Gabrielecorto Moltedo photographed in his shop at  
146-148 Galerie de Valois, Jardins du Palais Royal, Paris.
Gabrielecorto Moltedo photographed in his shop at 146-148 Galerie de Valois, Jardins du Palais Royal, Paris.

'I was never really in to conventional fashion'



Gabrielecorto Moltedo, the designer and founder of the bag company Corto Moltedo, talks about his childhood fashion passions. I grew up in New York, and I have the fondest memories of going to the Ralph Lauren mansion to buy clothes when I was about 10 or 11. That's what we all wore. It was really strong back then for kids - it still is, of course - and the colours were great on the polo shirts; they really popped out.

My father (Vittorio Moltedo, who co-founded Bottega Veneta with his wife, Laura) used to take me there, and we'd pick out clothes. I don't really remember my mother buying me clothes; I'd always go with my father. I guess you could say he had a pretty big influence on me. My moustache comes and goes, but I think perhaps I grew it because my father has one. A little later on, I was really into skateboarding style; that was the scene back then, and I was obsessed. I used to buy skateboarding magazines and mail order T-shirts from the back. There were so many adverts. You could choose T-shirts from labels like Vision Streetwear or Santa Cruz and pay by credit card over the phone or with cash at the door when the T-shirts were delivered. I'd buy skateboards from the magazine ads, too.

At prep school, you had to wear a tie, but I had no problem with wearing one - I like ties. I wear them a lot now. They had a uniform, but it was pretty liberal, with a few rules. There were ways around the uniform, like wearing a tie over your polo shirt. I was never really influenced by TV or films. You don't really have that attitude in New York, growing up. It's a much speedier life - why would you copy something that's already out there? But we did have obsessions. At that age it was stickers like the Garbage Pail Kids. We'd collect them in Trapper Keepers, which were these big fat binders in funky colours. They were the best.

So I wasn't really into conventional fashion - in New York it was about more of an urban culture than anything. And when I was getting into it, it was more about hip-hop than punk. We were really into those baggy jeans. It was about how low-rise and baggy you could wear them. I never really rebelled as such, or not knowingly, but I did dye my hair platinum blond when I was in college. My mum opened the door when she came to visit and then closed it again and told me not to come home until it was back to normal. It was long back then, and I'd do something different with it every day. I'd go out and no one would recognise me with my new hairstyle.

I was very lucky to be able to travel as a kid, but I didn't really pick up styles from around the world. I guess I was kind of sticking with my style - although my dad would come back from trips abroad and bring me back some amazing stuff from people like Gaultier. They were clothes I really couldn't wear, like some crazy bright blue padded Gaultier jacket, but I'd try to wear them anyway and that probably opened me up to wearing more interesting clothes.

It was the pre-raving culture, but I was a clubbing kid. I'd hang out with the Irish kids from Rockaway in Queens and they were into lower-key places, so I'd show them my world and they'd take me to their hangouts. Now I wear quite a lot of my dad's hand-me-downs. I'm a lot taller than him, though, and the shoes don't fit, but I've got tons of ties from him, and now I'm getting some of his jackets, too. I took some old shirts, but it didn't work too well. I borrowed his black tie for ages but he took it back. But a black tie is an investment. You never need to buy another.

I like to shop. I do personal orders from my friends' places. We all support each other as designers, like my boys Adam Kimmel and Alexis Mabille. I also steal my publicist John's clothes. I'm going though a phase where I'm looking through my wardrobe and wearing everything I own but I've never worn. I just opened my first store in the Jardin du Palais Royal in Paris, and money is just disappearing, so I can't be buying new clothes right now.

Corto Moltedo is stocked at Etoile in Dubai (Mall of the Emirates, 04 341 4166).

The National Archives, Abu Dhabi

Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.

Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en

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.

T20 WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS

Qualifier A, Muscat

(All matches to be streamed live on icc.tv) 

Fixtures

Friday, February 18: 10am Oman v Nepal, Canada v Philippines; 2pm Ireland v UAE, Germany v Bahrain 

Saturday, February 19: 10am Oman v Canada, Nepal v Philippines; 2pm UAE v Germany, Ireland v Bahrain 

Monday, February 21: 10am Ireland v Germany, UAE v Bahrain; 2pm Nepal v Canada, Oman v Philippines 

Tuesday, February 22: 2pm Semi-finals 

Thursday, February 24: 2pm Final 

UAE squad:Ahmed Raza(captain), Muhammad Waseem, Chirag Suri, Vriitya Aravind, Rohan Mustafa, Kashif Daud, Zahoor Khan, Alishan Sharafu, Raja Akifullah, Karthik Meiyappan, Junaid Siddique, Basil Hameed, Zafar Farid, Mohammed Boota, Mohammed Usman, Rahul Bhatia

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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. 

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UAE v Gibraltar

What: International friendly

When: 7pm kick off

Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City

Admission: Free

Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page

UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)

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The biog

Simon Nadim has completed 7,000 dives. 

The hardest dive in the UAE is the German U-boat 110m down off the Fujairah coast. 

As a child, he loved the documentaries of Jacques Cousteau

He also led a team that discovered the long-lost portion of the Ines oil tanker. 

If you are interested in diving, he runs the XR Hub Dive Centre in Fujairah

 

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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
Recipe

Garlicky shrimp in olive oil
Gambas Al Ajillo

Preparation time: 5 to 10 minutes

Cooking time: 5 minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients

180ml extra virgin olive oil; 4 to 5 large cloves of garlic, minced or pureed (or 3 to 4 garlic scapes, roughly chopped); 1 or 2 small hot red chillies, dried (or ¼ teaspoon dried red chilli flakes); 400g raw prawns, deveined, heads removed and tails left intact; a generous splash of sweet chilli vinegar; sea salt flakes for seasoning; a small handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

Method

Heat the oil in a terracotta dish or frying pan. Once the oil is sizzling hot, add the garlic and chilli, stirring continuously for about 10 seconds until golden and aromatic.

Add a splash of sweet chilli vinegar and as it vigorously simmers, releasing perfumed aromas, add the prawns and cook, stirring a few times.

Once the prawns turn pink, after 1 or 2 minutes of cooking,  remove from the heat and season with sea salt flakes.

Once the prawns are cool enough to eat, scatter with parsley and serve with small forks or toothpicks as the perfect sharing starter. Finish off with crusty bread to soak up all that flavour-infused olive oil.

 

Tips%20for%20travelling%20while%20needing%20dialysis
%3Cul%3E%0A%3Cli%3EInform%20your%20doctor%20about%20your%20plans.%C2%A0%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EAsk%20about%20your%20treatment%20so%20you%20know%20how%20it%20works.%C2%A0%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EPay%20attention%20to%20your%20health%20if%20you%20travel%20to%20a%20hot%20destination.%C2%A0%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EPlan%20your%20trip%20well.%C2%A0%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3C%2Ful%3E%0A
Mica

Director: Ismael Ferroukhi

Stars: Zakaria Inan, Sabrina Ouazani

3 stars

The Bio

Favourite place in UAE: Al Rams pearling village

What one book should everyone read: Any book written before electricity was invented. When a writer willingly worked under candlelight, you know he/she had a real passion for their craft

Your favourite type of pearl: All of them. No pearl looks the same and each carries its own unique characteristics, like humans

Best time to swim in the sea: When there is enough light to see beneath the surface