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Amina Muaddi promotes ‘fuzzy’ collection

Amina Muaddi promotes ‘fuzzy’ collection
Jordanian Romanian luxury shoe designer Amina Muaddi is busy promoting her winter drops. (Getty Images)
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Arab News
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Amina Muaddi promotes ‘fuzzy’ collection

Amina Muaddi promotes ‘fuzzy’ collection
Updated 11 sec ago
Arab News
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DUBAI: Jordanian Romanian luxury shoe designer Amina Muaddi is busy promoting her winter drops, with K-Pop star Rose wearing her heels in a recent photo shoot.

Muaddi took to Instagram to reshare Rose’s posts, where the star is seen being photographed for her latest single, “Number One Girl,” wearing a Lupita crystal slipper in green.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by ROSE (@roses_are_rosie)

The designer’s latest collection, titled Drop 24/25, launched in October. Over the weekend, she used Instagram to promote winter-friendly shoes including the Veneda stretch boot, the Anok bootie and the Lila slipper.

In September, Muaddi unveiled her latest heels on none other than Rihanna, as the singing star was spotted at Milan Fashion Week. Muaddi created a custom pair of Anok mules in a shade called butter satin and Rihanna attended shows by Ferragamo, The Attico and Gucci, wearing each of the brands as she sat in the front row. She also turned heads at the Dior show during Paris Fashion Week last month, while French Saudi model Amira Al-Zuhair graced the runway for Danish fashion label Ganni.

Muaddi, a regular at Dior fashion shows, opted for a classic white button-down shirt and a sleek black satin pencil skirt. She accessorized her look 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. Their partnership earned the Collaborator of the Year award at the 34th FN Achievement Awards in 2020.

A year later, 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

‘We are artists’: Karachi’s bonsai enthusiasts nurture ancient art of miniature trees

‘We are artists’: Karachi’s bonsai enthusiasts nurture ancient art of miniature trees
Updated 02 December 2024
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‘We are artists’: Karachi’s bonsai enthusiasts nurture ancient art of miniature trees

‘We are artists’: Karachi’s bonsai enthusiasts nurture ancient art of miniature trees
  • Every year, enthusiasts of Japanese art form gather for annual exhibition of Pakistan Bonsai Society
  • Bonsai involves growing trees in small containers to create a realistic miniature of mature forms
Updated 02 December 2024
BURAQ SHABBIR

KARACHI: Every year, enthusiasts of an ancient Japanese art form gather in the port city of Karachi to show off their works at the annual exhibition of the Pakistan Bonsai Society. 
This year’s edition too saw members of the group putting on display trees that they had grown in containers to create a realistic miniature of mature forms. The members consider themselves artists and the miniature trees, shaped and pruned with precision and care, are not just plants for them but living sculptures rooted in history, tradition and deep personal devotion.
The practice of bonsai, or miniaturizing plants, is thought to have come to Japan from China sometime around the seventh century, when the two countries formally established diplomatic ties. Similar art forms exist in other cultures, including Korea’s bunjae, the Chinese art of penjing, and the miniature living landscapes of Vietnamese Hòn non bộ. 
In the world of bonsai, every twist, turn and trim is an artistic act in which horticulture meets creativity.
“We are artists, using our horticulture knowledge and aesthetic sense, we create these bonsai,” Salman Farooqui, an enthusiast with over a decade of experience, told Arab News on Sunday, as his hands gently guided a tiny tree branch into shape.
Farooqui described bonsai as the only “recognized” living art form that traces its origins back to the ancient Gandhara civilization, which existed from around 500BC to 900AD in what is now northern Pakistan and Afghanistan, long before it became synonymous with Japan.
Buddhist monks in the ancient Taxila and Harappa cities meditated under the shade of the Peepal tree, or Ficus religiosa, with its roots intertwining with the spiritual practices of the time, according to Farooqui. The art form then shifted to Tibet in China, before it finally reached Japan.

Visitors attend the annual exhibition of Pakistan Bonsai Society in Karachi on December 1, 2024. (AN Photo)

