Arab Fashion Week spotlights Lebanese, Saudi designers in Dubai
Updated 12 October 2019
Arab News
DUBAI: Designers Dhruv Kapoor, Hussein Bazaza, Daniele Carlotta, Nora Al-Shaikh and Rami Kadi showed off their latest collections at Arab Fashion Week in Dubai on Friday.
We take a look at highlights from the five shows that wowed the well-heeled front row.
Hussein Bazaza – Lebanon
Bazaza showcased his latest collection “Experiment 2020,” which the designer says was created by his imaginary high school friend Portu.
(Arab News)
Dhruv Kapoor — India
Kapoor presented his Spring/Summer 2020 collection. From hyper-feminine silhouettes to oversize boyfriend fits, each piece was wildly different. Patchwork florals temple-inspired rustic prints and grunge-inspired stripes formed this eclectic collection.
(Supplied)
Daniele Carlotta – Italy
Carlotta specializes in materials and hails from a family with a long history of working in the business.
(Supplied)
Nora Al-Shaikh – Saudi Arabia
Jeddah-based designer Al-Shaikh showcased her Spring/Summer 2020 line, for which she took inspiration from her Saudi heritage. According to the designer, she designs for contemporary women and tries to create clothes that can be worn anywhere in the world.
(Supplied)
Rami Kadi – Lebanon
The Lebanese designer Rami Kadi showcased his Fall/Winter 2019-2020 collection “The Temple of Flora,” in which florals are the main design element. The collection was inspired by Taschen’s reprint of “The Temple of Flora,” a box set portfolio of illustrations by Robert John Thornton that was originally published in 1799. Kadi’s collection features hand-painted plastic leaves and 3D-knitted, iridescent sequins.
The Arab world at the Venice Biennale: Artists explore themes of identity, immigration, history
Updated 17 sec ago
Rebecca Anne Proctor
VENICE: No event in the international art scene is more anticipated, or debated, than the Venice Biennale. This year’s edition, “Foreigners Everywhere,” curated by Adriano Pedroso from Brazil, features 331 artists and 86 nations, including four Gulf countries as well as Lebanon and Egypt.
Saudi Arabia
Women’s voices chanting in unison fill the air of the Saudi Pavilion at Venice this year. “Shifting Sands: A Battle Song” was created by Saudi artist Manal AlDowayan, and hundreds of women from across the Kingdom participated in its creation. The exhibition, which includes large-scale installations in the form of desert roses filled with writing and drawings by the Saudi female participants whom AlDowayan worked with, aims to showcase the evolving role of women in the Kingdom while also striving to dispel media narratives that have long defined them. The chanting is derived from traditional battle songs once performed by Saudi men before they went into battle. Here they are chanted by women in a powerful chorus of strength and resilience, backed by recordings of the wind passing through sand dunes. The work, AlDowayan tells Arab News, “is about change, subtle changes — like those of a sand dune — the surface changes, but the core stays the same.”
“Shifting Sands: A Battle Song” was created by Saudi artist Manal AlDowayan. (Supplied)
UAE
Emirati artist Abdullah Al-Saadi is presenting “Sites of Memory, Sites of Amnesia” at the National Pavilion of the United Arab Emirates. It’s an introspective show consisting of drawings, sculptures, paintings and installations charting Al-Saadi’s travels around his homeland. “Traveling and understanding the natural world around me has always been an important part of my work,” Al-Saadi, who has even used rocks from the Emirates as his ‘canvas’ for some of the works, told Arab News. “Through this presentation in Venice, I hope visitors will enjoy tracing the travels I have taken over the past few years and also think about the world around us, and our place within it.”
Visitors will also be presented with gifts: maps and scrolls in colorful traditional chests from the region, which will be removed and presented to guests by actors from the UAE.
Emirati artist Abdullah Al-Saadi is presenting “Sites of Memory, Sites of Amnesia.” (Supplied)
Qatar
While Qatar doesn’t have a national pavilion at the biennale, it is presenting “Your Ghosts Are Mine: Expanded Cinemas, Amplified Voices” — a group show of films by artists from across the Arab world, Africa and South Asia, as well as video installations from the collections of Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art and the Art Mill Museum (scheduled to open in 2030). All the films were backed by the Doha Film Institute.
“For me, it was important to show movies reflective of the theme of the biennale — so, revolving around immigration, foreigners, personal diaries and self-portraits and stories from women — all coming from independent (artists) in the Global South, whose voices are not always shared,” the Paris-based curator Matthieu Orlean told Arab News.
