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.
KARACHI: Lal Majid, whose Lals Pâtisserie won the prestigious La Liste ‘Pastry Discovery Gem Award’ 2024, said this week it was a “great feeling” to be the only winner from Pakistan, able to be in a room full of world-renowned chefs in Paris wearing a Pakistan pin and traditional salwar kameez.
La Liste, the world’s most selective global guide of restaurants, pastry shops and hotels, puts out the awards annually, celebrating the “diversity of talents, the creativity and audacity, education, and the commitment to values such as seasonality and biodiversity.”
This year, the platform announced a total of 25 winners from 14 countries across the world in 10 categories. The Canadian Farine & Cacao pastry shop, which has been named one of the top pâtisseries in the world in the past, Chez Dodo, a charming pastry shop near St. Stephen’s Basilica in Budapest, and Alanya, a pastry shop in Lima’s bohemian Barranco district, also won in the same category as Lals.
Majid got her award at a ceremony held on June 17, 2024, in Paris. She runs the business with her daughter Madiha Sultan Tai, who serves as CEO.
“Till now, I am the first one [from Pakistan to feature on La Liste],” Majid, a florist turned chocolatier, told Arab News in an interview. “We researched if any Pakistani has won this award previously and we learnt that I was the first one to get this award.”
When Majid first started getting email inquiries from La Liste, she thought they were fake.
“I didn’t realize [it was happening] till the time I entered that area,” Majid said, describing the ceremony in Paris where she stood shoulder to shoulder with some of the world’s best chefs and chocolatiers, many of whose creations she had been admiring for years from a distance and whose books she had read and reread.
“I was lucky to get the award. It was all about my pastry [and] my chocolate,” Majid said.
“When it was announced that I was [from] Pakistan, and I was the only one from this area, it was a great feeling, of course. I was wearing my flag. I was wearing my Pakistani shalwar kameez.” “HANSEL AND GRETEL”
Born and raised in Peshawar, Majid was not very good at studies and got married while she was still in college.
“[As a child,] I loved chocolates. I don’t know why but I was very much inspired by the story of Hansel and Gretel,” Majid said, referring to a German fairy tale in which siblings Hansel and Gretel are abandoned in a forest and fall into the hands of a witch who lives in a bread, cake, and sugar house.
“I always used to dream that I could have a chocolate, biscuit and candy house and I could break [off a piece] and have it myself. But I never thought I’d be able to make a chocolate factory,” the chocolatier said.
Majid was initially importing chocolate but then started taking classes on how to make it herself.
“I studied and did a lot of courses,” she said. “Then we started making gelatos. We made this [Shahbaz Commercial] outlet. And now, we are making our own chocolate. And the interesting thing is that now our chocolates, except the cocoa mass and cocoa beans which we don’t grow in Pakistan, every ingredient is local and Pakistani.”
Lals has multiple outlets in Karachi and Lahore and in March this year launched an online shop in Dubai, with a small kiosk in a physical outlet also.
“Dubai is a very tough market. It’s very initial so I can’t say anything about the response yet but inshaAllah, soon,” Majid said.
“We are expanding to Islamabad and opening one more outlet in Lahore [soon]. I hope [to launch an outlet] in Peshawar. That’s my hometown. I live in Karachi but my heart is in Peshawar.”
Riyadh-based UK artist Simon Mortimer delves into Saudi pop culture
Simon Mortimer’s mixed-media works exploring Arabic imagery and language are currently on show in Doha
Updated 06 September 2024
Rebecca Anne Proctor
RIYADH: Inside his apartment in Riyadh, British artist Simon Mortimer experiments with images that explore Saudi Arabia’s current period of transformation. His vibrant creations are filled with references to contemporary Saudi culture through high and low art, with an abundance of Arabic influences.
In one of the artist’s recent works, a realistic painting of a typewriter on light blue, gray and yellow background is encircled by various signs and symbols from everyday Saudi culture, including an evocative Saudi-based multinational Sharbatly fruit label showing a young boy wearing a red hat. At the top of the work is what appears to be a phrase from another advertisement in Arabic, translating to “For those who don’t know.” On the left-hand side of the typewriter, which Mortimer explains represents the idea of communication, is a cartoon-like depiction of a red falcon with its beak nestled ever so slightly on the machine and a small yellow crown over its head.
Simon Mortimer. (Supplied)
Mortimer, currently working in Riyadh as an art teacher, is showing works in a new exhibition at the Media Majlis Museum (mm: museum) at Qatar’s Northwestern University titled “The limits of my language are the limits of my world.” It’s a mixed-media exhibition exploring the Arabic language, its historical and contemporary context and questions surrounding its future existence. It runs until Dec. 5.
Many of Mortimer’s recent works incorporate Arabic writing and the imagery he selects is often repeated throughout his works (the falcon, the Sharbatly logo, coffee pots, and more). He doesn’t speak Arabic, but he says he is “fascinated by the forms of the letters, the culture and the language” and likes to use words with meanings that reflect the subject matter of his pieces.