“The imagination of Buddha was under the Peepal tree,” Farooqui said. “Japan gave it an official recognition.”
For many Karachiites, the journey into the world of bonsai began with the efforts of a visionary, the late Maj. Gen. Dr. Shaukat Ali Syed, who brought the art form to Pakistan in the 1960s and is often credited with popularizing it in the South Asian country. The Pakistan Bonsai Society itself was established in 1998, the brainchild of Dr. Syed, whose legacy lives on through its annual exhibitions and workshops.
“I saw a live bonsai for the first time at his [Dr. Syed’s] residence in Karachi when I was a child. He had been growing them since the ‘60s,” Khawaja Mohammad Mazhar, an engineer who retired from the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and took up the cultivation of bonsai in 1980, told Arab News.
“POTTED PLANTING”
Bonsai plants, unlike traditional potted ones, require care, patience, and expertise. They can be grown from seeds, cuttings or nursery stock. Beginning with a thicker trunk to form the base of the tree is often the quicker method but regardless of the starting point, all bonsai are treated as living sculptures that are pruned and shaped meticulously over time.
Various techniques, including painstaking pruning and wiring, are used to give the trees a mature appearance, Mazhar explained. It could take decades to complete one tree, meant to symbolize a scene from nature, and they could then survive for centuries.

Bonsai trees are seen exhibited by the Pakistan Bonsai Society in Karachi on December 1, 2024. (AN Photo)

“It’s the same normal plants, they are only trained,” Mazhar said:
“They have a shallow pot, the roots do not spread much as they are constantly trimmed, and they are kept in the same shallow container, while the shaping is controlled from the top through wiring, through weights.” 
The “clip and grow” method, in which parts of the plant were selectively trimmed to encourage specific growth patterns, is a main technique of the art. 
Local plants are best suited for bonsai cultivation and Karachi’s enthusiasts recommended training native species into sculptural forms that express their unique ecological and cultural climates.
“An imported plant from outside will not survive here as a bonsai,” Manzar said.
Mansoor Alam Khan, another enthusias who found his passion for the art form through the Pakistan Bonsai Society, began cultivating about 10 years ago. The practice allowed him to continue his love for planting trees in Karachi, where space is often limited.
In fact, bonsai, which literally means “potted planting,” became popular as a way of bringing nature inside for many Japanese whose small houses made gardens impossible.
“I was inclined toward planting trees since childhood but there isn’t enough space in Karachi so we couldn’t grow trees,” Khan told Arab News. “When I met these people [at the Pakistan Bonsai Society] and saw that they are growing these trees in their homes so I followed suit too. I have made a really good collection in the last 10 years.”

Visitors attend the annual exhibition of Pakistan Bonsai Society in Karachi on December 1, 2024. (AN Photo)

“Everyone talks about planting trees these days to save the environment. So, if there is not enough space, you can start gardening from your home too,” he added. “For instance, if someone has 50 plants on their rooftop, they can turn them into bonsais.”
Farooqui, who practices bonsai with his wife Ruby Salman, said though the art was in its “introductory conditions,” in Pakistan, more young people were becoming interested.
“Now, as we train more youngsters into this art form, I hope it will become known in this country in the future,” he said.
His wife added that the Internet was helping to boost interest in bonsai among younger people.
“Yes, I feel that when kids do come [to Bonsai Society] and when they come to know the whole story about the bonsai, when we tell them that how it started, they really take an interest in it.”

Topics: Bonsai Tree

Princess Rajwa and Crown Prince Hussein visit speech therapy center in Amman

Princess Rajwa and Crown Prince Hussein visit speech therapy center in Amman
Updated 02 December 2024
Arab News
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Princess Rajwa and Crown Prince Hussein visit speech therapy center in Amman

Princess Rajwa and Crown Prince Hussein visit speech therapy center in Amman
  • The Saudi-born royal looked elegant in an all-black ensemble from Max Mara
Updated 02 December 2024
Arab News

DUBAI: Jordan’s Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah and Princess Rajwa Al-Hussein visited the Seeds of Hope Center, which specializes in treating speech and language disorders in children and adults, in Amman on Sunday.

Princess Rajwa looked elegant and professional in an all-black ensemble featuring a wrap jacket and trousers from Italian fashion label Max Mara.

The royal couple, who welcomed their first child — Princess Iman bint Al-Hussein bin Abdullah II — this year, toured the facility, which houses the only space in Jordan designed to provide multi-sensory experiences aimed at promoting relaxation and sensory integration. The visit also included a look at the center’s gym.

Sharing photos from their visit on Instagram, Crown Prince Hussein wrote, “Rajwa and I were inspired by the dedication of the young Jordanians we met at the Seeds of Hope Center. They carry a noble mission driven by compassion and a commitment to serve those in need.”

Aya Al-Jazi, the center’s director, briefed the couple on the services it provides. These include evaluation and treatment of speech, language, and voice disorders, as well as support for difficulties with swallowing.

Princess Rajwa made her first public appearance since giving birth when she attended Jordan’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification match at Amman International Stadium in October, alongside her husband. Princess Iman was born on Aug. 3.

