Following New York, London and Milan, all eyes are now on Paris as the final stop on the fashion week calendar for spring/summer showcases.
Previously, fashion weeks were invite-only events, with industry insiders gaining access to shows. However, they are now open to everyone with brands streaming their shows for free online.
Some top names, including Dior and Saint Laurent, have already held their shows at Paris Fashion Week, which began on Monday. But there are more shows to catch from the nine-day event, including Chanel, Balenciaga and Louis Vuitton. Celebrity sisters Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen's label, The Row, will also return to Paris.
Another show that will be closely watched will be by Issey Miyake, the label's first since its namesake founder and designer died last month aged 84. There's also Off-White, the brand led by Virgil Abloh, who died last year after battling a rare form of cancer. Designer Ib Kamara, who was named as the label's image and art director in May, will showcase his first collection for the brand.
British designer Victoria Beckham will also make her Paris Fashion Week debut, after showing for many years in New York and briefly in London.
Here are some of the top shows you can stream online:
Thursday, September 29
Schiaparelli (2pm UAE)
Steeped in surrealism, artistic director Daniel Roseberry has taken this fashion house, founded by Elsa Schiaparelli in the 1920s, to weird and wonderful places in contemporary times. Expect a visual feast that's bold yet timeless.
Chloe (4pm UAE)
Known for its strict tailoring and bohemian femininity, designer Gabriela Hearst, who joined the storied French house as creative director in 2020, will showcase her ready-to-wear collection.
Off-White (9pm UAE)
One to watch, all eyes will be on Kamara to see how he takes Abloh's label forward. Known for challenging the norms of masculinity and menswear, the designer's previous works are often inspired by his roots in Sierra Leone, as well as pan-African cultures.
Off-White will stream the show, themed "progress is in process", on its website, as well as dedicated app.
Friday, September 30
Issey Miyake (3pm UAE)
Japanese designer Miyake, who died last month, helped revolutionise fashion through technology with his label and was widely known for democratising fashion through simple construction. That ethos continues with his label, led by designer Satoshi Kondo since spring/summer 2020.
The brand's latest collection will be live-streamed on its website as well as its official Instagram page.
Giambattista Valli (4.30pm UAE)
The haute couture star is known for dressing some of the world’s most glamorous women. Valli first unveiled a more affordable line of "playful” womenswear in 2014. His ready-to-wear collections still have that Valli signature, girly, romantic and beautifully rebellious.
Victoria Beckham (7.30pm UAE)
The British designer's brand has undergone a major rejig and will make its Paris Fashion Week debut armed with a new design director, Laria Barrio. Beckham told fashion trade journal WWD her new collection will stay true to some of her design codes, including fine tailoring, but will be "sexier and younger".
The show will be live-streamed on the Victoria Beckham website as well as Instagram and TikTok pages and on YouTube.
Saturday, October 1
Vivienne Westwood (3pm UAE)
For more than 25 years, British designer Westwood and her husband Andreas Kronthaler, who is the label's artistic director, have crafted thought-provoking fashion together. Their enduring partnership, now labelled Andreas Kronthaler for Vivienne Westwood, is sure to continue in their legacy of activism and urgent messaging about the state of the world, translated via imaginative designs, which are as sustainable as they are compelling.
Hermes (4.30pm UAE)
Designer Nadege Vanhee-Cybulski has been at the helm of the storied French house since 2014 as creative director, translating its rich heritage into empowering messages. At the last spring/summer showcase, she transported guests to an airport on the outskirts of Paris, unveiling her collection on a circular hangar with a plane landed in the background as part of the finale.
This season's show promises to be even bigger and will be live-streamed on Instagram as well as the Hermes website.
Sunday, October 2
Balenciaga (1.30pm UAE)
Constantly pushing fashion boundaries and always self-deprecating, design wunderkind Demna Gvasalia's shows for Balenciaga are often the highlight of the fashion week. Plus, expect the usual star-studded guest list. This season's show is set to be live-streamed on Instagram.
THE BIO
Favourite car: Koenigsegg Agera RS or Renault Trezor concept car.
Favourite book: I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes or Red Notice by Bill Browder.
Biggest inspiration: My husband Nik. He really got me through a lot with his positivity.
Favourite holiday destination: Being at home in Australia, as I travel all over the world for work. It’s great to just hang out with my husband and family.
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Read more about the coronavirus
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
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The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Brief scores:
Scotland 371-5, 50 overs (C MacLeod 140 no, K Coetzer 58, G Munsey 55)
England 365 all out, 48.5 overs (J Bairstow 105, A Hales 52; M Watt 3-55)
Result: Scotland won by six runs
Profile
Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
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Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
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.”
Top investing tips for UAE residents in 2021
Build an emergency fund: Make sure you have enough cash to cover six months of expenses as a buffer against unexpected problems before you begin investing, advises Steve Cronin, the founder of DeadSimpleSaving.com.
Think long-term: When you invest, you need to have a long-term mindset, so don’t worry about momentary ups and downs in the stock market.
Invest worldwide: Diversify your investments globally, ideally by way of a global stock index fund.
Is your money tied up: Avoid anything where you cannot get your money back in full within a month at any time without any penalty.
Skip past the promises: “If an investment product is offering more than 10 per cent return per year, it is either extremely risky or a scam,” Mr Cronin says.
Choose plans with low fees: Make sure that any funds you buy do not charge more than 1 per cent in fees, Mr Cronin says. “If you invest by yourself, you can easily stay below this figure.” Managed funds and commissionable investments often come with higher fees.
Be sceptical about recommendations: If someone suggests an investment to you, ask if they stand to gain, advises Mr Cronin. “If they are receiving commission, they are unlikely to recommend an investment that’s best for you.”
Get financially independent: Mr Cronin advises UAE residents to pursue financial independence. Start with a Google search and improve your knowledge via expat investing websites or Facebook groups such as SimplyFI.
The specs
Engine: 2-litre 4-cylinder and 3.6-litre 6-cylinder
Power: 220 and 280 horsepower
Torque: 350 and 360Nm
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Price: from Dh136,521 VAT and Dh166,464 VAT
On sale: now
The Vile
Starring: Bdoor Mohammad, Jasem Alkharraz, Iman Tarik, Sarah Taibah
Director: Majid Al Ansari
Rating: 4/5