“I love to explore the popular culture of a place,” he tells Arab News. “You immediately see these interesting images, logos and adverts. I love the visuals and the aesthetics, and I often don’t understand what they mean, especially when the labels are in Arabic, so I go onto Google Translate to get a better sense of the meaning.”
'Learn' by Simon Mortimer. (Supplied)
Mortimer moved to Riyadh around a year ago from Doha, where he lived for five years. In the Qatari capital he was an artist-in-residence at the Fire Station, one of Qatar’s leading contemporary art spaces. He has lived in a number of other countries, including the Philippines, Greece and Spain, and has exhibited his work in the UK, Greece, Indonesia, the Philippines and Qatar.
“I love being a foreigner,” he says. “I love living in different countries and exploring local popular culture. It is interesting whatever country I am in,” explains Mortimer. “Everyday images are combined with text, and the ambiguity that this can lead to reflects the misunderstandings that sometimes arise when living in, or learning about, other countries and cultures.
'No Limits' triptych by Simon Mortimer. (Supplied)
“I enjoy layering and creating texture with a wide range of media, as well as challenging the concept of ‘high’ and ‘low’ art; traditional ways of mark-making such as oil paint and etching are brought together in the same artwork with modern media such as spray paint and marker pen,” he continues.
Mortimer’s creative process involves literal and metaphorical layers. He incorporates images and references from Saudi pop-culture, as well as Arabic script, and then merges them in a mixture of traditional oil painting, acrylic, stencils, photocopies, and spray paint. In essence, Mortimer’s works offer the reflections of a non-Arab on present-day Saudi society, as well as his desire to better understand Saudi contemporary culture.
'Right to Left' by Simon Mortimer. (Supplied)
The new exhibition in Doha invites visitors to explore and celebrate Arabic’s rich history and influence of the Arabic language and to reflect on its place in the future. It revolves around four key themes: “Always another side?” which introduces Arabic and its complexities, challenging negative connotations of the language through beautiful representations; “An influential and powerful language?” exploring how Arabic has shaped politics, science, religion and culture worldwide; “Does media representation matter?” examining the portrayal of Arabic in the media; and the final theme: “Is Arabic a language of the future?” exploring efforts to preserve and protect the language in a world where the ubiquity and dominance of English — particularly in the digital realm, poses challenges.
Mortimer’s works in the show explore these themes from the viewpoint of a non-Arabic speaker. They incorporate images from contemporary Arabian society — particularly drawing from his recent experiences in Saudi and Qatar — and Arabic proverbs to explore language, multiculturalism, and education from the perspective of a non-speaker.
'Round Puff' by Simon Mortimer. (Supplied)
Incorporating local imagery and language into his work allows Mortimer to immerse himself more fully in local culture — and learn something of the language. He says he also learns from, and is inspired by, the Saudi high school students he is teaching.
“They tell me about the cartoons and the sports they watch and introduce me to popular culture in Saudi and discuss the changes taking place in the Kingdom,” he says. “I’ve learned so much through them.”
Highlights from Ahaad Alamoudi’s ‘Moving Mountains’ at Hayy Jameel
Updated 06 September 2024
Arab News
DUBAI: Here are three highlights from Ahaad Alamoudi’s ‘Moving Mountains,’ which runs until Oct. 26 at Hayy Jameel in Jeddah.
‘Moving Mountains’
The title work from the Saudi artist’s exhibition is a short film that “continues Alamoudi’s expansive exploration of rapidly changing social and cultural environments, situating Saudi’s natural and urban landscapes as sites of possibility — punctured by effort and powered by fantasy,” according to the gallery.
‘What is This?’
The latest iteration of Alamoudi’s ongoing video series that features two talking falcons — which have, the gallery says, “in some ways acted as a temperature check as they react loudly to their changing surroundings” — has them facing away from each other on back-to-back screens exclaiming “I don’t remember this being here,” and “Do you see what I see?”
“I Was Told Ice Wouldn’t Melt in Heat”
In this video, a detail of which is shown here, a man in a white thobe circles a large block of ice in the desert for four hours trying various ways to prevent it from melting in the blazing heat. “Although driven by a delusional belief in what he was told, the feat ultimately proves impossible,” the gallery caption states.
Saudi-supported Egyptian film wins big at Venice Film Festival’s Final Cut
Updated 05 September 2024
Arab News
DUBAI: The Red Sea Film Foundation-supported film “Aisha Can’t Fly Away,” the feature debut of Egyptian filmmaker Morad Mostafa, became the first Egyptian film to win the La Biennale di Venezia Prize at Final Cut in Venice on Wednesday.
The award, given for a film in post-production, is worth €5,000 ($5,546).
The film, which got a total of five awards during the festival, tells the story of a Somali woman caring for her elderly parents in Cairo while witnessing the tensions between the different ethnic groups who make up the city’s society.