Topics: Princess Rajwa Jordan

Dutch artist Vincent Ruijter’s exploration of heritage and ethnicity on show at Noor Riyadh

Dutch artist Vincent Ruijter’s exploration of heritage and ethnicity on show at Noor Riyadh
Updated 01 December 2024
Nada Alturki
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Dutch artist Vincent Ruijter’s exploration of heritage and ethnicity on show at Noor Riyadh

Dutch artist Vincent Ruijter’s exploration of heritage and ethnicity on show at Noor Riyadh
Updated 01 December 2024
Nada Alturki

RIYADH: Dutch artist Vincent Ruijters explores themes of identity and self at the ongoing Noor Riyadh, the annual Saudi festival of light and art. The festival runs until Dec. 14.

At this year’s edition, Ruijters digs deeper into hybrid cultures through the interplay of light, shadow and fabric. “This is telling my own story from a very personal way. But by doing that, hopefully connecting to all kinds of people,” Ruijters told Arab News. 

Set in a studio in the Jax District, one of the three main festival hubs, “Selintas Selalu” is a kinetic installation. (Supplied)

Set in a studio in the Jax District, one of the three main festival hubs, “Selintas Selalu” is a kinetic installation: a steel-based structure stands at the center of the space where strips of red fabric hang off vein-like rods. A light is suspended in the center while steel light structures with sharp metal spikes frame the surrounding walls. 

The work came about after three months’ research in Indonesia, where the work was created. While he was born and is based in the Netherlands, Ruijters’ mother is a seventh-generation Indonesian, with family roots going back to China.

These multi-ethnic groups, referred to as Peranakan, demonstrate a fusion between Chinese and Indonesian culture. “They have their own arts, colors, patterns, music, and their own culture,” he said.

The Betawi people, native to Jakarta and its outskirts, blend cultures including native Indonesian, Arab, Chinese and Portuguese. 

“Actually, a lot of Chinese and Asians immigrated after the independence of Indonesia after the Second World War because the colony was over. So, they went to the Netherlands and America, and then they had children like me, but those children do not know about their ancestors,” Ruijters said. 

Taking ownership of his own difficult history, he decided to research the topic not just for himself but also “for my other generations of Chinese Indonesians living in the Netherlands, younger people, to show them: this is your heritage,” he said. 

Dutch artist Vincent Ruijters explores themes of identity and self at the ongoing Noor Riyadh. (Supplied)

The mix of cultures is realized in the motifs: the sun-shaped lamps on the periphery which are reminiscent of kembang kelapa decorations, the petal shapes at the structure’s base that are popular in Javanese batik dyeing techniques, and the red fabric, which is made in collaboration by Chinese and Indonesian craftsman with a special red color, associated with the Peranakan culture. This fabric was specially made in a batik house for this project.

“To make big installations, it’s never one person,” Ruijters said. “So, I was always trying to emphasize this as part of a team. I worked with an Indonesian electronic engineer, with a Dutch electronic engineer, with the batik workshop house for the fabric … I’m more like a guide to the creative process,” he said. 

The artwork branches out from the light in the center, a symbol of Ruijters’ ancestors. As time progresses, the lamp moves forward, symbolically straying from those strong roots of the past, toward the twiggier branches at the forefront, leading us to the present. 

Shadowplay is an important element, because it preserves Indonesian culture through shadows as a means of accessing an inner world. “You can feel your ancestry; you can feel the past shivering and whispering to you. And this is similar, I think, to the guiding light that is the constellation of the theme … I think shadow is a beautiful way of expressing that, because you cannot touch it. It's there, but it’s also not,” he said. 

Topics: Noor Riyadh Vincent Ruijters

Elyanna lights up New York Times Square billboard

Elyanna lights up New York Times Square billboard
Updated 01 December 2024
Arab News
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Elyanna lights up New York Times Square billboard

Elyanna lights up New York Times Square billboard
Updated 01 December 2024
Arab News

DUBAI: Palestinian Chilean singer Elyanna recently lit up New York’s Times Square when she was featured on a Spotify Arabia billboard, highlighting the streaming platform’s “Equal” playlist.

Under the name “Equal Arabia,” the local version of Spotify’s Global Music Program aims to amplify the work of women creators by using the platform’s resources and generating more opportunities for these creators through delivering a global, cohesive and branded experience.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Spotify (@spotifyarabia)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Elyanna (@elyanna)

Each month, Equal Arabia spotlights an ambassador of the month, focusing on their new music release and encouraging fans to discover them, and Elyanna was picked as the latest feature, promoting her new track “Janni.”

