One of the many changes sparked by the coronavirus pandemic is a favouring of all things local. Uncertainty over jobs and money has led many to re-evaluate where and how they spend their money. Now faced with a conscious choice, more and more paying customers prefer to invest in independent and home-grown creatives and companies.
Department store Bloomingdale’s in The Dubai Mall is one player that is paving the way with its Love Local project, by dedicating the month of October to showcasing regional designers. The initiative runs until Wednesday, October 28, and turns the spotlight on some of the best fashion, accessories and interior designers from around the region.
The Love Local pop-up, available both in-store and online, encompasses 14 such talents. Shoppers can familiarise themselves with brands such as Bambah, the women’s label that was born of a love of vintage. What began life as an upscale thrift store in Dubai, has blossomed into a full-fledged label that takes its cues from eras past, with nostalgic elements such as gingham and florals updated into polished dresses and wraps.
Elsewhere, find the occasion gowns of Kuwaiti Bazza Alzouman, in tones of burnished ochre and pewter. The full-length gowns come with necklines that veer from off-the-shoulder and single-sleeved asymmetric to a collared, plunging V.
Included, too, is the women’s offering from Sharjah-London brand Qasimi, helmed by Sheikha Hoor Al Qasimi, the sister of the late Sheikh Khalid bin Sultan Al Qasimi, the brand's founder.
Taking the traditional motifs of nomadic tribes, these airy pieces are shot through with simple stripes, as well as dense geometric patterning. Pared-back shirt dresses with grandad collars come with Bedouin-style tassels, while the city staple trench coat gets a languid makeover with tent stripes, in terracotta and burnt clay.
Serbb, meanwhile, is the brainchild of two Emirati sisters, and specialises in contemporary kaftans, abayas and capes, here in earthy tones of antique silver and dusty sienna. Traditional shapes are updated into high-necked dresses, while mid-calf and button-front capes fall in ripples from the shoulder. The best piece? A high-collared dress in silver that dips in at the waist.
Bouguessa brings its best game for daytime tailoring. A two-tone boxy jacket comes in shades of grey and mocha, while a city anorak is extended to below the knee, and comes in muddy green, with zippered pockets and drawstring hem. A simple poplin shirt becomes a dress, now belted with rounded sleeves that end cuffless, while a masculine double-breasted jacket is shorn into the waist. Putty, chocolate, white and the palest periwinkle blue are the colours of this wearable collection.
More daywear arrives courtesy of Kage, which uses a pretty, cutwork brocade fabric across the collection. It appears in white, as frill-edged shorts and a crisp shirt, and in coral as a halterneck sun dress and a summery cropped top that ties at the midriff.
Cleverly, Love Local is not just about fashion. Also on show is the bag brand Okhtein that hails from Egypt, and is carried by the likes of Anna Della Russo, Beyonce and Gigi Hadid. With its signature element of metal arrows travelling in opposite directions (like the two sisters behind the brand), these beautifully crafted pieces come hard framed in shapes that echo art deco, which in turn, pleasingly echoes Ancient Egypt.
For the home, Sisal brings coffee and tea sets decorated with the timeless patterns of pietra dura inlaid marble, while Lava offers luxurious candles in beautiful scents such as oud rose.
Four-day collections of TOH
Day Indian Rs (Dh)
Thursday 500.75 million (25.23m)
Friday 280.25m (14.12m)
Saturday 220.75m (11.21m)
Sunday 170.25m (8.58m)
Total 1.19bn (59.15m)
(Figures in millions, approximate)
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
25%20Days%20to%20Aden
%3Cp%3EAuthor%3A%20Michael%20Knights%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EPages%3A%20256%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EAvailable%3A%20January%2026%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Building boom turning to bust as Turkey's economy slows
Deep in a provincial region of northwestern Turkey, it looks like a mirage - hundreds of luxury houses built in neat rows, their pointed towers somewhere between French chateau and Disney castle.
Meant to provide luxurious accommodations for foreign buyers, the houses are however standing empty in what is anything but a fairytale for their investors.
The ambitious development has been hit by regional turmoil as well as the slump in the Turkish construction industry - a key sector - as the country's economy heads towards what could be a hard landing in an intensifying downturn.
After a long period of solid growth, Turkey's economy contracted 1.1 per cent in the third quarter, and many economists expect it will enter into recession this year.
The country has been hit by high inflation and a currency crisis in August. The lira lost 28 per cent of its value against the dollar in 2018 and markets are still unconvinced by the readiness of the government under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to tackle underlying economic issues.
The villas close to the town centre of Mudurnu in the Bolu region are intended to resemble European architecture and are part of the Sarot Group's Burj Al Babas project.
But the development of 732 villas and a shopping centre - which began in 2014 - is now in limbo as Sarot Group has sought bankruptcy protection.
It is one of hundreds of Turkish companies that have done so as they seek cover from creditors and to restructure their debts.
Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Washmen Profile
Date Started: May 2015
Founders: Rami Shaar and Jad Halaoui
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Laundry
Employees: 170
Funding: about $8m
Funders: Addventure, B&Y Partners, Clara Ventures, Cedar Mundi Partners, Henkel Ventures
more from Janine di Giovanni
THE%20SPECS
%3Cp%3EBattery%3A%2060kW%20lithium-ion%20phosphate%3Cbr%3EPower%3A%20Up%20to%20201bhp%3Cbr%3E0%20to%20100kph%3A%207.3%20seconds%3Cbr%3ERange%3A%20418km%3Cbr%3EPrice%3A%20From%20Dh149%2C900%3Cbr%3EAvailable%3A%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
MATCH INFO
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Manchester United v Barcelona, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
Match on BeIN Sports
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Nag%20Ashwin%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPrabhas%2C%20Saswata%20Chatterjee%2C%20Deepika%20Padukone%2C%20Amitabh%20Bachchan%2C%20Shobhana%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%E2%98%85%E2%98%85%E2%98%85%E2%98%85%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E6.5-litre%20V12%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E725hp%20at%207%2C750rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E716Nm%20at%206%2C250rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E8-speed%20dual-clutch%20auto%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EQ4%202023%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh1%2C650%2C000%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup – Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
FIXTURES
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Friday
Saint-Etienne v Montpellier (10.45pm)
Saturday
Monaco v Caen (7pm)
Amiens v Bordeaux (10pm)
Angers v Toulouse (10pm)
Metz v Dijon (10pm)
Nantes v Guingamp (10pm)
Rennes v Lille (10pm)
Sunday
Nice v Strasbourg (5pm)
Troyes v Lyon (7pm)
Marseille v Paris Saint-Germain (11pm)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani