Hind Matar
The Bahrain-born, London-based Hind Matar has become the latest Middle Eastern name to garner critical acclaim, following the latest instalment of London Fashion Week.
Matar's origami-meets-floral collection was presented at Somerset House, where a mere 130 up-and-coming designers were invited to exhibit as part of London Fashion Week's Emerging Talents section.
Matar was an economics student at the University of Virginia before radically changing careers and attending London's Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design.
You can take the girl out of the Middle East, but Matar remains close to her Bahraini upbringing, citing her use of bold colours and embroidery as a means of staying close to her roots. Matar's spring/summer 2014 collection blends structure and femininity, combining glossy silver and green florals with dramatic pleats and cut-out details. Her sharply tailored cropped trousers and elegantly folded crop tops are almost sculpture-like, and come in delicate shades of lavender, peach and metallic green.
Artbox
The Emirati sisters Alia and Noora Al Suwaidi are the duo behind Artbox, a design studio based in Abu Dhabi. The sisters launched the company around five years ago, with a focus on graphic design. It wasn't until Abu Dhabi Fashion Days, which took place last month, that the two officially launched their line of quirky, high-quality paper products, plastic folders and cushions. Alia, who comes from a visual communications background, was inspired my her older sister. “I had a passion for graphics because she went into that,” she says of Noora, who is nine years her senior.
Artbox products are currently available from Interior 360, Galeries Lafayette, The Dubai Mall and Maska Wraps in Jumeirah.
Tod's Traditional Sandal Collection
Footwear is an important element of the traditional male Emirati national dress, and perhaps the trickiest one to get right – but the lightweight leather na-aals in Tod's first traditional sandal collection allow you to do just that. The leather sole is combined with soft calfskin leathers from the best tanneries around the world and available in colours ranging from the classic black and white to varying shades of brown and tan. In keeping with the fundamental aspect of any Tod's accessory, the leathers go through a rigorous selection process and the workmanship is entirely carried out in Italy.
In addition to the distinctive “T” buckle in the front and a printed crocodile-leather option, each pair can be customised using the hot print personalisation technique to stamp out words and designs. Prices start at Dh2,420.
Beats by Dr Dre
Alexander Wang has plenty of tricks up his stylish sleeve – from being Rihanna's go-to designer and Balenciaga's youngest creative director, to putting together an objects collection that goes beyond clothes to include inflatable pool toys and croc-embossed coasters. It's hardly surprising, then, that the streetwise New York-based designer stepped in to lend his black-and-gold design signature to a pair of headphones and earphones for the celebrity-favoured Beats by Dr Dre electronics brand. The limited collection includes the Beats Studio Headphone, with precision sound, adaptive noise cancelling and a 20-hour rechargeable battery (Dh1,900), and stronger, lightweight Beats Urbeats Earbuds (Dh767; pictured). Both come embossed with Wang's trademark glossy stingray case.
(With input from Panna Munyal)
neldasher@thenational.ae
