As it celebrates more than 100 years as a luxury brand, Chanel shows no signs of fashion fatigue. The brand's president of fashion, Bruno Pavlovsky, tells us about the makings of the maison and the legacy Karl Lagerfeld will leave behind.
You're here for Chanel's Little Black Jacket (LBJ) exhibition in Dubai. Do you have a favourite photograph?
There are a few that are very nice because they are so natural. I particularly like Micheline Chaban-Delmas [the widow of the late French prime minister Jacques Chaban-Delmas]. Her strong personality shines through.
I was there on the day of the shoot and it lasted all of 30 seconds. There was no preparation and she didn't want hair or make-up time - nothing at all. She just turned up and was photographed in three seconds. You don't need 20,000 shots when you get the right one.
Karl Lagerfeld has photographed new images of celebrities wearing the LBJ for this show. Are additional shoots planned? Will we see multiple volumes of the book?
I don't know but these new images are truly friends of the brand, people who are important to us. We've had a lot of requests from people saying: "Oh, you forgot us. Please photograph us," but it's not really about that. This exhibition has been going for more than a year now and every time it's newly presented. From the cities and buildings selected right down to the launch party, we pay particular attention to all these details.
In that case, why Dubai and the imposing "black box" construction next to the Burj Khalifa?
There's a strong and very important link between Dubai and Chanel. It's a fairly recent market for us but we've grown our network of boutiques here a great deal. It's the first time we've organised something of this profile in the Middle East and because we have many loyal and local customers here, we wanted to offer them something special. The location epitomises Dubai; the Burj Khalifa demonstrates the UAE's importance today - for everyone.
What Chanel products outperform in the UAE?
Ready-to-wear - the very DNA of our brand as a fashion house. We've had a very good response from local customers to our collections, which take Chanel's "clothes of the past" and reinvent them for the future.
How would you sum up Chanel's DNA?
It's so much about the legend of Mademoiselle Chanel. She was a visionary, and from her close acquaintances with artists and writers she was able to draw a lot of inspiration. That was a very modern and unique approach in her day, and it's something we look to preserve.
Take our collaboration with Zaha Hadid, who created a mobile art pavilion for Chanel in 2008. We continue to feed off creative types from diverse fields.
Karl Lagerfeld is the perfect maestro to deliver that message through the collections season after season. He perpetuates what Mademoiselle Chanel was doing.
Let's talk about Karl. What happens when he decides to retire?
Well, I can tell you that just before our interview this morning, and despite it being two hours earlier in Paris, we had a chat on the phone and he's in great shape. I'm not even sure he'll retire one day. He's doing a great job and is so passionate about Chanel.
Every day he's reinforcing the codes of the brand and what Mademoiselle Chanel created - as a result the label under Lagerfeld is getting stronger and stronger. If something happens, it happens. But today he's very active and we're working well together. He's doing an incredible job. We'll soon be heading to Singapore for our cruise collection and we've got non-stop projects lined up for next year.
Has he spoken to you of a potential successor?
We never, ever speak of succession. We only talk about continuation.
Can you identify some key trends for Chanel's coming seasons?
I'd never divulge Karl's secrets, even about the new cruise collection, which I've seen. We want every collection to be a surprise. It's one of Karl's strengths to constantly come up with collections that look normal but we know they are extraordinarily difficult to produce. He delivers new interpretations every season. There are always plenty of new things, novelties and details.
Lagerfeld's forthcoming biopic about Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel stars Keira Knightley. Out of all the actresses featured in the LBJ exhibition, why was she chosen?
She's the Coco of the moment. I think she captured Karl's imagination. We've talked a lot about her and he was honoured to be able to work with her.
What would a Chanel capsule wardrobe consist of?
Well, a jacket is obvious, but not necessarily black - any of our tweed ones. Also, one of our new dresses and I'd say knitwear, too, which is perfect for people's lifestyle today and is becoming more and more important to the brand.
