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Amina Muaddi celebrates PETA win on Instagram

Amina Muaddi celebrates PETA win on Instagram
Jordanian Romanian luxury shoe designer Amina Muaddi took to Instagram to celebrate her win at the PETA Vegan Awards 2024. (Getty Images/Instagram)
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Updated 06 October 2024
Arab News
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Amina Muaddi celebrates PETA win on Instagram

Amina Muaddi celebrates PETA win on Instagram
Updated 06 October 2024
Arab News
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DUBAI: Jordanian Romanian luxury shoe designer Amina Muaddi took to Instagram to celebrate her win at the PETA Vegan Awards 2024.

Muaddi won the award for Best Vegan Heels in the Fashion category for her stylish Brito Slipper heels crafted from plexiglass and TPU.

“I won a @peta award for the Brito,” she wrote on Instagram Stories and shared a photo of the award.

Now in their 11th year, the PETA Vegan Awards celebrate fashion companies and designers dedicated to creating animal-friendly clothing, shoes, accessories and bags. The 2024 winners include Berlin-based GmbH for its innovative leather biker jacket and Armedangels for its eco-conscious recycled linen blazer, among others.

Last month, Muaddi unveiled her latest pair of heels on none other than Barbadian superstar Rihanna as the footwear mogul was spotted at Milan Fashion Week.

Muaddi created a custom-made pair of Anok mules for the singer in a shade called butter satin, which Muaddi showed off on Instagram before hitting the streets at the now-concluded Milan Fashion Week.

The designer attended shows by Ferragamo, The Attico and Gucci and showed off apparel by each of the brands as she sat in the front row.

She also turned heads at the Dior show at Paris Fashion Week last month, while French Saudi model Amira Al-Zuhair graced the runway for Danish fashion label Ganni.

Muaddi, who is a regular at Dior fashion shows, opted for a classic white button-down shirt and a sleek black satin pencil skirt. Her look was accessorized with a pair of dark, round sunglasses and a small, textured blue Dior handbag.

Since launching her eponymous footwear line in August 2018, Muaddi has attracted a loyal following of celebrities including Dua Lipa, Gigi Hadid, Kylie Jenner and Hailey Bieber. Her brand, known for its distinctive footwear, bags and jewelry, has quickly become a favorite among the fashion elite.

Since the launch, Muaddi has enjoyed a series of successful events, notably her collaboration with Rihanna’s Fenty collection. This partnership was immensely successful, earning the Collaborator of the Year award at the 34th FN Achievement Awards in 2020.

A year after this accolade, Muaddi’s influence and success were further recognized when she was named one of Women’s Wear Daily and Footwear News’ 50 Most Powerful Women.

Topics: Amina Muaddi PETA Vegan Award

‘The Tale of Daye’s Family,’ starring Saudi actress Aseel Omran, has European premiere

‘The Tale of Daye’s Family,’ starring Saudi actress Aseel Omran, has European premiere
Updated 15 sec ago
Arab News
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‘The Tale of Daye’s Family,’ starring Saudi actress Aseel Omran, has European premiere

‘The Tale of Daye’s Family,’ starring Saudi actress Aseel Omran, has European premiere
Updated 15 sec ago
Arab News

DUBAI: Egyptian-Saudi co-production “The Tale of Daye’s Family,” by filmmaker Karim El-Shenawy and featuring Saudi actress Aseel Omran, made its European premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival.

The film marks Omran’s debut in Egyptian cinema and also stars Islam Mubarak, Badr Mohamed and Haneen Saeed, with guest appearances by Ahmed Helmy, Mohamed Shahin, Mohamed Mamdouh and Amina Khalil. 

Screening as part of the Generation 14 plus category, the film — which opened the fourth edition of the Red Sea International Film Festival in Jeddah last year — tells the story of Daye, a 14-year-old Nubian albino child blessed with a beautiful voice.

Daye’s family, recognizing his talent and his goal to become like his idol, Egyptian icon Mohamed Mounir, decide to travel to Cairo to audition for talent program “The Voice.”

The Berlin International Film Festival, also known as Berlinale, runs until Feb. 23.
 

Topics: Aseel Omran The Tale of Daye's Family Berlinale

Art of the Kingdom’ exhibition arrives in Riyadh after Brazil debut

Art of the Kingdom’ exhibition arrives in Riyadh after Brazil debut
Updated 1 min 21 sec ago
Nada Alturki
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Art of the Kingdom’ exhibition arrives in Riyadh after Brazil debut

Art of the Kingdom’ exhibition arrives in Riyadh after Brazil debut
Updated 1 min 21 sec ago
Nada Alturki

RIYADH: The travelling exhibition of Saudi contemporary art, “Art of the Kingdom: Poetic Illuminations,” will open at the Saudi Arabia Museum of Contemporary Art on Feb. 24 following its successful debut in Rio de Janeiro, where it had more than 26,000 visitors. The show includes works by 17 prominent Saudi artists.  

