DUBAI: From Victoria’s Secret sportswear to luxury resort wear, Moroccan Egyptian Dutch model Imaan Hammam is spending the summer broadening her horizons.
The model, who is usually found on haute couture catwalks and modeling for high-end eveningwear labels, took to social media this week to share snaps from campaigns for Victoria’s Secret and US label Louisa Ballou.
Hammam posed for fashion photographer Nikki Arya in outfits from Louisa Ballou’s Archive High Tide collection. The model was photographed on a beach at dusk wearing a cobalt blue-and-black sheath dress with graphic patterns across the length of the ankle-grazing outfit.
Raised in Charleston, South Carolina, in the US, designer Louisa Ballou founded her brand in 2018. The label seeks to offer “an unconventional perspective on resort wear, creating beautifully crafted and covetable luxury clothing that transcends the beach,” according to its website.
From the beach to the gym, Hammam shared campaign images from a shoot with US label Victoria’s Secret this week. In the images, she shows off nude-toned gym wear, complete with a zip-up sports top and matching pants.
“Keeping comfortable,” the model captioned the images on Instagram.
Earlier this month, Hammam took to social media to share a fashion shoot in which she celebrates Moroccan culture.
“I will always be proud when I get to show off the beauty that is Moroccan culture and collaborate with so many amazing artists and creatives,” Hammam captioned a carousel of snaps on Instagram.
The model collaborated with auteur Marwane Jinane, photographer Hamza Lafrouji and a fellow model and creative who goes by the name Cheb Pablo on the shoot, which sees the pair posing in various locations in Casablanca.
Hammam is known for working with and promoting artists and creatives from the MENA region with her 1.7 million Instagram followers. The runway star — who is a fashion week staple and is currently the brand ambassador of cosmetics giant Estée Lauder — is known for dropping personally curated playlists of regional music for her social media fans and she has also promoted regional artists in the past.
In June, Hammam hit the runway at the Vogue World event in Paris alongside Kendall Jenner, Gigi Hadidi, French Algerian icon Farida Khelfa and Venus and Serena Williams.
Saudi designers shine as Fashion Trust Arabia announces finalists for 2024 awards
Updated 13 August 2024
Arab News
DUBAI: Qatar’s Fashion Trust Arabia (FTA) announced the designers who have made the finalist list for the FTA 2024 Awards, with four Saudi talents securing a spot: Kawthar Alhoraish for the Ready-to-Wear Award, and Sara Naif AlSaud, Noura Abdulaziz Al-Saud and Mashael Khalid Al-Saud for the Jewelry Award.
Other designers in the Ready-to-Wear category include Nadine Mosallam from Egypt and Naïma Trabelsi from Tunisia. The Evening Wear category features Hamza Guelmouss and Valentin Nicot from Morocco, Tara Babylon from Iraq and Yasmin Mansour from Egypt.
For the Jewelry Award, Lebanese designer Karl Toufic Yazigi and Noura Alserkal from the United Arab Emirates will compete with the three Saudi talents. In the Accessories category, Dara Hamarneh, a Jordanian Palestinian designer, joins Moroccan designer Jihane Boumediane and Egyptian Reem Hamed as finalists.
The Franca Sozzani Debut Talent Award includes Iraqi designer Mahmood Al-Safi, Lebanese designer Mira Maktabi, and Palestinian Jordanian designer Sylwia Nazzal.
Meanwhile, the Fashion Tech category highlights innovators like Batoul Al-Rashdan from Jordan, Hazem Samy Ali from Egypt and Sarah Salameh from Palestine.
This year’s event will take place in Marrakech, in partnership with the Years of Culture initiative to celebrate the Qatar-Morocco 2024 Year of Culture.
The winning designers will receive a financial grant ranging from $100,000 to $200,000, depending on the size of their business, with an additional $50,000 awarded for the Franca Sozzani Debut Talent Award.
Collections from winners in the Evening Wear, Ready-to-Wear, Accessories, and Jewelry categories will be showcased by FTA’s retail partner, Harrods, for one season.
In addition to retail opportunities, FTA offers all winners benefits, including a year-long mentorship with The Bicester Collection.
Huntsman will offer the Ready-to-Wear category winner an internship in London. As part of the internship the winner will be creating a capsule collection to be sold on the retailer’s e-commerce platform.
Luxury ethical fashion retail platform Maison De Mode will offer a tailored mentorship to all seven winners that focuses on the importance of sustainability and ethical fashion practices.
The winning designers will also take part in a two-day bespoke FTA mentorship program in London in partnership with The Bicester Collection, Brand x Society, and the British Fashion Council.
DUBAI: Chilean Palestinian singer Elyanna wowed the audience at the Outside Lands Music Festival in San Francisco this week.
The artist performed popular hits, including the viral “Ganeni,” along with “Mama Eh,” “Ghareeb Alay,” and “Woledto,” blending dance and musical influences from Arab culture into her set.
People in the crowd held up the Palestinian flag during her set.
