The runway at Zegna’s Oasi Lino spring/summer 2025 fashion show was a field of flax stalks – the fibrous plant that gives us linen – with each moving as if in a breeze. Speaking after the show, Zegna’s artistic director Alessandro Sartori said: “There is something quintessentially Italian about this collection. Linen is a wonderful medium: Oasi Lino is not only entirely traceable and true to our commitment to sustainability, but it is also as malleable and sensual as our idea of summer dressing.”
Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen was the showstopper for the parade. Mikkelsen is the company’s global ambassador and he took to the runway wearing an Il Conte calfskin leather jacket in rich terracotta, and carrying a deerskin holdall in each hand.
Just below Mikkelsen’s wide-legged trousers was a first glimpse of the brand’s new shoe for summer – the Moccasin loafer. In terracotta leather, the lightweight shoe is already seen as core enough to warrant a spelling according to the Piedmont dialect, linking it directly to Zegna’s birthplace.
One of the handful of true high-end brands that has no need to follow trends, but instead views each new season as an opportunity to describe new solutions to the many facets of its client’s lifestyles, Zegna is a gentleman’s outfitter that offers sublime elucidation to its customer’s every need, long before he senses there is something lacking.
Understanding that its customers would require a new slip-on for summer – to join the existing Torino and Udine loafers – Zegna set about creating a tactile, lightweight and supremely supple new addition.
Made using traditional tanning techniques, the resulting leather is durable, yet soft enough to gently mould to the foot over time, creating footwear as individual as the wearer. Crafted using generations of know-how, the loafer is also true to Italy’s refined sartorial style and has been created to be worn with Zegna’s designer socks.
Mikkelsen is also the star of the sun-soaked summer campaign shot in Italy. It features the new Moccasin and the accompanying Oasi Lino collection of clothing that is all made with 100 per cent traceable fibres.
Zegna recently made headlines by picking Dubai as the first city outside of Italy to host one of its shows. It will present its spring/summer 2026 collection in the UAE, for the first time outside of the Milan Fashion Week calendar. The brand said the presentation, to be held on June 11, will be part of a week-long programme that will be attended by "top clients, friends of the brand and select members of the international press".
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
MATCH INFO
Real Madrid 2
Vinicius Junior (71') Mariano (90 2')
Barcelona 0
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
Top New Zealand cop on policing the virtual world
New Zealand police began closer scrutiny of social media and online communities after the attacks on two mosques in March, the country's top officer said.
The killing of 51 people in Christchurch and wounding of more than 40 others shocked the world. Brenton Tarrant, a suspected white supremacist, was accused of the killings. His trial is ongoing and he denies the charges.
Mike Bush, commissioner of New Zealand Police, said officers looked closely at how they monitored social media in the wake of the tragedy to see if lessons could be learned.
“We decided that it was fit for purpose but we need to deepen it in terms of community relationships, extending them not only with the traditional community but the virtual one as well," he told The National.
"We want to get ahead of attacks like we suffered in New Zealand so we have to challenge ourselves to be better."
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Panipat
Director Ashutosh Gowariker
Produced Ashutosh Gowariker, Rohit Shelatkar, Reliance Entertainment
Cast Arjun Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt, Kriti Sanon, Mohnish Behl, Padmini Kolhapure, Zeenat Aman
Rating 3 /5 stars
Company Profile
Founder: Omar Onsi
Launched: 2018
Employees: 35
Financing stage: Seed round ($12 million)
Investors: B&Y, Phoenician Funds, M1 Group, Shorooq Partners
War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
Silent Hill f
Publisher: Konami
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Rating: 4.5/5
World Cricket League Division 2
In Windhoek, Namibia - Top two teams qualify for the World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe, which starts on March 4.
UAE fixtures
Thursday February 8, v Kenya; Friday February 9, v Canada; Sunday February 11, v Nepal; Monday February 12, v Oman; Wednesday February 14, v Namibia; Thursday February 15, final
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
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OPINIONS ON PALESTINE & ISRAEL
