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DUBAI: Fashion’s latest buzzworthy collaboration brings together Italian powerhouses Fendi and Versace and features some of the world’s top models including Moroccan-Egyptian-Dutch star Imaan Hammam.
Dubbed “Fendace,” an amalgamation of Versace and Fendi, the hotly anticipated offering drops on May 12 through a string of worldwide events and pop-ups in cities including Dubai, Kuwait, Los Angeles, Paris and Tokyo.
The partnership between the two luxury giants was first revealed in September 2021, on the runway during Milan Fashion Week.
“It’s a swap rather than a collaboration and, most of all, it is done out of friendship. It is the beauty of togetherness after time apart and a celebration of women who have inspired me so much,” artistic director of Fendi couture and womenswear Kim Jones said in a press release.
Ahead of the launch, the brands released the Fendace advertising campaign shot by iconic photographer Steven Meisel and playful videos from renowned filmmaker Alec Maxwell.
Presented across two dedicated campaign videos, each sees a glamorous and diverse cast of supermodels that includes Moroccan-Egyptian-Dutch star Imaan Hammam, Sudan’s Adut Akech and Anok Yai, Ethiopia’s Amar Akway, Poland’s Anja Rubik and China’s Lina Zhang. They are filmed entering the Fendace nightclub wearing fabulous outfits, and navigating the bouncers at the door played by iconic supermodels Naomi Campbell and Kristen McMenamy.
“The campaign captures the same sense of friendship and energy we had when we were designing the collection. Kim is a visionary designer and innovator. To me, Fendace will always mean love,” said Donatella Versace, chief creative officer of Versace, in a statement.
A post shared by Imaan Hammam (@imaanhammam)
In the advertorials, Hammam can be seen wearing key pieces from the trendy offering including a brown Fendi monogram hat with Versace written across, worn with a printed silk scarf, a fur coat emblazoned with the double F logo designed by Karl Lagerfeld for Fendi, and a pair of open toe heels embellished with a gold Medusa buckle.
The new collection is a marriage of Versace’s flashy more-is-more dressing and Fendi’s signature craftsmanship. Prints, color, logoism and embellishments are punctuated throughout.
A post shared by Fendi (@fendi)
Styles like the Fendace Peekaboo and Baguette combines the iconic Fendi bags silhouettes with Versace codes while the Fendace La Medusa handbag boasts the Fendi FF logo with Versace’s Medusa silhouette. Pieces like the co-branded Trigreca sneakers are a sartorial testament of the collection’s commitment to create unique designs while staying true to each brand’s DNA.
Shoppers will have to visit one of the forthcoming Fendace pop-ups to experience the complete collection. Otherwise, Fendi’s and Versace’s websites will stock a separate selection of goods alongside a unified assortment of Fendace-branded pieces.
Jawaker is the most popular social gaming mobile app available on Google Play and the App Store in the Middle East.
It includes beloved Middle Eastern card and board games such as Baloot, Basra, Jackaroo and Ludo, with many regional variations of popular games also on offer.
Although I love holding actual cards when playing, having a mobile app that allows me to play all these options is very convenient (sometimes you just cannot keep carrying your deck of cards everywhere you go, and nobody forgets their phone).
In an attempt to save myself from an awkward and quiet social occasion, I asked my friends to download Jawaker so we could play Ludo together. After they created accounts and we added each other, we were allowed to create a game room where our phones were synchronized to play together.
Ludo is a two to four-player strategy board game in which players race their four tokens from start to finish based on the roll of the dice. Ludo evolved from the Indian game Pachisi, and is a cross and circle game.
The contest brought us all closer together as we enjoyed ourselves, got competitive, and played two rounds.
I am a big fan of chess and have been practicing many openings and strategic game plans on Jawaker, which also allows me to play online.
DUBAI: Former One Direction member Louis Tomlinson has rescheduled his 2020 Dubai performance to July 2.
The singer had to cancel his gig in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Fans can now finally see the British music star at the UAE city’s Coca-Cola Arena.
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Coca-Cola Arena (@cocacolaarena)
A post shared by Coca-Cola Arena (@cocacolaarena)
The Dubai performance is part of Tomlinson’s world tour, and it will be the first time he has toured as a solo artist.
The 30-year-old will be performing songs from his acclaimed album “Walls” and his tour will involve up to 80 shows in more than 30 countries.
The “Walls” album made the top three in the UK charts and top 10 in the US and includes singles such as “Kill My Mind” and “Two of Us.”
Tomlinson rose to fame as a member of the boy band One Direction, that was formed in 2010. The group broke up in 2016 and Tomlinson took the opportunity to focus on his solo career.
Tickets will be available to purchase on Wednesday.
DUBAI: Arab designers are no strangers to prestigious red-carpet events around the world.
This week, American singer and dancer Ashley Roberts sported a jaw-dropping creation by Lebanese designer Rami Kadi for the British Academy of Film and Television Arts awards ceremony.
The media personality and former Pussycat Doll member stunned in a metallic silver gown embellished with colorful feathers on the train, a high slit and an asymmetrical cut.