We recently bought a factory in Scotland and it's a very strong sign of the time that women want easy-to-wear pieces suitable for everyday life. But we're not talking basic cardigans. It's something that still epitomises Chanel.
How do you tackle the issue of counterfeit Chanel goods?
It's always a big concern because we're investing such time and energy in the creative process and the quality of our components. We're tough from a legal standpoint in trying to limit the impact of counterfeit goods and our customers know that if they can buy a bag for a hundredth of the regular price, there's clearly something wrong.
The temptation of counterfeits is everywhere for some people, and although it's not a good explanation, it is a way to measure the success of the brand. But to be clear, we're aware the problem exists and we're taking measures to limit and avoid its impact.
What kind of details are counterfeiters unable to replicate, with Chanel's handbags, for example?
Firstly, security identification. We have a unique and extra measure of identification in our handbags but I can't tell you how. Secondly, our leather is highly identifiable and we spend a lot on research and development, working with leather in the same way as our fabrics. This cannot be replicated and it's the best way to outsmart the counterfeiters. We also have six collections a year, meaning there's a high turnover of products in store, which is our way of saying "if you don't buy now, you won't find it again".
Louis Vuitton has continued to raise its prices this year in a bid for exclusivity in the luxury market space. Are similar price hikes in the pipeline for Chanel?
That's not our way of doing things. We're continually coming out with new lines and our strategy of producing six collections per year is very special. No other brand can match that right now. We care about our customers and, although we're not cheap, we're certainly not trying to be the most expensive.
What surprises are in store to mark Chanel's centenary? Any landmark celebrations, limited editions in accessories, apparel lines or fragrances?
There's only one secret I'm willing to reveal. On May 8, log on to www.chanel.com to see Keira Knightley as Coco. It will also be premiered in Singapore during our cruise collection show.
To see a clip of Karl Lagerfeld's new short film, go to www.chanel.com
The brand, year by year
1883 Gabrielle Chanel born in France on August 19
1910 First shop opens at 21 rue Cambon, Paris, selling hats
1912 Coco introduces jersey sportswear
1918 Chanel's couture house is launched
1921 Chanel's first fragrance, No 5, is created
1924 The brand's make-up is rolled out
1924 Gabrielle discovers tweed during one of her many trips to Scotland with the Duke of Westminster
1926 The little black dress (LBD) is created
1954 Birth of the little black jacket
1955 The iconic 2.55 quilted handbag with gold chain is born
1957 Chanel's two-tone slingback makes its debut
1971 At the age of 87, Coco Chanel dies on January 10 at the Hotel Ritz, her home for 30 years
1978 Creation of ready-to-wear
1983 Karl Lagerfeld appointed artistic director
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THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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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.
The five stages of early child’s play
From Dubai-based clinical psychologist Daniella Salazar:
1. Solitary Play: This is where Infants and toddlers start to play on their own without seeming to notice the people around them. This is the beginning of play.
2. Onlooker play: This occurs where the toddler enjoys watching other people play. There doesn’t necessarily need to be any effort to begin play. They are learning how to imitate behaviours from others. This type of play may also appear in children who are more shy and introverted.
3. Parallel Play: This generally starts when children begin playing side-by-side without any interaction. Even though they aren’t physically interacting they are paying attention to each other. This is the beginning of the desire to be with other children.
4. Associative Play: At around age four or five, children become more interested in each other than in toys and begin to interact more. In this stage children start asking questions and talking about the different activities they are engaging in. They realise they have similar goals in play such as building a tower or playing with cars.
5. Social Play: In this stage children are starting to socialise more. They begin to share ideas and follow certain rules in a game. They slowly learn the definition of teamwork. They get to engage in basic social skills and interests begin to lead social interactions.
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$1,000 award for 1,000 days on madrasa portal
Daily cash awards of $1,000 dollars will sweeten the Madrasa e-learning project by tempting more pupils to an education portal to deepen their understanding of math and sciences.
School children are required to watch an educational video each day and answer a question related to it. They then enter into a raffle draw for the $1,000 prize.
