Model Halima Aden is part of a project that is upcycling fabrics to create these hijab and face mask sets. Reuters
Model Halima Aden is part of a project that is upcycling fabrics to create these hijab and face mask sets. Reuters
Model Halima Aden is part of a project that is upcycling fabrics to create these hijab and face mask sets. Reuters
Model Halima Aden is part of a project that is upcycling fabrics to create these hijab and face mask sets. Reuters

Fashion

Halima Aden designs matching face mask and hijab sets to help front-line workers

The modest fashion model says she wanted to make sure hijab-wearing women had a comfortable option for wearing a mask while still keeping their hair covered

Janice Rodrigues
Janice Rodrigues

May 15, 2020

  • English
  • Arabic

The onset of the coronavirus pandemic has seen numerous fashion houses, brands and designers address the crisis by producing and donating face masks to front-line workers.

And now it looks like Halima Aden is joining the fray. The Somali-American model recently announced that she was part of #BandingTogether – a project in association with Allure magazine and Anywear Design, which will see her designing fashionable face masks and hijab sets – while giving to a good cause.

“When you purchase one of my limited-edition face covering and hijab sets, @AnywearDesign will donate an adjustable headband, hijab set or medical hat to a doctor, nurse or healthcare professional working tirelessly on the frontline,” the model announced in a post on Instagram.

Anywear Design is an AI tech company that was scheduled to launch this summer but pushed back the opening date due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, after "seeing images of the skin irritation front-line workers are experiencing from wearing face masks during long shifts while fighting Covid-19", the company decided to start the #BandingTogether project.

It worked with medical professionals in the US to create headbands with buttons that can hold mask straps and ease discomfort. This resulted in comfortable sets made from upcycled fabrics.

The company then reached out to members of the fashion community to channel their creativity into designing the sets. They ended up with fashionable and eco-friendly products, with proceeds going towards a noble cause.

“Having worked in a hospital, even several months into my modelling career, it was important for me to support this project," Aden said in an official statement on the brand’s website. "As many hijab-wearing women are working at healthcare facilities, I wanted to make sure they have a comfortable option for wearing a mask while keeping their hair covered.

“It can also get hot running around at the pace healthcare employees are right now, so a breathable fabric was a must. And I really wanted the pieces to give a feeling of tranquility and calm, so I went with soft shades that bring a feeling of peace. Like everyone, my livelihood has been turned upside down. I just keep reminding myself [of] something that my mom always says: ‘Hard times don’t last, but strong people do'.”

Some of the designers behind these limited-edition sets, alongside Aden, include Chris McMillan, a Los Angeles-based hairstylist, Nikki Nelms, a hairstylist, and Mei Kawajiri, a New York City-based nail artist.

Green ambitions
  • Trees: 1,500 to be planted, replacing 300 felled ones, with veteran oaks protected
  • Lake: Brown's centrepiece to be cleaned of silt that makes it as shallow as 2.5cm
  • Biodiversity: Bat cave to be added and habitats designed for kingfishers and little grebes
  • Flood risk: Longer grass, deeper lake, restored ponds and absorbent paths all meant to siphon off water 
Tips to keep your car cool
  • Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
  • Park in shaded or covered areas
  • Add tint to windows
  • Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
  • Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
  • Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat

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.”

Going grey? A stylist's advice

If you’re going to go grey, a great style, well-cared for hair (in a sleek, classy style, like a bob), and a young spirit and attitude go a long way, says Maria Dowling, founder of the Maria Dowling Salon in Dubai.
It’s easier to go grey from a lighter colour, so you may want to do that first. And this is the time to try a shorter style, she advises. Then a stylist can introduce highlights, start lightening up the roots, and let it fade out. Once it’s entirely grey, a purple shampoo will prevent yellowing.
“Get professional help – there’s no other way to go around it,” she says. “And don’t just let it grow out because that looks really bad. Put effort into it: properly condition, straighten, get regular trims, make sure it’s glossy.”

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

Best Academy: Ajax and Benfica

Best Agent: Jorge Mendes

Best Club : Liverpool   

 Best Coach: Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool)  

 Best Goalkeeper: Alisson Becker

 Best Men’s Player: Cristiano Ronaldo

 Best Partnership of the Year Award by SportBusiness: Manchester City and SAP

 Best Referee: Stephanie Frappart

Best Revelation Player: Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid and Portugal)

Best Sporting Director: Andrea Berta (Atletico Madrid)

Best Women's Player:  Lucy Bronze

Best Young Arab Player: Achraf Hakimi

 Kooora – Best Arab Club: Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia)

 Kooora – Best Arab Player: Abderrazak Hamdallah (Al-Nassr FC, Saudi Arabia)

 Player Career Award: Miralem Pjanic and Ryan Giggs

Fashion