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Rami Kadi (@ramikadi)
A post shared by Rami Kadi (@ramikadi)
She paired the gown with strappy silver sandals, an updo and shiny earrings.
The dress is part of Kadi’s Spring 2022 “Lucid Algorithms” collection that launched earlier this year.
This collection came in collaboration with the Lebanese designer’s first-ever non-fungible token collection of the same name.
The “Lucid Algorithms” collection breaks down barriers between the physical and virtual realms and restructures stigmas around computers and designers. The collection was a human-computer collaboration, in which Kadi created elements that were fed into an algorithm. The result was an assortment of visuals, which were then used to design and create 40 dresses that make up the whole couture collection.
View this post on Instagram A post shared by ZUHAIR MURAD (@zuhairmuradofficial)
A post shared by ZUHAIR MURAD (@zuhairmuradofficial)
This collection was an ode to Kadi’s future endeavors, which center around his beliefs and the metaverse. He was the first Arab designer to delve into the metaverse and the realm of NFTs.
Roberts was not the only celebrity donning an Arab designer. Actress Michelle Keegan shined on the red carpet wearing an off-the-shoulder light pink gown by renowned Lebanese designer Zuhair Murad.
The British star wore a pleated iridescent pink dress that featured a high slit, a one-sided shoulder cape and a cinched waist. Keegan paired the beautiful gown with silver shoes and glistening jewelry.
The dress is part of Murad’s Spring Summer 2022 collection, which was themed around pirates of the high seas, though the collection took a different take on it.
Rather than the rough and rugged looks that usually come to mind when envisioning a pirate, Murad took an ethereal and gilded approach. The collection is filled with shimmering features, embellished bodices, nautical details and flamboyant fabrics creating feminine silhouettes.
DUBAI: After international streetwear experienced a boom in 2016 with brands like Supreme and Off-White taking the market by storm, Saudi entrepreneurs Fahad Al-Jomiah and Khalid Al-Jammaz took advantage and launched the Kingdom’s “first streetwear brand.”
The label, 1886, was launched in the duo’s dorm rooms in London and is now one of the trendiest in the Saudi market.
“For two students living in London at that time, that was such an inspiring and creative moment,” Riyadh-based Al-Jomiah and Al-Jammaz told Arab News. “Even though our background is not in fashion, we felt it was the right time to bring together our passion for music, art, urban trends and street movements into a brand that could translate our own vision as Saudis.”
The name of the brand came from their dorm rooms: 18 and 86. While in London, Al-Jammaz studied marketing while Al-Jomiah did business administration.
View this post on Instagram A post shared by 1886 (@my_1886)
A post shared by 1886 (@my_1886)
“When we discovered our common interest for fashion and for mixing and matching different styles, our rooms became the creative studio to share ideas and draft the first sketches,” said the founders, who are inspired by pop art, music, street culture and new technologies.
“The walls of our rooms functioned as a mood board, entirely covered with paper clippings, styling photographs, inspirational graphics and anything that grabbed our attention,” they added.
1886 aims at “bridging fashion to the future by uniting the tradition of urban wear to tomorrow’s innovations and technical aesthetic.” The duo work at incorporating technology and progressive design to offer products such as joggers, hoodies, T-shirts, dresses and accessories that are contemporary and durable.
According to the founders, the local streetwear fashion scene was “practically absent” in the Kingdom before 2016.
“Today the streets of Riyadh, Jeddah or Khobar are brimming with styles that effortlessly mix old and new, tradition and innovation, East and West. This has inevitably led to a diversity of style and new trends that are unique to the region,” they added.
View this post on Instagram A post shared by 1886 (@my_1886)
A post shared by 1886 (@my_1886)
One of the duo’s challenges was proving that a Saudi brand could deliver quality and style on par with big international names.
“There was a lack of trust toward local brands and their product that was hard to break,” they said. “It took us time to overturn this belief and prove them wrong. We believe that Saudi Arabia provides an incredible environment for inspiration and can compete with other international labels as a valid option in the fashion industry.”
DUBAI: Egyptian actor Mohamed Mamdouh on Sunday won best actor for his role in “Abu Saddam” at the Malmo Arab Film Festival in Sweden.
“Abu Saddam” was released in December 2021 and is directed by Egyptian filmmaker Nadine Khan.
The film tells the story of an experienced truck driver, played by Mamdouh, who gets a transportation mission on Egypt’s North Coast Road after he stopped working for years.
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Mohamed Mamdouh (@mohamedmamdouhofficial_)
A post shared by Mohamed Mamdouh (@mohamedmamdouhofficial_)
His assistant goes with him on the journey, and they face unexpected situations that get out of control.
MAFF is Europe’s largest film festival featuring Arab cinema and the only one in Scandinavia.
The festival launched in 2011 and has since become a platform for Arab films in the European region. It is the largest festival dedicated to Arab films outside the Middle East.
Founded by Swedish-Palestinian director and producer Mouhamed Keblawi, the festival began as a meeting point for Arab cinema in Sweden and Europe and has been growing since.
The 12th edition MAFF, which kicked off on May 4 and runs until May 9, had a great turnout of attendees including famous actors Georges Khabbaz, Ahmed Magdy and Monther Rayahnah.