Installation view of 'Your Ghosts Are Mine.' (Supplied)
Egypt
Alexandrian-born artist Wael Shawky has created “Drama 1882,” a 45-minute film for which he also composed the music, for Egypt’s national pavilion, which — in the first week of the biennale at least — has proved to be one of the most popular pavilions at this year’s event.
The film is based around Egypt’s nationalist Urabi revolution against imperial influence in the late 19th century and Shawky uses historical and literary references as starting points from which to weave together a story that fuses fact, fiction and fable, while also exploring national, religious and artistic identity.
“I worked with performers who enacted a play in a theater for the film,” Shawky told Arab News. “The film strives in part to connect the idea of history to drama — drama regarding the connection to catastrophe and drama regarding cynicism. I like to analyze the authenticity of history, especially Egyptian history. When one makes films about history there is this gap between truth and myth.”
Wael Shawky has created “Drama 1882,” a 45-minute film for which he also composed the music, for Egypt’s national pavilion. (Supplied)
Lebanon
Lebanese artist Mounira Al-Solh’s multimedia installation “A Dance with Her Myth” combines drawing, painting, sculpture, embroidery, video, and audio, and guides viewers through ancient Phoenicia. The piece, Al-Solh explains to Arab News, is inspired by the tale of Europa, the daughter of a Phoenician king who was abducted from the city of Tyre in Lebanon by the Greek god Zeus, who had transformed himself into a white bull to trick her into riding him, then took her off into the sea.
“The (work) pays tribute to the ancient multicultural heritage of Lebanon,” Al-Solh says.
In the center of the pavilion is an unfinished boat, that Al-Solh says references “the tension that women still face today, despite their emancipation.”
Lebanese artist Mounira Al-Solh’s multimedia installation “A Dance with Her Myth” combines drawing, painting, sculpture, embroidery, video, and audio. (Supplied)
Oman
Oman’s second participation in the biennale, is an exhibition titled “Malath — Haven.” It includes work from five Omani contemporary artists: Ali Al-Jabri, Essa Al-Mufarji, Sarah Al-Aulaqi, Adham Al-Farsi and Alia Al-Farsi (who also curated the show). “We used the word ‘haven’ in the title because, since antiquity, foreigners — including the Romans, Portuguese and Indians — have visited Oman,” Alia Al-Farsi told Arab News. The works on display — from Al-Farsi’s own colorful and expressive mixed-media murals (such as “Alia’s Alleys,” pictured here) to Al-Aulaqi’s “Breaking Bread,” which includes a large sculpture of a niqab made from silver spoons — reflect both traditional and contemporary life in Oman.
“As an Omani creative with an international background, my aim was for the exhibition to serve as a sanctuary for visitors and travelers, allowing stories to unfold and intertwine, mirroring how our country finds its richness in intercultural dialogue,” the curator said in a statement.
Behind the scenes at Mazen Laham’s Middle East media powerhouse
Mazen Laham’s Different Productions, the company behind “Dubai Bling” and the regional version of “Shark Tank,” just celebrated its 10th anniversary
Discussing Arabic-language adaptations of global shows, he said they preserve the original concept while respecting cultural sensitivities
Updated 19 min 59 sec ago
Hams Saleh
DUBAI: Lebanese producer Mazen Laham’s Different Productions celebrated its 10th anniversary this month. The company is one of the driving forces of the television industry in the region, responsible for the creation of acclaimed shows including Netflix’s “Dubai Bling,” and “It’s OK” — a docuseries about the Lebanese pop superstar Elissa — as well as Arabic adaptations of popular franchises “Shark Tank,” “Say Yes to the Dress,” and “Chopped.”
Laham told Arab News that shooting for the third season of “Dubai Bling” has already concluded, adding that it is “even bigger than the two previous seasons.” He confirmed that Emirati-Egyptian TV host Mahira Abdeaziz and Iraqi influencer Jwana Karim will be joining the cast, which already includes Zeina Khoury, Safa and Fahad Siddiqui, DJ Bliss, Danya Mohammed, Kris and Brianna Fade, Mona Kattan Al-Amin, Hassan Al-Amin, Loujain Adada, Ebraheem Al-Samadi, and Farhana Bodi.
The previous two seasons both ranked in the global top 10 for non-English series on Netflix. “I believe in numbers,” Laham said. “It was (popular) globally. What I will say is that season three is a very big season.”
