British-Moroccan model Nora Attal stars in Chanel’s Cruise 2022 show

Nora Attal walks down the Chanel Cruise 2022 runway in France. Supplied
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Updated 05 May 2021
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British-Moroccan model Nora Attal stars in Chanel’s Cruise 2022 show

DUBAI:  British-Moroccan model Nora Attal strutted her stuff on a runway in the south of France for Chanel’s resort 2022 show on Tuesday.

The 21-year-old walked down the catwalk, staged in Carrières de Lumières – a series of vast chambers – in the sunny Les Baux-de-Provence, wearing two looks from the Parisian luxury maison’s latest offering.

For her first turn down the punk-inspired runway, Attal wore an all-black look that consisted of a fringed top, skirt and cape secured around her neck. 

She later changed into loose grey trousers, paired with a striped bodysuit and a graphic shirt. 




Nora Attal walks down the Chanel Cruise 2022 runway in France. Supplied

In a press release, Chanel’s creative director Virginie Viard listed some of the elements of the collection: “Lots of fringes, in leather, beads and sequins, t-shirts bearing the face of the model Lola Nicon like a rock star, worn with tweed suits trimmed with wide braids and pointed silver Mary-Janes. ”

The monochromatic collection drew inspiration from Jean Cocteau’s play “Orpheus,” which deals with themes of morality, sacrifice and artistry. In fact, Cocteau was a friend of Coco Chanel and his 1960 film version, titled “Testament of Orpheus,” was shot at Carrières de Lumières.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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Attal is a Chanel house favorite, having appeared on the catwalk for the French label on a number of occasions. She made her debut for Chanel in 2017 and went on to become a runway fixture and house muse, walking for the brand’s 2018 pre-Fall Metier’s d’Art show in Hamburg and most recently in the Spring 2021 runway presentation.

She also served as the face of the brand a number of times, starring in Chanel’s Spring 2019 campaign and Chanel Beauty holiday adverts.

Attal was first discovered by Jonathan Anderson, founder of the J.W. Anderson label, and shot a campaign for the British fashion house in 2014 before she had even taken her first steps down a runway.

Based in London and signed to Viva Model Management, she has worked with a number of renowned designers and photographers and has walked the runway for major fashion houses, including Fendi, Burberry and Valentino.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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She recently starred in the new campaign for high-street retailer Zara’s not-yet-launched beauty line. 


Living Pyramid to bloom beyond Desert X AlUla

Updated 01 March 2026
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Living Pyramid to bloom beyond Desert X AlUla

ALULA: Desert X AlUla officially closed on Feb. 28, but one of its most striking installations — the Living Pyramid —will continue to flourish. 

Tucked away within a lush oasis surrounded by ancient rock formations, Agnes Denes’ creation fuses art and nature, offering a living testament to resilience and connection.

Through her current rendition of The Living Pyramid for Desert X AlUla 2026, Denes seeks connection, likening it to bees constructing a new hive after disaster.

The pyramid structure is teeming with indigenous plants, forming layered patterns that echo the surrounding desert landscape. 

It blends harmoniously with the rocky backdrop while proudly standing apart.

“There is no specific order for the plants other than not to place larger plants on the very top of the pyramid and increase the number of smaller plants up there,” Iwona Blazwick, lead curator at Wadi AlFann in AlUla, told Arab News.

Native plants cascading down the pyramid include Aerva javanica, Leptadenia pyrotechnica, Lycium shawii, Moringa peregrina, Panicum turgidum, Pennisetum divisum, Periploca aphylla and Retama raetam. 

Aromatic and flowering species such as Thymbra nabateorum, Rhanterium epapposum, wild mint, wild thyme, Portulaca oleracea, tamarisk shrubs, Achillea fragrantissima, Lavandula pubescens, Salvia rosmarinus, and Ruta graveolens form distinct layers, adding color, texture and subtle fragrance to the pyramid.

“Each Living Pyramid is different. The environment is different, the people are different. I’m very interested in the different societies that come together on something so simple,” Denes said in a statement.

“Connection is what’s important; connection is what the world needs. I keep comparing us to a lost beehive or an anthill. And I wrote a little poem: This. And this is. Bee cries out. Abandon the hive. Abandon the hive,” she said.

Denes was born in Budapest, Hungary, in 1931 and is now based in New York. While the 95-year-old has not made it physically to the site in Saudi Arabia, she designed this structure to cater to the native plants of the area.

Her Living Pyramid series has certainly taken on reincarnations over the past decade. 

It debuted at Socrates Sculpture Park in New York in 2015, was recreated in Germany in 2017, appeared in Türkiye in 2022, and then London in 2023. 

In 2025, she showcased a version at Desert X 2025 in Palm Springs, California, and Luxembourg City. 

Most recently, in 2026, at Desert X AlUla.

While officially part of Desert X AlUla, the Living Pyramid stands apart and is housed separately, a short drive away from the other art works.

“The (Living Pyramid) artwork will stay for around a year, to showcase a full year’s effect on the plants throughout the different seasons,” Blazwick said.

After the year is up, it won’t go down. The plants will continue its metamorphosis beyond the pyramid. 

“The plants will be replanted and will have a new home within an environment that will suit their needs,” Blazwick concluded.