“We are targeting everyone who wants to learn. This will be $1,000 for 1,000 days so there will be a winner every day for 1,000 days,” said Sara Al Nuaimi, project manager of the Madrasa e-learning platform that was launched on Tuesday by the Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, to reach Arab pupils from kindergarten to grade 12 with educational videos.
“The objective of the Madrasa is to become the number one reference for all Arab students in the world. The 5,000 videos we have online is just the beginning, we have big ambitions. Today in the Arab world there are 50 million students. We want to reach everyone who is willing to learn.”
Paltan
Producer: JP Films, Zee Studios
Director: JP Dutta
Cast: Jackie Shroff, Sonu Sood, Arjun Rampal, Siddhanth Kapoor, Luv Sinha and Harshvardhan Rane
Rating: 2/5
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Indoor Cricket World Cup
Venue Insportz, Dubai, September 16-23
UAE squad Saqib Nazir (captain), Aaqib Malik, Fahad Al Hashmi, Isuru Umesh, Nadir Hussain, Sachin Talwar, Nashwan Nasir, Prashath Kumara, Ramveer Rai, Sameer Nayyak, Umar Shah, Vikrant Shetty
RESULTS
Catchweight 82kg
Piotr Kuberski (POL) beat Ahmed Saeb (IRQ) by decision.
Women’s bantamweight
Corinne Laframboise (CAN) beat Cornelia Holm (SWE) by unanimous decision.
Welterweight
Omar Hussein (PAL) beat Vitalii Stoian (UKR) by unanimous decision.
Welterweight
Josh Togo (LEB) beat Ali Dyusenov (UZB) by unanimous decision.
Flyweight
Isaac Pimentel (BRA) beat Delfin Nawen (PHI) TKO round-3.
Catchweight 80kg
Seb Eubank (GBR) beat Emad Hanbali (SYR) KO round 1.
Lightweight
Mohammad Yahya (UAE) beat Ramadan Noaman (EGY) TKO round 2.
Lightweight
Alan Omer (GER) beat Reydon Romero (PHI) submission 1.
Welterweight
Juho Valamaa (FIN) beat Ahmed Labban (LEB) by unanimous decision.
Featherweight
Elias Boudegzdame (ALG) beat Austin Arnett (USA) by unanimous decision.
Super heavyweight
Maciej Sosnowski (POL) beat Ibrahim El Sawi (EGY) by submission round 1.
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
The distance learning plan
Spring break will be from March 8 - 19
Public school pupils will undergo distance learning from March 22 - April 2. School hours will be 8.30am to 1.30pm
Staff will be trained in distance learning programmes from March 15 - 19
Teaching hours will be 8am to 2pm during distance learning
Pupils will return to school for normal lessons from April 5
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, semi-final result:
Liverpool 4-0 Barcelona
Liverpool win 4-3 on aggregate
Champions Legaue final: June 1, Madrid
Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode
Directors: Raj & DK
Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon
Rating: 4/5
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
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.”
Day 3, Dubai Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Lahiru Gamage, the Sri Lanka pace bowler, has had to play a lot of cricket to earn a shot at the top level. The 29-year-old debutant first played a first-class game 11 years ago. His first Test wicket was one to savour, bowling Pakistan opener Shan Masood through the gate. It set the rot in motion for Pakistan’s batting.
Stat of the day – 73 Haris Sohail took 73 balls to hit a boundary. Which is a peculiar quirk, given the aggressive intent he showed from the off. Pakistan’s batsmen were implored to attack Rangana Herath after their implosion against his left-arm spin in Abu Dhabi. Haris did his best to oblige, smacking the second ball he faced for a huge straight six.
The verdict One year ago, when Pakistan played their first day-night Test at this ground, they held a 222-run lead over West Indies on first innings. The away side still pushed their hosts relatively close on the final night. With the opposite almost exactly the case this time around, Pakistan still have to hope they can salvage a win from somewhere.
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