While they suspected the show would be popular, Laham admitted that he and his team were not expecting it to get quite so big. “What we were aiming for is to have a good show but we never thought that it will be this successful,” he said.
The show may be popular, but it has also attracted plenty of criticism online for its depiction of life in Dubai. Laham, though, seems unperturbed.
“We never said that this is Dubai. From day one, we said it is about a group of friends living in Dubai,” he said. “It is not a documentary about the city. We are not saying ‘This is Dubai and this is life in Dubai,’ we only focused on a group of friends living in Dubai.”
Discussing his company’s various Arabic-language adaptations of international shows, Laham said that they try to preserve the original concept of the show while ensuring they cater to the cultural sensitivities and preferences of the region.
“Before getting the shows, we make sure that they fit our culture — anything that, culturally, does not pass, we do not even get it in the first place,” he said. “But, whenever we see something that could be adapted, yes, we (try to) get the rights for it. The most important thing is to keep the structure and the main spirit of the format the same.”
Laham believes there are now two distinct audiences for shows: those for traditional television networks and those for streaming services such as Netflix, Shahid, Starzplay.
“What is on TV does not work on a platform and vice versa, because the new generation want something fast — they want something will keep them hooked. So, it’s very challenging to make content for them,” he said.
What Laham believes works best are docuseries such as “Dubai Bling” and “It’s OK.”
“These are non-scripted, but they are serialized; they’re sticky,” he explained. “You want to keep on watching to follow the stories and this is when you binge watch. On TV channels, you still get to see classical standalone episodes.”
Laham said Different Productions is currently working on an original docuseries for Starzplay called “Unstoppable.”
“It’s a football-based reality show where children between the ages of 13 and 15 compete. There will be one winner, and the winner will hopefully play for one of the big Italian teams,” he said.
Laham described the Saudi Arabia market as “promising,” not only due to the growing number of original productions but also because “the infrastructure, whether it’s Neom or AlUla,” is drawing in creatives from around the world. “I think it’s going to the biggest media hub out there very soon,” he added.
“We care a lot about the viewership in Saudi Arabia because it’s the biggest market,” Laham said. “So we always look into the ratings — even if it’s not a pure Saudi show, we want our shows to be watched in Saudi Arabia.”
Arab-American Heritage Month: Sama Alshaibi — ‘I’m trying to change this idea of what an Arab woman is’
Updated 25 April 2024
Rawaa Talass
DUBAI: The fourth in this year’s series focusing on contemporary Arab-American artists in honor of Arab-American Heritage Month.
Born in Basrah to an Iraqi father and a Palestinian mother, Sama Alshaibi is an Arizona-based professor and artist who has mostly devoted her 20-year career to video, photography and performance art.
During the Iran-Iraq war of the Eighties, Alshaibi and her family moved around the region, living in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Jordan, before eventually settling in the American Midwest when she was 13 years old.
Sama Alshaibi_Water Bearer II. (Supplied)
“Growing up in the United States was strange. We were a ‘different’ family in Iowa and there wasn’t a lot of diversity. But I grew up in a place with nice people,” Alshaibi tells Arab News from Bellagio, Italy, where she is doing a residency at the Rockefeller Foundation.
But she also says there were obstacles, mainly formed by major political events that impacted her. “It was challenging, because of where I’m from,” she says.
Alshaibi’s work is largely inspired by her Arab roots. “Arts were so revered in my family,” she says. “I don’t even know if I would be making art if it wasn’t for my heritage.” It was her father, an avid photographer, who taught her to use a manual camera. She aspired to become a photojournalist herself — inspired by 20th-century African-American photographers, notably Carrie Mae Weems and Lorna Simpson, who documented Black culture in their imagery.
Sama Alshaibi's 'Gamer Albumen' print. (Supplied)
Many of her images are portraits of herself wearing, for example, traditional Middle Eastern garments, referencing romanticized Orientalist portrayals of women, and in the end, challenging them.
“I’m trying to change this idea of what you think an Arab woman is,” she explains. “I started seeing the power of communication, of taking political or social issues and using your body, your performance, your environment, to address them.”
One of Alshaibi’s best-known series is called “Carry Over,” in which she photographed herself carrying large objects (or Orientalist props), such as a tower of container tins or a water vessel, above her head. The images poetically show a woman’s endurance and comment on a collective history, affected by colonialism and cultural loss.
