UAE label Atelier Zuhra sends opulent gowns down London Fashion Week runway


Claire Corkery
  • English
  • Arabic

Atelier Zuhra put Arab design in the spotlight at London Fashion Week with a solo show on Saturday, February 15, presenting the Dubai  couture house’s autumn / winter 2020 collection. Opulent gowns, featuring sequins, embroidered fabrics, feathers and jewels, were on display on the runway in the British capital’s famed Royal Opera House.

In the front row were celebrities, influencers and fashion lovers, gathered to see the latest offering from a brand that has quickly established itself as one of the Middle East’s leading couturiers. Atelier Zuhra was founded in 2015 by Omani designer Mousa Al Awfi, who named the brand after her mother. Al Awfi raised five children – four daughters and one son – before realising her dream of dressing women in maximalist glamour.

After opening the Dar Al Aufi boutique in Dubai, Al Awfi’s evening dresses caught the eye of fashionistas in the region first and then internationally. The brand’s celebrity clients range from Bollywood and Hollywood stars to Arab royalty. Al Awfi has since handed the business to her daughter, Rayan Al Sulaimani, who opened a second Atelier Zuhra boutique in Muscat.

"I never studied fashion," Al Sulaimani told The National after her show. "I came from a business foundation, but I used to go to my mum's atelier after work and that's when she noticed I had a passion for fashion. She gave me a chance to prove myself and I took it. Thank God she trusted me."

With creative director Ryan Pacioles, Al Sulaimani has created a standout collection of floor-length, A-line and mini dresses in lilac, mint green and shimmering metallics. Head covers come dripping in gems and capes are topped with feathers.

“So far everyone is happy with the collection,” she says. “The people I heard from said they were overwhelmed.”

This is the third time that Atelier Zuhra, which produces two couture collections a year, has been showcased at London Fashion Week.

The Atelier Zuhra show at London Fashion Week 2019. Photo: John Phillips / BFC / Getty Images
The Atelier Zuhra show at London Fashion Week 2019. Photo: John Phillips / BFC / Getty Images

“I think there are a lot of challenges that designers face, especially coming from a Middle Eastern background. I think the main one would be the time frame in producing a collection,” Al Sulaimani said.

Not content with owning two boutiques in her home region, Al Sulaimani is looking to Europe for Atelier Zuhra’s next venture, and aims to open her third UAE-born boutique in Paris. “There’s been a lot of change in the design scene in Dubai, not just in fashion,” Al Sulaimani says. “Before we used to follow the trends, but now we pave new paths and set new trends.”

MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW

Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman

Director: Jesse Armstrong

Rating: 3.5/5

THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick

Hometown: Cologne, Germany

Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)

Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes

Favourite hobby: Football

Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk

How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE

When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.

'The Lost Daughter'

Director: Maggie Gyllenhaal

Starring: Olivia Colman, Jessie Buckley, Dakota Johnson

Rating: 4/5

The specs

AT4 Ultimate, as tested

Engine: 6.2-litre V8

Power: 420hp

Torque: 623Nm

Transmission: 10-speed automatic

Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)

On sale: Now

Q&A with Dash Berlin

Welcome back. What was it like to return to RAK and to play for fans out here again?
It’s an amazing feeling to be back in the passionate UAE again. Seeing the fans having a great time that is what it’s all about.

You're currently touring the globe as part of your Legends of the Feels Tour. How important is it to you to include the Middle East in the schedule?
The tour is doing really well and is extensive and intensive at the same time travelling all over the globe. My Middle Eastern fans are very dear to me, it’s good to be back.

You mix tracks that people know and love, but you also have a visually impressive set too (graphics etc). Is that the secret recipe to Dash Berlin's live gigs?
People enjoying the combination of the music and visuals are the key factor in the success of the Legends Of The Feel tour 2018.

Have you had some time to explore Ras al Khaimah too? If so, what have you been up to?
Coming fresh out of Las Vegas where I continue my 7th annual year DJ residency at Marquee, I decided it was a perfect moment to catch some sun rays and enjoy the warm hospitality of Bab Al Bahr.

 

Walls

Louis Tomlinson

3 out of 5 stars

(Syco Music/Arista Records)

Recipe: Spirulina Coconut Brothie

Ingredients
1 tbsp Spirulina powder
1 banana
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk (full fat preferable)
1 tbsp fresh turmeric or turmeric powder
½ cup fresh spinach leaves
½ cup vegan broth
2 crushed ice cubes (optional)

Method
Blend all the ingredients together on high in a high-speed blender until smooth and creamy. 

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

 

The biog

Job: Fitness entrepreneur, body-builder and trainer

Favourite superhero: Batman

Favourite quote: We must become the change we want to see, by Mahatma Gandhi.

Favourite car: Lamborghini

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
ODI FIXTURE SCHEDULE

First ODI, October 22
Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

Second ODI, October 25
Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune

Third ODI, October 29
Venue TBC

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The 12 breakaway clubs

England

Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur

Italy
AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus

Spain
Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Real Madrid

While you're here
The Matrix Resurrections

Director: Lana Wachowski

Stars:  Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Jessica Henwick 

Rating:****

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The stats

Ship name: MSC Bellissima

Ship class: Meraviglia Class

Delivery date: February 27, 2019

Gross tonnage: 171,598 GT

Passenger capacity: 5,686

Crew members: 1,536

Number of cabins: 2,217

Length: 315.3 metres

Maximum speed: 22.7 knots (42kph)

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Match info:

Leicester City 1
Ghezzal (63')

Liverpool 2
Mane (10'), Firmino (45')

US households add $601bn of debt in 2019

American households borrowed another $601 billion (Dh2.2bn) in 2019, the largest yearly gain since 2007, just before the global financial crisis, according to February data from the New York Federal Reserve Bank.

Fuelled by rising mortgage debt as homebuyers continued to take advantage of low interest rates, the increase last year brought total household debt to a record high, surpassing the previous peak reached in 2008 just before the market crash, according to the report.

Following the 22nd straight quarter of growth, American household debt swelled to $14.15 trillion by the end of 2019, the New York Fed said in its quarterly report.

In the final three months of the year, new home loans jumped to their highest volume since the fourth quarter of 2005, while credit cards and auto loans also added to the increase.

The bad debt load is taking its toll on some households, and the New York Fed warned that more and more credit card borrowers — particularly young people — were falling behind on their payments.

"Younger borrowers, who are disproportionately likely to have credit cards and student loans as their primary form of debt, struggle more than others with on-time repayment," New York Fed researchers said.

21 Lessons for the 21st Century

Yuval Noah Harari, Jonathan Cape
 

The specS: 2018 Toyota Camry

Price: base / as tested: Dh91,000 / Dh114,000

Engine: 3.5-litre V6

Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic

Power: 298hp @ 6,600rpm

Torque: 356Nm @ 4,700rpm

Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km