This year’s jury included Wayne Borg from NEOM, Monica Ciarli from Minerva Pictures, and Dennis Ruh, the former director of the European Film Market.
In their statement, the jury labeled Mostafa’s story “powerful and authentic,” adding: “Despite being a first feature film, it showcased confident direction and a distinct cinematic voice. The film’s gritty realism, attention to detail, and impactful storytelling left a strong impression on us.”
Three other films supported by Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Film Foundation also won awards at Final Cut: Egyptian filmmaker Mohamed Siam’s “My Father’s Scent,” Lebanese director Nadim Tabet’s “In This Darkness I See You” and Mosotho screenwriter and film director Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese’s “Ancestral Visions of the Future.”
Final Cut in Venice offers filmmakers a platform to showcase their works-in-progress to global industry experts, helping with post-production support and market entry.
Beyond Everest — discovering Nepal as a non-trekker
From breathtaking nature to vibrant street life, Nepal is about much more than mountains
Updated 05 September 2024
Shyama Krishna Kumar
DUBAI: Nepal is best known as the entry point to the Himalayas and Mount Everest, but this beautiful country actually provides a host of options for all kinds of travelers — even those with no desire to summit a mountain.
From the bustling streets of Kathmandu and the tranquil lakeside views of Pokhara set against the Himalayas to the nature reserves of Chitwan National Park and the hilltop peace of Bandipur, Nepal is a treasure trove of all things travel — and that’s true whether you’re a backpacker travelling on a budget or a family looking to unwind.
A street in Kathmandu. (Shutterstock) fthaem
Our two-week trip to Nepal began in Kathmandu, and my husband and I opted to stay in the famed Thamel tourist district. Thamel is where you want to be if you love all things food, drinks, art, music and shopping — although it’s a shock to the senses if you’re not used to busy South Asian city life. There are dingy tattoo parlors, storefronts offering rows and rows of beaded jewelry and miscellaneous art, live music blaring from every drinking establishment (and there’s one every five steps you take), and the best street food you’ll ever taste — if you have the stomach for it.
Speaking of food, we ate momos (Nepal dumplings) for breakfast, lunch and dinner because no two places make it the same and they are all great. Shout out also to Thamel House Restaurant for the best traditional Nepali thali (platter) we had during our stay. ,
Thamel, Kathmandu. (Shutterstock)
We also took a day to explore the neighboring town of Patan. Once an independent city-state, it’s now considered a natural extension of Kathmandu. Its main attraction is Darbar Square, a UNESCO World Heritage Site where you will find a collection of ancient Hindu temples and palaces. After exploring the main square, you can head to a nearby rooftop café for beautiful views of the town.
No visit to Kathmandu is complete without a trip to the Swayambhunath Stupa — known locally as The Monkey Temple, for reasons that become immediately apparent when you visit. Be warned: the monkeys will try to steal anything you’re carrying, so they can trade it back to you for food. And these guys are sneaky.
The trek to the stupa involves climbing exactly 365 steps but the sprawling view of Kathmandu from the top, and the tranquil vibe of the temple itself, are well worth the climb.
Our next destination was Pokhara, the gateway to the Annapurna Circuit, a famed trail in the Himalayas, popular with hippies, vagabonds and of course, trekkers of all kinds.
But trekkers we are not. We’d arrived in the beautiful postcard-perfect lakeside town for some well-earned downtime. And some uptime — I decided to get in touch with my mortality with a thrilling paragliding session over the gorgeous Phewa Lake, which brilliantly mirrors the mountains set against it.
Phewa Lake Pokhara. (Shutterstock)
We also spent an unforgettable afternoon kayaking there. If you venture out far enough, it really seems like it’s just you, the water, and the mountains.
It’s tempting to simply stay around the lake, but it’s well worth exploring Pokhara’s Old Town with its many ancient temples and traditional architecture.
Next, we spent three days in the cozy little hilltop village of Bandipur, immediately appreciating the total absence of tooting horns and exhaust fumes — motorized vehicles are banned within this historic hidden gem of a town, which was once an important stop on the Tibetan trade route. Its center consists of a single cobblestoned street, flanked on both sides by 18th-century buildings painted in pastel colors reminiscent of quaint little European towns. And there are a few old Hindu temples to be found too.
Most of Bandipur’s buildings have been restored, and are now quaint guesthouses and/or cafés. We stayed at The Old Inn, a charming traditional guesthouse with a terrace that has breathtaking views of the Annapurna range and the valley below Bandipur.
While our stay at Bandipur was mostly focused on enjoying its bougainvillea-draped coffee houses, leisurely strolls through the town, and sampling baked goods and traditional thalis, we also made time for a short hike uphill to the Thani Mai temple around sunset, where we were rewarded with more beautiful views of the town from above, bathed in golden light.
And just like that, even though Bandipur was added as a hasty afterthought to our itinerary, it became our favorite stop of the entire trip.