Curator Diana Wechsler told Arab News: “Few people know what is happening in the artistic field in Saudi Arabia. Information circulates — everywhere and about any topic — in a very fragmented way and this affects the image that people have of a country or a society.”  

The show’s Rio debut, she said, was a great success. “Why? Because it opened up views and perspectives, it surprised colleagues, specialists in art history and contemporary art, as well as surprising and greatly interesting the general public. It must also be said that the artists and works of art selected are very interesting and powerful and, at the same time, quite different from other contemporary proposals.”  

Wechsler carried out exhaustive research when selecting the featured artists. She visited workshops, conducted interviews, and explored the artists’ cultural references. 

“From this research emerged the concept of ‘poetic illuminations,’ which shows how art is capable of participating in a cultural tradition and, at the same time, forms part of the present,” she said. “The exhibition — and, in particular, the selected artists — are part of the process and continuity of a dynamic construction of cultural identity, with a great commitment to their roots and, at the same time, with an interesting contemporary perspective.” 

There are certain elements of Saudi culture that run through the exhibition. Perhaps the most powerful, Wechsler suggested, is the image of the desert, which “appears in different ways in practically all the selected artists’ works.”  

Another theme is the tension between the past and the present. “The imagination of the future is found in these artists,” Wechsler said. “This is one of the most fascinating aspects offered to me by the exploration of the Saudi artistic and cultural (scene).”  

The Riyadh exhibition will feature newly created site-specific works as well as some pieces from the Ministry of Culture’s collection. Its main challenge is to adapt to the local public, who will have a better understanding of the culture explored by the artists.  

“In Rio the challenge was to show how Saudi Arabia manages its cultural processes and how artists work between different pasts and presents. In Riyadh, the situation is different,” said Wechsler. “The challenge is to capture the attention of the public and reflect on their cultural traditions from a current perspective. I think this is one of the objectives of contemporary art in general.”  

As Saudi artists continue to face new frontiers, through this exhibition and their growing prominence in the global art sphere, it is necessary, Wechsler believes, “to be attentive to the experiences of contemporary life, to be able to contribute their perspective to point out invisible aspects, to highlight imaginary dimensions which, as we know, are often those that allow us to think about the present from a new perspective.” 

The Riyadh show will run until April 25 before the exhibition makes its way to the National Museum in China, marking the 25th anniversary of the establishment of Saudi-Chinese diplomatic relations.  

Marrakech museum reopens with homage to African art

Marrakech museum reopens with homage to African art
Updated 19 February 2025
Rebecca Anne Proctor
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Marrakech museum reopens with homage to African art

Marrakech museum reopens with homage to African art
  • Morocco’s largest private art museum returning to educational ‘core,’ says co-founder Othman Lazraq
Updated 19 February 2025
Rebecca Anne Proctor

DUBAI: The Museum of African Contemporary Art Al-Maaden, which reopened last week, is returning to its “core” of showcasing the continent’s artists, in addition to breathing a “new and different life” into it, says co-founder Othman Lazraq.

MACAAL was inaugurated in 2018 as the first museum of contemporary art in Marrakech, by founders Othman and his father Alami.

MACAAL (artwork: Fatiha Zemmouri, La pesanteur et la grâce, 2019) By Omar Tajmouati.

It houses the extensive collection of the Lazraq family, one of the most comprehensive private holdings of modern and contemporary African art on the continent.

Originally designed by French architect Didier Lefort, it had been closed since the spring of 2023. The closure took place just a few months before the night of Sept. 8, 2023, when a powerful 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck south of Marrakech.

This was the strongest earthquake to hit the country in over a century, severely damaging dozens of buildings in the city — many of which are still being reconstructed.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by MACAAL (@macaal_)

The revamped museum celebrated its reopening with the new permanent exhibition “Seven Contours, One Collection,” featuring over 150 rotating works from most of Africa’s 54 nations.

The aim is to showcase the breadth and diversity of art from the continent, while breaking down reductive stereotypes and fostering inclusivity.

“We realized we needed a big shift, and that big shift was getting back to the core of what the museum means to us which is more educational,” Lazraq, a practicing architect and associate of Lazraq Studio, told Arab News.

“African art is part of the identity of the collection, and we wanted to share it more broadly.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by MACAAL (@macaal_)

The museum will now offer a semi-permanent exhibition format, hosting 150 on rotation from the 2,500-piece collection.

The show marking the reopening presents a poignantly curated presentation of works in a variety of mediums, including photography, painting, textiles, video art, sculpture and installations.

Notable pieces include works by the late Moroccan painter Mohamed Melehi, Moroccan modernist Farid Belkahia, Malian photographer Malick Sidibe, Congolese artist Pierre Bodo, Sudanese painter Salah Elmur, and the late French-Moroccan photographer Leila Alaoui.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by MACAAL (@macaal_)

For the redesign of the museum, MACAAL entrusted scenographer Franck Houndegla to create a new media library and a permanent space to allow for an expansive collection of African art from the Lazraq family collection. The museum has also launched a new program of site-specific sculpture commissions.

