New Balance signs US-Kuwaiti influencer Ascia Al-Faraj as brand ambassador

Ascia Al-Faraj is the first female representative from the region to sign for the brand. (Supplied)
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Updated 04 March 2021
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New Balance signs US-Kuwaiti influencer Ascia Al-Faraj as brand ambassador

DUBAI: Global athletic label New Balance has signed American-Kuwaiti fashion influencer Ascia Al-Faraj as the brand’s newest regional ambassador.

Al-Faraj is the first female representative from the region to sign for the brand, according to a released statement, and would debut as the face of the New Balance NB collective campaign titled “Energise a Generation” that is set to launch on Thursday across the Middle East.




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The collection is made up of two signature styles with contrasting colors. The hero shoes, which the entrepreneur championed for the campaign, feature a bold, vibrant mix of pink, purple, teal and yellow – aptly matching her colorful persona.

The other style sports a simple monochrome look.

The blogger, who boasts over 2.6 million followers on Instagram, took to the platform to express her excitement. “Proud to announce that I am the first Middle Eastern female brand ambassador of @NewBalance. A whole brand ambassador you guys. A whole face of the brand,” she wrote to her fans.

As soon as the mother-of-two shared the news on social media, her fellow influencers including British-Egyptian influencer Dina Torkia, Lebanese blogger Karen Wazen expressed their support by commenting on her post.

To celebrate the launch of the NB Collective, Al-Faraj will moderate a live digital panel discussion with two female guest speakers that will be streamed on her Instagram page.

Coinciding with International Women’s Day, the session will discuss ‘Energising Women’ in the region, tying it back to the campaign’s original messaging and premise.

Stuart Henwood, the general for New Balance Middle East and Egypt said in the statement: “Ascia embodies the fearlessly independent nature of New Balance. The synergies with Ascia vision and core values is why this partnership with Ascia is a game changer for us at a time of exciting evolution within the region.”

Al-Faraj owns two diverse businesses: Desert Baby, a brand that sells baby and toddler products, and Seoul Kool, a Korean beauty brand.

She is also an advocate for equality and passionately uses her platform to promote female empowerment especially for Arab women.


Sotheby’s to bring coveted Rembrandt lion drawing to Diriyah

Updated 18 January 2026
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Sotheby’s to bring coveted Rembrandt lion drawing to Diriyah

DUBAI: Later this month, Sotheby’s will bring to Saudi Arabia what it describes as the most important Rembrandt drawing to appear at auction in 50 years. Estimated at $15–20 million, “Young Lion Resting” comes to market from The Leiden Collection, one of the world’s most important private collections of 17th-century Dutch and Flemish art.

The drawing will be on public view at Diriyah’s Bujairi Terrace from Jan. 24 to 25, alongside the full contents of “Origins II” — Sotheby’s forthcoming second auction in Saudi Arabia — ahead of its offering at Sotheby’s New York on Feb. 4, 2026. The entire proceeds from the sale will benefit Panthera, the world’s leading organization dedicated to the conservation of wild cats. The work is being sold by The Leiden Collection in partnership with its co-owner, philanthropist Jon Ayers, the chairman of the board of Panthera.

Established in 2006, Panthera was founded by the late wildlife biologist Dr. Alan Rabinowitz and Dr. Thomas S. Kaplan. The organization is actively engaged in the Middle East, where it is spearheading the reintroduction of the critically endangered Arabian leopard to AlUla, in partnership with the Royal Commission for AlUla.

“Young Lion Resting” is one of only six known Rembrandt drawings of lions and the only example remaining in private hands. Executed when Rembrandt was in his early to mid-thirties, the work captures the animal’s power and restless energy with striking immediacy, suggesting it was drawn from life. Long before Rembrandt sketched a lion in 17th-century Europe, lions roamed northwest Arabia, their presence still echoed in AlUla’s ancient rock carvings and the Lion Tombs of Dadan.

For Dr. Kaplan, the drawing holds personal significance as his first Rembrandt acquisition. From 2017 to 2024, he served as chairman of the International Alliance for the Protection of Heritage, of which Saudi Arabia is a founding member.

The Diriyah exhibition will also present, for the first time, the full range of works offered in “Origins II,” a 64-lot sale of modern and contemporary art, culminating in an open-air auction on Jan. 31 at 7.30 pm.