One of the standout speakers and industry luminaries to attend Fashion Forward this season was Ben Malka, the chief executive of the luxury label Halston Heritage. We sat down with the retail guru, who revealed the brand would soon be coming to the UAE
What have you made of the UAE and Fashion Forward?
It’s my first visit, and wow! What they’ve done in such a short period of time is a tribute to humans. It’s amazing and very impressive. I think Fashion Forward is a great platform for young innovators, not only to get information but also for us to learn what the emerging generation is concerned about and how they see things. It’s a great forum.
Esquire magazine famously ran a headline in the 1970s asking: “Will Halston take over the world?” How’s business doing these days?
I think things go so much faster today. When I think back to the 1970s, people who traded country to country were conglomerates. Today, I trade on eBay with someone in Russia or China – the world has become flat, so to speak. So it’s easier today. If I had wanted to do what I’m doing today, 30 years ago, I’d have to do it myself and set up companies, whereas now there are joint ventures and entities set up to succeed and make it happen faster. I think the markets are also very cluttered and you must have a clear voice. I believe, too, that the emerging markets in particular have a thirst for heritage brands. So, maybe for Halston, it’s easier today than it would have been in Roy Halston’s day.
The financial wobbles and management reshuffles of Halston are well documented. What convinced you that it could be turned around?
You know what, I didn’t even read any of that noise. I was so far removed from it. There are very few true iconic heritage brands and even less coming from America, so if I were to start a brand today, it would take me years to establish its DNA. Having Halston already long-established, I knew there was a heritage there. And whatever the wobbles were, it’s the media that knew about them and the consumer was barely touched.
Halston has ready-to-wear and accessories, but when do you plan to resurrect the label’s couture?
I think it’s so expensive and complex to launch. Just look how hard it was for Tom Ford, for example, and he came with such a great legacy. I wouldn’t say we have no plans, but it would be more difficult today. It takes a lot more work and more money in a crowded space right now.
You and your partners invested US$20 million (Dh73.4m) into the brand. Is it enough?
We might have to put more in, who knows? We’re still building, and with something that is going global this fast, it takes a lot of money. Twenty million is a small number, although it sounds like a lot.
Sarah Jessica Parker left the company as chief creative officer three years ago. Are you looking for someone to fill her shoes?
Sarah was great and she did what they wanted her to do, but I’m not sure how relevant it is to have a single person representing the brand right now. I think it’s important for us to make sure there’s a breadth of celebrities and brand ambassadors.
How about a Middle Eastern one?
Absolutely, of course. That’s why I’m here.
When might Halston Heritage reach the UAE’s shores?
We’ve just opened our first store in Kuwait and we’re opening in early January in Mall of the Emirates.
rduane@thenational.ae
brand bio
• Halston was founded in 1968 by the milliner Roy Halston Frowick. It rapidly became a titanic American brand.
• Halston was known for its signature use of jersey, cashmere and suede and for reinventing the jumpsuit, shirt dress and classic kaftan.
• The brand was synonymous with the 1970s era of Studio 54.
• Clients have included Elizabeth Taylor, Jackie Kennedy, Bianca Jagger and Rachel Zoe.
• Roy Halston died in 1990.
• Ben Malka, the former president of BCBG Max Azria Group, joined as chief executive in 2011.
www.halston.com
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Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
History's medical milestones
1799 - First small pox vaccine administered
1846 - First public demonstration of anaesthesia in surgery
1861 - Louis Pasteur published his germ theory which proved that bacteria caused diseases
1895 - Discovery of x-rays
1923 - Heart valve surgery performed successfully for first time
1928 - Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin
1953 - Structure of DNA discovered
1952 - First organ transplant - a kidney - takes place
1954 - Clinical trials of birth control pill
1979 - MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, scanned used to diagnose illness and injury.
1998 - The first adult live-donor liver transplant is carried out
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
The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203S%20Money%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202018%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20London%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ivan%20Zhiznevsky%2C%20Eugene%20Dugaev%20and%20Andrei%20Dikouchine%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20FinTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%245.6%20million%20raised%20in%20total%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
About Proto21
Date started: May 2018
Founder: Pir Arkam
Based: Dubai
Sector: Additive manufacturing (aka, 3D printing)
Staff: 18
Funding: Invested, supported and partnered by Joseph Group
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
TV: World Cup Qualifier 2018 matches will be aired on on OSN Sports HD Cricket channel
The bio
Job: Coder, website designer and chief executive, Trinet solutions
School: Year 8 pupil at Elite English School in Abu Hail, Deira
Role Models: Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk
Dream City: San Francisco
Hometown: Dubai
City of birth: Thiruvilla, Kerala
THE BIO
Favourite author - Paulo Coelho
Favourite holiday destination - Cuba
New York Times or Jordan Times? NYT is a school and JT was my practice field
Role model - My Grandfather
Dream interviewee - Che Guevara
