Burberry’s London show draws Arab stars

Karen Wazen arrived in a beige trench coat with a belted waist. (Instagram)
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Updated 24 September 2025
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Burberry’s London show draws Arab stars

DUBAI: From fashion influencers and entrepreneurs such as Karen Wazen of Lebanon to filmmakers including Saudi producer Mohammed Al-Turki and models like British Moroccan Nora Attal, the Burberry show in London proved a hotspot for Arab talent.

The label presented hippie-inspired crochet dresses, fringed jackets and tailored suits in acid green, yellow and pink, drawing on counterculture fashions from the British music scene for its Spring/Summer 2026 collection.

A Black Sabbath soundtrack lent a rock ’n’ roll edge to the catwalk in the huge tent at Kensington Palace Gardens. The models’ boots and sandals crunched on a brown sand floor, evoking the muddy conditions of music festivals — a theme Burberry has revisited throughout the summer.

Dubai-based Wazen, who is the founder of eyewear label By Karen Wazen, arrived in a beige trench coat with a belted waist and double-breasted detailing, styled with knee-high black boots. She completed the look with long black leather gloves, a sleek black shoulder bag and sunglasses from her own brand.

The coat’s interior lining revealed Burberry’s signature check pattern.

Wazen posed for pictures with Al-Turki, former CEO of the Red Sea Film Festival, and Lebanese model Louai Alama, son of Lebanese superstar Ragheb Alama.

Meanwhile, on the runway, Attal appeared in a sleeveless mini dress adorned with metallic gold discs, styled with black lace-up combat boots. She carried a white fringed shoulder bag and wore oversized dark sunglasses, while silver accessories included a chunky ring and an armband.

The Burberry show, which closed London Fashion Week, was the sixth collection by creative director Daniel Lee and took inspiration from the connection between fashion and music. It was his third since Joshua Schulman became CEO and overhauled the British brand’s sales strategy.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Burberry (@burberry)

Under Schulman, Burberry’s advertising has drawn on Britain’s outsized influence on music, featuring artists from Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher to producer and DJ Goldie and hip-hop musician Loyle Carner.

Burberry’s check pattern featured on chainmail mini dresses in black and silver, and pink and neon green, and on trench coats, which also came in snakeskin and a tarot card print.

“Burberry’s collection felt like a confident embrace of a younger client, rooted firmly in British culture and the energy of music festivals,” said Simon Longland, director of fashion buying at Harrods.


Amr Diab and Sherine top Spotify list of 2025 MENA artists

Updated 17 December 2025
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Amr Diab and Sherine top Spotify list of 2025 MENA artists

  • Egyptian stars and icon Fairuz continue to resonate in region
  • Artists shaping rap, mahraganat, hybrid sounds feature

DUBAI: Spotify has released its list of the Top Middle East and North Africa artists and songs globally, shaped by streams from listeners both inside and outside the region, offering a snapshot of how MENA music travelled in 2025.

Topping the global MENA artists list is Amr Diab, a mainstay of Arab pop. He also led Egypt’s Wrapped this year, while his catalogue — spanning both older hits and newer releases — continued to draw sustained global engagement.

The return of “Tamally Maak” to the global Top Tracks list underlines the lasting appeal of his music across generations.

Sherine is one of the year’s most emotionally resonant voices with four tracks in the global Top 10. Her classics “Kalam Eineh,” “El Watar El Hassas” and “3la Bali,” alongside her newer release “Btmanna Ansak,” reached listeners from Egypt to Germany and the UK.

Spotify data shows her catalogue maintaining a strong, personal connection with audiences throughout 2025.

Regional classics also featured prominently. Nancy Ajram’s early-2000s hit “Ya Tabtab Wa Dallaa” found renewed popularity in markets including Indonesia and Turkiye, while Khaled’s “C’est la vie” continued to cross borders, resonating with listeners from France to India.

Fairuz remained a fixture in daily listening habits, anchoring morning and coffee playlists across the Arab world and the diaspora.

Beyond pop, artists shaping rap, mahraganat and hybrid sounds maintained strong global visibility.

ElGrandeToto, Morocco’s Top Artist on Spotify from 2020 to 2025, continued to spotlight the evolution of Moroccan hip-hop, which in 2025 blended rai, chaabi and local rhythms with trap influences.

His collaboration with Spanish-Moroccan rapper Morad, “Ojos Sin Ver,” featured on the global MENA Top Tracks list, highlighting the genre’s cross-regional and European appeal.

Egyptian rapper Marwan Pablo also remained a prominent global presence, recognized for his introspective approach within the country’s hip-hop scene.

Mahraganat artists Essam Sasa and Eslam Kabonga appeared in the global rankings as well, underscoring the genre’s expanding reach beyond its local roots.

The global MENA Top Tracks list included “KALAMANTINA,” a collaboration between Saint Levant and Marwan Moussa that blends hip-hop and pop within a hybrid electro-shaabi sound.