“I want to bring a new and different life to the museum,” said Lazraq, noting how he hopes to bring in music, performance and design to the temporary spaces.

“The mission of (the museum) has always been to democratize access to art to a wider audience.

“Its most important mission is to inspire a generation of artists to feel safe and welcome — where they know there is a museum where their works can be exhibited and collected.”

Topics: Marrakech The Museum of African Contemporary Art

Mona Tougaard shines in new Versace campaign

Mona Tougaard shines in new Versace campaign
Updated 19 February 2025
Arab News
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Mona Tougaard shines in new Versace campaign

Mona Tougaard shines in new Versace campaign
Updated 19 February 2025
Arab News

DUBAI: Model Mona Tougaard showed off the new Versace collection this week as she starred in the luxury fashion house’s latest campaign.

Tougaard, who has Danish, Turkish, Somali and Ethiopian ancestry, was seen on video reclining on a deep orange sofa, her hair styled in a sleek, straight look with blunt bangs.

She wore a two-piece ensemble combining various textures and patterns.

A lilac-toned sequined crop top featured delicate yellow floral embroidery, thin straps and a plunging neckline. The skirt, in rich brown satin, had an intricate overlay of cream floral lace.

Accessories include oversized engraved gold rings with motifs such as the Versace Medusa emblem and baroque-inspired designs. Others had sculpted leaves and swirling patterns.

Also highlighted was a bold red handbag with intricate silver embroidery and a gold medallion clasp, with the Versace logo prominently displayed.

Tougaard wore a rich navy look, featuring a shaggy-textured coat draped over matching velvet pants. (Supplied)

Tougaard’s footwear included a pair of sparkling crystal-embellished heels in a soft mint green shade, with a delicate ankle strap featuring a silver buckle and a sharply pointed toe.

Tougaard started her modeling career in 2017 after winning the Elite Model Look Denmark competition at the age of 15. Since then, she has become a well-known figure in the fashion industry, working with top designers and luxury brands including Prada, Louis Vuitton, Fendi, Chanel and Valentino.

The catwalk star has had a whirlwind month, gracing the runway during New York Fashion Week in the Tory Burch Fall/Winter 2025 show.

She sported a look in rich navy, including a shaggy-textured coat draped over matching velvet pants.

A structured scarf was wrapped around her shoulders, secured with a gold pin. The look was completed with glossy pointed-toe shoes and she carried a slouchy black leather handbag with soft folds and a long strap.

In January, she was part of the Schiaparelli Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2025 show at Paris Fashion Week, when she wore a halter-neck dress with a sheer, form-fitting bodice that transitioned into a voluminous skirt with meticulously folded fabric. The gunmetal shade accentuated the texture of the design.

“This dress is a literal masterpiece,” she wrote on Instagram, sharing a video of herself on the runway. “I’m completely lost for words.”

Topics: Mona Tougaard versace

Mona Kattan’s Kayali fragrance brand parts ways with cosmetics giant Huda Beauty

Mona Kattan’s Kayali fragrance brand parts ways with cosmetics giant Huda Beauty
Updated 18 February 2025
ARAB NEWS and REUTERS
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Mona Kattan’s Kayali fragrance brand parts ways with cosmetics giant Huda Beauty

Mona Kattan’s Kayali fragrance brand parts ways with cosmetics giant Huda Beauty
Updated 18 February 2025
ARAB NEWS and REUTERS

DUBAI: Huda Beauty — founded by US Iraqi sisters Huda, Mona and Alya Kattan — is divesting its ownership in fragrance brand Kayali, co-founded by Huda and Mona Kattan in 2018, the pair announced on Monday.

Mona is partnering with global growth equity firm General Atlantic to jointly own the fragrance brand.

Kayali will operate as an independent company, with Mona continuing as the brand’s CEO.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by HUDA BEAUTY (@hudabeauty)

Since its launch in 2018, Kayali’s product offerings have grown to 24 fragrances, which are sold by retailers like Sephora, Walgreens Boots Alliance, and ASOS.

The move allows Huda Beauty’s owners to buy back a stake held by TSG Consumer Partners since 2017, according to a joint statement by the three companies on Monday.

Beauty sells everything from luxury eyelashes to makeup and skincare products. The company has more than 54.2 million followers on Instagram, well ahead of rivals Rare Beauty and Kylie Cosmetics which have 8 million and 24.7 million followers respectively.

"Huda Beauty is making history as one of the few established beauty brands to return to full founder ownership," the statement said, according to Reuters.

A value for the deal, which is subject to regulatory approval, was not disclosed.

Goldman Sachs International acted as Huda Beauty’s financial advisor, and Gibson Dunn served as its legal advisor. Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom served as Mona Kattan’s legal advisor.

Raymond James served as General Atlantic’s financial advisor, and Latham & Watkins served as its legal advisor.

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