“I’ve always been interested in the notion of ‘aftermath’ — what happens after the destruction of your environment,” explains Alshaibi. “It gets you to the question of what we can’t hold onto anymore.”
DUBAI: US Dutch Palestinian model Gigi Hadid turned 29 this week and the fashion and beauty crowd took to Instagram in droves to wish her a happy birthday.
Hadid’s younger sister, Bella Hadid, kickstarted the well wishes with a heartwarming message alongside a carousel of photos of the sisters, including several childhood snaps.
“Happy birthday princess of Genovia, I love you so much,” Bella captioned her Instagram post. “Life without you would be nothing, I would be nothing! You inspire me and make me feel strong.
“Watching you give birth and then raise the most perfect angel is the most magical gift a sister could ask for,” Bella wrote to the mother-of-one. “I feel so lucky. You are the best and coolest mama, best sister, best daughter, and best friend. Anyone who has the privilege to be in your orbit is lucky. I love you sissy, you make me feel proud to be your sister.”
Leading designers also took to the photo-sharing social media platform to celebrate the birthday girl, including Donatella Versace who wrote: “Happy Birthday to you, my girl @gigihadid. You are beautiful inside and out, Gigi. I hope you have the best day celebrating with Khai and all your loved ones. You deserve the best, always.”
Khai is Hadid’s three-year-old daughter with British singer Zayn Malik.
Fellow model Lily Aldridge, British designer and TV personality Tan France, stylists Elizabeth Sulcer and Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, celebrity makeup artist Partick Ta and many more all took to Instagram Stories to share touching messages.
Also paying tribute to the catwalk star on her special day was her father, Palestinian real estate mogul Mohamed Hadid, who shared a thoughtful birthday message on his feed.
“Happiest birthday to my beautiful smart elegant loving caring talented mother sister daughter one can ever be. Happy birthday my love,” he wrote.
Hadid has been occupied with her fashion label, Guest In Residence. Just last week, she unveiled the Spring/Summer collection both online and in stores. The collection introduces the brand’s inaugural cotton and silk blends, along with lightweight cashmere options.
Milan’s Istituto Marangoni to open campus in Riyadh
Updated 24 April 2024
Rahaf Jambi
RIYADH: Milan-based Istituto Marangoni, in collaboration with the Saudi Fashion Commission, will open a Higher Training Institute in Riyadh offering courses specialized in fashion and luxury, with plans to inaugurate the institute in 2025.
According to a released statement, the institute’s mission in Saudi Arabia is to explore new avenues for local talent development and generate employment opportunities in the relevant industries.
The new institute in Riyadh will offer three-year advanced diplomas available in specific areas such as Fashion Design, Fashion Management, Fashion Product, Fashion Styling & Creative Direction, and also in the management of Fragrances & Cosmetics and Interior Design. (Supplied)
“We are very excited to do a partnership with Istituto Marangoni. It's one of the leading global educational institutions focused on fashion and design. They have many campuses around the world, but for Saudi Arabia, it's the first time they are opening their campus. And they are also the first educational institution to come into Saudi Arabia as a foreign direct investment, which shows their commitment to the potential in the Saudi market, especially for creatives and businesses, and through this partnership, we'll be able to educate and provide employment to all the local creatives in the industry in Saudi Arabia,” Burak Çakmak, chief executive officer of the Fashion Commission under Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Culture, told Arab News.
The new institute in Riyadh, to be accredited by the Technical and Vocational Training Corporation, will offer three-year advanced diplomas available in specific areas such as Fashion Design, Fashion Management, Fashion Product, Fashion Styling & Creative Direction, and also in the management of Fragrances & Cosmetics and Interior Design. Students will be able to choose whether to complete the advanced diploma in Riyadh, with the option of stepping into the fashion industry through a six-month internship during the last year of study, or complete studies for a bachelor’s degree at any international Istituto Marangoni campus.
The institute’s mission in Saudi Arabia is to explore new avenues for local talent development and generate employment opportunities in the relevant industries. (SupplieD)
The institute has campuses in Milan, Florence, Dubai, Paris, London and Miami.
In a released statement, Stefania Valenti, Global Managing Director of Istituto Marangoni, said: “We created this important partnership with the Saudi Fashion Commission because we believed that they are going to have a very strong agenda that is going to create a fashion (and) luxury system in Saudi (Arabia).
“We want to provide our knowledge and skills to the new generation, because there is a strong appetite here for the young generation, for the women, that they want to start to study in Saudi, they don't want to study abroad,” she added.
