Having worked with Chloé, John Galliano and Roberto Cavalli, Shourouk Rhaiem established her eponymous company in 2008, and has a following that includes the likes of Anna Dello Russo, Lady Gaga, Sarah Jessica Parker and Michelle Obama. She tells us more about herself and her inspirations.
If you could wake up anywhere in the world tomorrow, where would you be?
Il Pellicano, Italy. After the pressure and stress of a hectic fashion week, I need some relaxation with a Mediterranean touch.
You're sitting down to the perfect meal. Where are you, whom are you with, and what are you eating?
I am in Tunisia, on the front porch of my house, under our jasmine tree. I’m eating fish couscous, with the whole family shouting at each other because the table isn’t set properly – that is a typically oriental way of life.
What is your favourite beauty product?
My Tom Ford Flame lipstick – the bright, medium-dark, orange-red lip colour is my signature.
What are your top three travel essentials?
My traditional embroidered Turkish socks that I wear on the plane (it’s always so cold), or my last collection prototypes that I wear avant-première, even before I’ve decided to produce them. I also carry my perfume, Grand Bal by Dior, and a pair of Miu Miu heels, even if I am trekking in Machu Picchu. Every girl needs her Miu Miu while travelling. OK, that was four, I know.
Which is your favourite city in the world?
Mumbai. It’s one of my main inspirations: the colours, the culture and the people are all pretty amazing.
You're about to start your next design project. What materials are on your table?
First of all, I would need my fabulous girls with me – each brings her own special touch that I love. Then we yell and we argue. Afterwards, we sit down with our inspirational pictures or mood boards, the Swarovski stones, the natural pearls, and the new (confidential) materials.
What inspired your latest collection, Dating with Pharaohs?
I wanted to take everybody on a flamboyant Cairo holiday with a contemporary Cleopatra. The collection was inspired by Egyptian Golden Age melodrama, mixed with the paradox of Middle East and revival art deco figures. The result is a dramatic combination of micro-mosaic Bastet chokers, beaded anacondas rolling up the neck and explosions of gilded necklaces, which are a tribute to the iconic belly dancer Tahia Carioca.
If you could choose anyone in the world to collaborate with, who would it be?
Youssef Nabil. I loved his exhibition I Saved My Belly Dancer. The way he recreates Egyptian movies in art takes me back to when I used to watch those movies as a child and it inspires me – you can recognise some belly-dancer-inspired jewellery in my new autumn/winter collection.
From cereal boxes to banana peels, your Instagram profile shows some seriously blinged-out pieces. What's an item that you've always dreamed of embellishing?
I would love to crystallise the Mona Lisa. Sorry, Leonardo, but, if they allowed me, I don't think I could resist. It would also be amazing to add some sparkle to The Birth Of Venus by Sandro Botticelli.
Who are your go-to designers?
I would have to say Zayan [Ghandour], from Zayan the Label. We share the same vision of the modern woman, and we both love to mix and create. I love to wear her pieces and mix them with some vintage and Prada shoes – the combination is just gorgeous. She plays with transparencies, colours and prints and creates new and beautiful dress shapes.
What is your favourite item in your wardrobe right now?
My lamé-pleated silver skirt, combined with my Cleopatra and David Bowie T-shirts. I can’t stop wearing them.
What was your first-ever luxury purchase?
A pair of Prada heels. I still have them, but I can’t bring myself to wear them; they are very precious to me.
What is the one piece of jewellery that you most treasure?
My great-grandmother’s Bvlgari snake bracelet. It has been in my family for generations, and I guard it with my life
Shourouk's latest collection is available at S*uce stores in the UAE.
Read this and related stories in Luxury magazine's Watches & Jewellery issue, out with The National on Thursday, April 14.
hlodi@thenational.ae
Company Profile
Name: HyveGeo
Started: 2023
Founders: Abdulaziz bin Redha, Dr Samsurin Welch, Eva Morales and Dr Harjit Singh
Based: Cambridge and Dubai
Number of employees: 8
Industry: Sustainability & Environment
Funding: $200,000 plus undisclosed grant
Investors: Venture capital and government
Zidane's managerial achievements
La Liga: 2016/17
Spanish Super Cup: 2017
Uefa Champions League: 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18
Uefa Super Cup: 2016, 2017
Fifa Club World Cup: 2016, 2017
The specs
Engine: Turbocharged four-cylinder 2.7-litre
Power: 325hp
Torque: 500Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh189,700
On sale: now
A QUIET PLACE
Starring: Lupita Nyong'o, Joseph Quinn, Djimon Hounsou
Director: Michael Sarnoski
Rating: 4/5
TWISTERS
Director:+Lee+Isaac+Chung
Starring:+Glen+Powell,+Daisy+Edgar-Jones,+Anthony+Ramos
Rating:+2.5/5
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Herc's Adventures
Developer: Big Ape Productions
Publisher: LucasArts
Console: PlayStation 1 & 5, Sega Saturn
Rating: 4/5
Day 1 results:
Open Men (bonus points in brackets)
New Zealand 125 (1) beat UAE 111 (3)
India 111 (4) beat Singapore 75 (0)
South Africa 66 (2) beat Sri Lanka 57 (2)
Australia 126 (4) beat Malaysia -16 (0)
Open Women
New Zealand 64 (2) beat South Africa 57 (2)
England 69 (3) beat UAE 63 (1)
Australia 124 (4) beat UAE 23 (0)
New Zealand 74 (2) beat England 55 (2)
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Terra
Started: 2021
Based: Dubai
Founder: Hussam Zammar
Sector: Mobility
Investment stage: Pre-seed funding of $1 million
When Umm Kulthum performed in Abu Dhabi
Known as The Lady of Arabic Song, Umm Kulthum performed in Abu Dhabi on November 28, 1971, as part of celebrations for the fifth anniversary of the accession of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan as Ruler of Abu Dhabi. A concert hall was constructed for the event on land that is now Al Nahyan Stadium, behind Al Wahda Mall. The audience were treated to many of Kulthum's most well-known songs as part of the sold-out show, including Aghadan Alqak and Enta Omri.
MEDIEVIL (1998)
Developer: SCE Studio Cambridge
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Console: PlayStation, PlayStation 4 and 5
Rating: 3.5/5
What are NFTs?
Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.
You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”
However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.
This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”
This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Klipit
Started: 2022
Founders: Venkat Reddy, Mohammed Al Bulooki, Bilal Merchant, Asif Ahmed, Ovais Merchant
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Digital receipts, finance, blockchain
Funding: $4 million
Investors: Privately/self-funded
Hotel Data Cloud profile
Date started: June 2016
Founders: Gregor Amon and Kevin Czok
Based: Dubai
Sector: Travel Tech
Size: 10 employees
Funding: $350,000 (Dh1.3 million)
Investors: five angel investors (undisclosed except for Amar Shubar)