Chilean Palestinian singer Elyanna performed at the Outside Lands music festival in San Francisco. (Getty Images)
The 22-year-old music sensation wore a long-sleeved, semi-sheer dress made of delicate, web-like lace material, with metallic embellishments and silver sequins adding a touch of shimmer.
The dress featured cutouts at the midriff and legs, along with an asymmetrical hemline and fringe details.
The Los-Angeles based singer’s music uniquely fuses Arabic and Western beats, a reflection of her multicultural upbringing. Throughout her career, she has worked to normalize Arabic lyrics in the Western music scene, drawing inspiration from artists like Lana Del Rey, Beyoncé, and Middle Eastern icon Fayrouz.
Earlier this week, Elyanna teased an upcoming collaboration with British band Coldplay, rapper Little Simz, Nigerian singer Burna Boy and Argentine singer Tini that is set to drop on Aug. 23.
The song, titled “We Pray,” is from Coldplay's upcoming album “Moon Music,” scheduled for release on Oct. 4. The singers previously performed it in June at the UK’s Glastonbury Festival.
Last month, Elyanna – who was the first artist to perform a full set in Arabic at California’s Coachella music festival in 2023 – announced that she is expanding her world tour “Woledto,” with new dates and locations in Europe.
The tour, from Oct. 5 to Dec. 16, will have 30 stops.
“The Woledto Tour from North America to Europe! See you soon,” she wrote to her 1.5 million followers on Instagram at the time.
Her fans quickly took to the comments section, requesting gigs in Lebanon, Dubai, Los Angeles, Australia, Barcelona, Lisbon, Milan and more.
In May this year, she made her television debut on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.”
Elyanna delivered a medley of hits from her debut album including “Callin’ U (Tamally Maak)” and “Mama Eh,” the first song performed entirely in Arabic on the show.
SUAREZ CEO spotlights Saudi Arabia as a ‘pivotal market for silent luxury’
Updated 12 August 2024
Arab News
DUBAI: Jewelry aficionados in Jeddah now have one more reason to look elegant with the opening of a boutique by Spanish label SUAREZ in the city, marking the luxury brand’s first outpost in the Middle East.
The boutique in Khayat Center in Jeddah showcases a selection of the label’s collections, including the Tigre De Deusto collection’s tête de bœuf cut emeralds and the Sellos collection’s signature ring, which artfully combines black onyx with a central emerald-cut diamond.
The in-store offering was curated to cater to Saudi customers, Juan Suarez, Group CEO, told Arab News, before he highlighted Saudi Arabia as a “pivotal market for silent luxury" as he explained why the country was chosen to host the brand's first Middle Eastern store.
“Each piece is crafted to the highest standards of elegance and craftsmanship. We are committed to offering bespoke designs tailored to their unique preferences, ensuring that each piece holds personal significance and aligns with their individual style.”
On choosing Jeddah for the first branch in the region, the CEO said the city represents an ideal location for introducing the Suarez collection given its sophisticated clientele, retail environment and discerning customers.
What makes the family-owned brand unique is that the owners manage every aspect of the jewellery making process, from the selection of raw materials to the design and production of each piece.
“This hands-on approach ensures that our core values — legacy, craftsmanship, beauty, perfection, and truth — are upheld in every creation,” said Suarez.
He added: “Our commitment to these values aligns with the importance placed on family heritage and tradition in the Saudi market, where family influences are deeply embedded in purchasing decisions.”
For the 80-year-old brand, “entering the esteemed Saudi market is of great importance.
“The opening of our boutique in Jeddah represents Suarez’s international expansion and highlights Saudi Arabia as a pivotal market for silent luxury,” said Suarez.
DUBAI: What does art have to do with the Olympics? Qatar Museums, the Gulf nation’s preeminent government institution for art and culture, believes that art is a way to further spur cultural diplomacy and highlight the country’s unique heritage and cultural scene in line with its 40-year participation in the Olympics.
Qatar Museums is celebrating the 2024 Summer Olympics with the staging of several exhibitions and public events in Paris, including art shows, book launches and the takeover of renowned restaurant Le Dali at Le Meurice hotel on Rue de Rivoli by Jiwan, an acclaimed restaurant located within Doha’s National Museum of Qatar, highlighting the rich culinary heritage of Qatari cuisine.
The series of events also includes the launch of the first-ever Arabic translation of writings, “Textes Choisis,” by Pierre de Coubertin, the French historian and visionary widely regarded as the father of the modern Olympic games.
The project is anchored by two exhibitions curated by Qatar Museums and 3-2-1 Qatar Olympic and Sports Museum: “Olympism: More Than a Dream Exhibition,” recording 40 years of Qatar’s participation in the Olympics since 1984, which runs until Aug. 25; and “Esports: A Game Changer,” which runs until Sept. 8 at the Residence Citeaux in Paris.
The latter exhibition explores how esports relates to gaming and traditional sports. It takes a sociological look at competitive gaming, defining it in relation to traditional sports and casual gaming, while also looking at its governing organizations and economies. On view are objects and documents that trace the history of esports, including the invention of the first electronic pinball machine almost a century ago and also snapshots of several of competitive gaming’s biggest contemporary stars. The final part of the show explores the future of esports in the gaming landscape and beyond, focusing on its societal, educational, recreational and occupational impacts.