Elyanna has enjoyed a record year, sharing the stage with British band Coldplay on NBC’s “Today” show in New York in October, performing their song “We Pray.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Elyanna (@elyanna)

The track is part of Coldplay’s new album, “Moon Music,” which was released that month. Joining Elyanna and the British band on stage was Argentine singer and actress Tini, who is also featured on the song. 

Elyanna also released her own Arabic-language version of the track on Sept. 20.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Elyanna (@elyanna)

Elyanna made her “Saturday Night Live” debut the same month, teaming up with frequent collaborators Coldplay on stage to perform the song. The singer took to Instagram to celebrate the milestone after the show by reposting footage of backstage rehearsals recorded minutes before she hit the stage. 

The “SNL” performance came just days after the 22-year-old appeared at iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas to perform the same song.

Elyanna is expected to perform live with Coldplay again when the band heads to Abu Dhabi for four shows in the UAE capital in January 2025. The band will perform as part of the “Music of the Spheres World Tour” on Jan. 9, 11, 12 and 14 at Zayed Sports City Stadium.

In August, she was on stage in Dublin to perform “We Pray” in Arabic. She performed alongside rapper Little Simz, Nigerian singer Burna Boy and Tini.

“I’m still in awe of last night! Sharing this moment with all these amazing artists on @coldplay’s stage felt so wholesome,” she told her 1.7 million followers on Instagram. “I sang ‘We Pray’ in Arabic, I sang for hope and, most importantly, for my hometown Palestine.”

The Los Angeles-based singer’s music is a mix of Arab and Western influences, which she attributes to her multicultural upbringing.

Topics: Elyanna Spotify

‘Moana 2’ dials up its Pacific Island influences in grown-up sequel, say filmmakers

‘Moana 2’ dials up its Pacific Island influences in grown-up sequel, say filmmakers
Updated 30 November 2024
Shyama Krishna Kumar
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‘Moana 2’ dials up its Pacific Island influences in grown-up sequel, say filmmakers

‘Moana 2’ dials up its Pacific Island influences in grown-up sequel, say filmmakers
Updated 30 November 2024
Shyama Krishna Kumar

DUBAI: Out now in cinemas across the Middle East, Walt Disney Animation Studio’s highly anticipated “Moana 2” reunites audiences with its seafaring heroine (Auli’i Cravalho) and her best buddy Maui (voiced by Dwayne Johnson).

Directed by David Derrick Jr., Jason Hand and Dana Ledoux Miller, the sequel sees Moana journey to the far seas of Oceania for a new adventure after receiving an unexpected call from her wayfinding ancestors.

The filmmakers said that they were especially committed to representing the Pacific Island communities and peoples respectfully and with integrity, and that meant turning to the Oceanic Cultural Trust once again for guidance.

As with the first film, the “Moana 2” filmmakers assembled a team of cultural experts in anthropology, history, dance and movement, canoes and navigation, linguistics and various cultural practices from the Pacific Islands.

“I think we’re just really fortunate to work with our Oceanic Cultural Trust, led by Kalikolehua Hurley. We all care really deeply about the world of ‘Moana,’ and want to get it right. We definitely wanted to be intentional about the cultural nuances and home in on it, whether it was with clothing or designs in any way, but we also just wanted to create a movie that felt true to what it means to be from the Pacific,” said co-director Hand in an interview with Arab News.

“I would say that we really let Moana sort of dictate where the story goes,” added co-director Ledoux Miller. “We were really intentional about building off that foundation of the first film and thinking really carefully about what that first journey was. It was a story of identity and of her really coming into her own. So, it felt like a really natural extension that we would continue that idea of self-growth and evolution. We love the idea that as you grow as a leader, you learn new things about yourself, and you have to realize that you never stop discovering new depths to yourself and new things that you’re capable of.”

Being of Samoan descent, Ledoux Miller said that she felt the weight of representing her community through filming and beyond.

“I would say it’s front of mind even right now, it’s every day. To be a part of making the key creative decisions for creating this film was truly an honor, but absolutely a responsibility as well. I feel very protective of my community, but I feel protective of Moana too. I’m also like a Moana fan, and I want to do right by her, but I couldn’t be prouder of what we put together, and I’m so excited for my family to see this. I think I’ll breathe a little easier once they do,” she said.

One of the main new characters we meet in “Moana 2” is Simea, Moana’s younger sibling (voiced by Khaleesi Lambert-Tsuda).

“The first film was really about Moana connecting to her past, and as this story is really all about the future and where she is going to bring her people, it made so much sense to put in an emotional relationship that she has with her little sister, and that embodiment of the future is right there for her. I think you really fall in love with the relationship from the first moment that you see them together, and that lasts all the way until the very end of the film,” Hand said.

Topics: Moana 2

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