much in its infancy, with experts agreeing that no one has yet produced a “must-have” wearable.

"We're reaching somewhat of a saturation point when it comes to smartphones and tablets – we can only make them so big/small/fast – and so wearables are the next logical step for the tech world," says Mike Priest, deputy editor of the gadget magazine Stuff Middle East. "They do have the potential to make things easier for us – whether it's a matter of unburying our noses from our smartphones to glance at notifications on our wrists, or letting us watch a concert with our eyes while our smartglasses take a photo. But whether they will change our lives in any meaningful way remains to be seen."

There have been some success stories, of course. Fitbit wristbands, which measure the wearer’s activity, calorie burn and other metrics, are already de rigueur on wrists at fashionable gyms around the world. “I’ve noticed a big increase in the popularity of wearable fitness trackers among our clients lately,” notes Maryam Fattahi Salaam, owner of the Physique 57 studio in Dubai. “The bands can be a great tool to help keep clients motivated, especially in the cases of significant weight-loss goals.”

Although fitness trackers were devised to enhance performance, the companies behind them are keen to position them as a fashion product. Fitbit commissioned the American designer Tory Burch to produce a highly wearable range of health-tracker bracelets and pendants in silver, gold and rose gold, while its rival Misfit has just embarked on a glittering collaboration with Swarovski.

Not that wearables are all about health. Products brought to market in the past couple of years include everything from USB cufflinks to Bluetooth “smart rings”, which link up to your phone to let you know when you’ve received a call or an SMS. A Sydney-based designer was inspired by Louis Vuitton’s Amble app to create the Navigate jacket, which uses GPS and LED lights to help the wearer get from A to B.

Meanwhile, Samsung, Sony and Pebble have all beaten Apple to market with popular smartwatches that include much of the functionality of a phone, enabling the wearer to take pictures, play music or even turn up the air conditioning.

Not surprisingly, given that Credit Suisse predicts the global market in wearables will be worth $50 billion (Dh183 billion) by 2018, luxury fashion labels are starting to respond to the march of technology brands into their territory. Lulu Guinness recently collaborated with the camera manufacturer Autographer to create a shoulder bag with a built-in camera, designed to keep the Instagram generation’s hands free. And the luxury leather goods label Aspinal of London has created a buzz with the Marylebone Tech Tote: a two-tone bag that contains a phone-charging juice pack in a hidden pocket – with the first version selling out within two days.

Aspinal’s creative director Mariya Dykalo puts the product’s success down to the fact that it was inspired by her own busy lifestyle. “I am a working mum with two small children and I get into a panic when my phone gets a low battery. I had decided to integrate a charging battery pack into one of Aspinal’s iconic bags, which I would carry myself every day. Our Marylebone Tech Tote comes with an integral juice pack and cable paths so you can charge your phone and tablet on the move. I travel so much and couldn’t live without this bag – it’s like my portable office.”

Last month Aspinal launched a special version of the Marylebone Tech Tote for Middle East customers, which has been created in a smaller size and with a special finishing touch, Dykalo explains. “The tote arrives with three pairs of different-coloured handles, so that you can change your handles depending on your wardrobe or your mood for the day. It’s like an instant bespoke tote.”

It’s touches like this that are making a whole range of consumers start to buy into wearables. As fashion designers begin from the standpoint of style rather than functionality, their offerings are desirable as physical objects in their own right. To look at MICA, for example, you would never know that its full name is My Intelligent Communication Accessory. Unveiled by the American brand Opening Ceremony at the most recent New York Fashion Week, the product is a “smart bracelet” clad in 18-carat gold and semi-precious stones. It looks like a piece of statement jewellery, but has a curved sapphire glass touch-screen display on which users can manage their calendars and contacts, and receive notifications and alerts.

Yet while a number of brands have dipped a toe in the water, experts are still waiting for a crossover product that will take wearable technology into the mainstream. Until recently, the most likely candidate seemed to be Google Glass, a revolutionary set of smart spectacles created in the Google X laboratory in California. With much of the functionality of a smartphone, and frames designed by the likes of Diane von Furstenberg and Ray-Ban, the Glass created a huge buzz in the technology and fashion worlds alike.

Unusually, given that major product launches are usually shrouded in secrecy, Google opted to develop Glass through an Explorer programme that involved members of the public. Testers could buy a prototype for $1,500 (Dh5,500), the idea being that the company would learn how its product was used in everyday settings – from surgeons filming training videos to home cooks searching for recipes as they chopped. The Glass was met with excitement but also some suspicion, with potential functions such as facial recognition causing some mistrust among non-Glass users. Although Google pointed out that those who wished to film others secretly could find better ways of doing so, the product still seemed to make people uncomfortable and the Explorer programme was pulled in late January. According to a statement by Google, the product is merely entering the next phase of its development, with future iterations being worked on behind the scenes. But with no published timescale for when these might arrive, rumours abound that Glass has been shelved.