On view in the “Olympism: More Than a Dream” exhibition is memorabilia, including Qatar’s first-ever Olympic medal, a bronze won by athlete Mohammed Suleiman in the 1,500 meter-running event during the 1992 Barcelona Summer Olympics.
On view in the “Olympism: More Than a Dream” exhibition is memorabilia, including Qatar’s first-ever Olympic medal, a bronze won by athlete Mohammed Suleiman in the 1,500 meter-running event during the 1992 Barcelona Summer Olympics. (Supplied)
Another program highlight is the gold medal triumph of the “Golden Falcon,” Mutaz Barshim, who won gold in the high jump event at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
“In parallel with the Summer 2024 Olympics, the last few weeks witnessed Qatar Museums organizing a spectacular lineup of programs in Paris, affirming our longstanding commitment to cultural diplomacy and role in highlighting Qatar’s history and culture in the international arena,” Mohammed Saad Al-Rumaihi, CEO of Qatar Museums, told Arab News.
“Stemming from the 2014 Cultural Agreement between Qatar and France, the summer program continues the legacy of the Qatar-France 2020 Year of Culture,” he added. “It celebrates a shared passion for sport in both countries, strengthens exchange and highlights Qatar’s offerings internationally.”
The launch of the Olympism exhibition was attended including Qatar’s Ambassador to France Sheikh Ali bin Jassim Al-Thani, Qatar Football Association President Jassim bin Rashid Al-Buenain and Vice President of the Qatar Olympic Committee Thani bin Abdulrahman Al-Kuwari, as well as the president of the Pierre de Coubertin Family Association, Alexandra de Navacelle de Coubertin.
The first part of the exhibition displays iconic Olympic artifacts from the museum’s collection, including Muhammad Ali’s left boxing glove from Rome 1960 and the Innsbruck 1964 Olympic torch.
The second part highlights key milestones in Qatar’s Olympic history, including the country’s debut at the Los Angeles 1984 Summer Olympics and strong presence at the Tokyo 2020 Games.
The rich artistic program that Qatar Museums is presenting during the Paris Olympics is organized to commemorate the Qatar-France 2020 Year of Culture, a Qatar Museums initiative, and the 2014 Cultural Agreement signed by Qatar and France.
It is also not the first time that Qatar is supporting the Olympics through culture and art. During the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Qatar presented Bayt Qatar, a hospitality house presenting live music performances, exhibitions and even an outdoor souk. In 2012, Qatar Museums staged a Heya exhibition featuring the creations of 70 Arab sportswomen.
Al-Rumaihi said that these projects shed light on the unique culture of sportsmanship, highlighting “the diverse and vibrant aspects of Qatari sporting culture, and offer a unique opportunity for audiences in Paris and beyond to engage with the nation’s legacy and contemporary achievements.”
Lindsay Lohan reveals ‘Freaky Friday 2’ title at Disney fan event
Updated 11 August 2024
Arab News
DUBAI: Fans gave a warm welcome to Dubai-based Hollywood star Lindsay Lohan at Disney’s D23 fan convention at The Honda Center in Anaheim, California.
On Saturday, Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis, the stars of the upcoming “Freaky Friday” follow-up, revealed to fans for the first time the sequel’s official title, “Freakier Friday,” expected in cinemas in 2025.
Lohan, who wore a black and white Balmain ensemble to the event, took to Instagram to share her excitement. “What a wonderful time I had at @disneyd23 Thank you for the overwhelming response of love and excitement for FREAKIER FRIDAY,” was how she captioned her carousel images from the event.
Directed by Nisha Ganatra and produced by Kristin Burr, Andrew Gunn and Curtis, “Freakier Friday” picks up years after Curtis and Lohan’s characters, Tess and Anna, first endured an identity crisis: Anna has a daughter of her own and a soon-to-be stepdaughter. As they navigate challenges that come when two families merge, they discover that lightning might indeed strike twice.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Lohan also revealed that “Star Wars: Acolyte” star Manny Jacinto will play Lohan’s character’s husband in the film.
“Manny is lovely. So funny,” Lohan said of her onscreen love interest.
It was also announced that original cast member Chad Michael Murray will be returning to play Jake in the sequel, fuelling fans’ excitement that they will get to see Lohan and Murray’s characters together 20 years after the original film.
While it appears that they won’t be in a romantic relationship, Curtis teased, “Chad is in it. And boy, oh boy, is Chad in it.”
“Freakier Friday” also stars Mark Harmon, Christina Vidal Mitchell, Haley Hudson, Lucille Soong, Stephen Tobolowsky and Rosalind Chao. New cast members include Julia Butters, Sophia Hammons and Maitreyi Ramakrishnan. Executive producers are Nathan Kelly, Ann Marie Sanderlin and Lohan.
Aside from Jacinto as Lohan’s onscreen husband, no further details have been released about the roles played by Butters, Hammons and Ramakrishnan — although it is likely at least one of them will be playing Lohan’s daughter and another one may take the part of her almost-stepdaughter.