That leaves Apple, whose watch is expected to go on sale next month with a starting price of $349 (Dh1,282), as the strongest candidate to produce a wearable with mass appeal. It had game-changing hits with the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad, and has hired Angela Ahrendts from Burberry and Patrick Pruniaux from Tag Heuer to make sure it doesn’t make any fashion missteps with its first foray into wearables.

The watch itself is as stylish as you’d expect, with a clean, simple display and strap options from colourful leather to 18-carat rose gold, and Priest believes that it will be popular in the UAE, which is typically early to adopt new technologies.

“It is definitely a desirable product. However, the onus is on Apple to make the device compelling enough for consumers to continue to use it past the initial gadget honeymoon phase and potentially pick up a second-generation model,” he says.

While the technology giant has undoubtedly created a luxury item, Priest continues, it must now rely on developers to make it indispensable. “I feel that smartwatches are still yet to come into their own and are missing the much-coveted ‘killer app’ that will elevate them to the same status as smartphones and tablets,” he says.

To some extent there will always be creases to iron out when fashion and technology cross over. Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, described the Apple Watch as “the most personal product we’ve ever made”, and therein may lie the problem. As one writer for American GQ points out: “You don’t want your wrist lighting up with a message from the CEO when you’re toasting the groom.” The watch will enable users to send and receive messages, or to pay for things. It will have GPS; it will monitor their heart rates. For some, such possibilities will intrigue, but for others they are downright uncomfortable.

COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Revibe%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202022%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hamza%20Iraqui%20and%20Abdessamad%20Ben%20Zakour%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Refurbished%20electronics%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%20so%20far%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2410m%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFlat6Labs%2C%20Resonance%20and%20various%20others%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)

Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits

Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine

Storage: 128/256/512GB

Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4

Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps

Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID

Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight

In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter

Price: From Dh2,099

Company%20Profile
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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
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
City's slump

L - Juventus, 2-0
D - C Palace, 2-2
W - N Forest, 3-0
L - Liverpool, 2-0
D - Feyenoord, 3-3
L - Tottenham, 4-0
L - Brighton, 2-1
L - Sporting, 4-1
L - Bournemouth, 2-1
L - Tottenham, 2-1

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Our legal advisor

Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.

Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation. 

Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.

Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage

Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid 

Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani

Rating: 4/5

The specs

Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now

Empire of Enchantment: The Story of Indian Magic

John Zubrzycki, Hurst Publishers

Living in...

This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.

SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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Fighter profiles

Gabrieli Pessanha (Brazil)

Reigning Abu Dhabi World Pro champion in the 95kg division, virtually unbeatable in her weight class. Known for her pressure game but also dangerous with her back on the mat.

Nathiely de Jesus, 23, (Brazil)

Two-time World Pro champion renowned for her aggressive game. She is tall and most feared by her opponents for both her triangles and arm-bar attacks.

Thamara Ferreira, 24, (Brazil)

Since her brown belt days, Ferreira has been dominating the 70kg, in both the World Pro and the Grand Slams. With a very aggressive game.

Samantha Cook, 32, (Britain)

One of the biggest talents coming out of Europe in recent times. She is known for a highly technical game and bringing her A game to the table as always.

Kendall Reusing, 22, (USA)

Another young gun ready to explode in the big leagues. The Californian resident is a powerhouse in the -95kg division. Her duels with Pessanha have been highlights in the Grand Slams.

Martina Gramenius, 32, (Sweden)

Already a two-time Grand Slam champion in the current season. Gramenius won golds in the 70kg, in both in Moscow and Tokyo, to earn a spot in the inaugural Queen of Mats.

 

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: ARDH Collective
Based: Dubai
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Sector: Sustainability
Total funding: Self funded
Number of employees: 4
Business Insights
  • As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses. 
  • SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income. 
  • Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
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.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Super 30

Produced: Sajid Nadiadwala and Phantom Productions
Directed: Vikas Bahl
Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Pankaj Tripathi, Aditya Srivastav, Mrinal Thakur
Rating: 3.5 /5

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6

Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher:  Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5

Guns N’ Roses’s last gig before Abu Dhabi was in Hong Kong on November 21. We were there – and here’s what they played, and in what order. You were warned.

  • It’s So Easy
  • Mr Brownstone
  • Chinese Democracy
  • Welcome to the Jungle
  • Double Talkin’ Jive
  • Better
  • Estranged
  • Live and Let Die (Wings cover)
  • Slither (Velvet Revolver cover)
  • Rocket Queen
  • You Could Be Mine
  • Shadow of Your Love
  • Attitude (Misfits cover)
  • Civil War
  • Coma
  • Love Theme from The Godfather (movie cover)
  • Sweet Child O’ Mine
  • Wichita Lineman (Jimmy Webb cover)
  • Wish You Were Here (instrumental Pink Floyd cover)
  • November Rain
  • Black Hole Sun (Soundgarden cover)
  • Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door (Bob Dylan cover)
  • Nightrain

Encore:

  • Patience
  • Don’t Cry
  • The Seeker (The Who cover)
  • Paradise City
A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
  • 2018: Formal work begins
  • November 2021: First 17 volumes launched 
  • November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
  • October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
  • November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Raha%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202022%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Kuwait%2FSaudi%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Tech%20Logistics%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2414%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Soor%20Capital%2C%20eWTP%20Arabia%20Capital%2C%20Aujan%20Enterprises%2C%20Nox%20Management%2C%20Cedar%20Mundi%20Ventures%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20166%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
TO A LAND UNKNOWN

Director: Mahdi Fleifel

Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa

Rating: 4.5/5

Dengue%20fever%20symptoms
%3Cp%3EHigh%20fever%20(40%C2%B0C%2F104%C2%B0F)%3Cbr%3ESevere%20headache%3Cbr%3EPain%20behind%20the%20eyes%3Cbr%3EMuscle%20and%20joint%20pains%3Cbr%3ENausea%3Cbr%3EVomiting%3Cbr%3ESwollen%20glands%3Cbr%3ERash%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
In The Heights

Directed by: Jon M. Chu

Stars: Anthony Ramos, Lin-Manual Miranda

Rating: ****

Anghami
Started: December 2011
Co-founders: Elie Habib, Eddy Maroun
Based: Beirut and Dubai
Sector: Entertainment
Size: 85 employees
Stage: Series C
Investors: MEVP, du, Mobily, MBC, Samena Capital

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

Central%20Bank's%20push%20for%20a%20robust%20financial%20infrastructure
%3Cul%3E%0A%3Cli%3ECBDC%20real-value%20pilot%20held%20with%20three%20partner%20institutions%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EPreparing%20buy%20now%2C%20pay%20later%20regulations%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EPreparing%20for%20the%202023%20launch%20of%20the%20domestic%20card%20initiative%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EPhase%20one%20of%20the%20Financial%20Infrastructure%20Transformation%20(FiT)%20completed%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3C%2Ful%3E%0A
Business Insights
  • Canada and Mexico are significant energy suppliers to the US, providing the majority of oil and natural gas imports
  • The introduction of tariffs could hinder the US's clean energy initiatives by raising input costs for materials like nickel
  • US domestic suppliers might benefit from higher prices, but overall oil consumption is expected to decrease due to elevated costs
MATCH INFO

Barcelona 2
Suarez (10'), Messi (52')

Real Madrid 2
Ronaldo (14'), Bale (72')

The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Power: 268bhp / 536bhp
Torque: 343Nm / 686Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
On sale: Later this year

Queen

Nicki Minaj

(Young Money/Cash Money)

The specs

Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors

Power: 480kW

Torque: 850Nm

Transmission: Single-speed automatic

Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)

On sale: Now

COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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A cryptocurrency primer for beginners

Cryptocurrency Investing  for Dummies – by Kiana Danial 

There are several primers for investing in cryptocurrencies available online, including e-books written by people whose credentials fall apart on the second page of your preferred search engine. 

Ms Danial is a finance coach and former currency analyst who writes for Nasdaq. Her broad-strokes primer (2019) breaks down investing in cryptocurrency into baby steps, while explaining the terms and technologies involved.

Although cryptocurrencies are a fast evolving world, this  book offers a good insight into the game as well as providing some basic tips, strategies and warning signs.

Begin your cryptocurrency journey here. 

Available at Magrudy’s , Dh104 

Janet Yellen's Firsts

  • In 2014, she became the first woman to lead the US Federal Reserve 
  • In 1999, she became the first female chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers 

Graduated from the American University of Sharjah

She is the eldest of three brothers and two sisters

Has helped solve 15 cases of electric shocks

Enjoys travelling, reading and horse riding

 

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Company%20Profile
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Sheer grandeur

The Owo building is 14 storeys high, seven of which are below ground, with the 30,000 square feet of amenities located subterranean, including a 16-seat private cinema, seven lounges, a gym, games room, treatment suites and bicycle storage.

A clear distinction between the residences and the Raffles hotel with the amenities operated separately.