Taha Yousef fuses poetry of the Middle East with Western streetwear – a fitting way of paying homage to his heritage, given he was brought up in Sharjah and now calls Toronto home.
“I was born in the UAE," explains Yousef, founder of streetwear brand LoveClosely, via Zoom from Canada. "My childhood was there, I went to school there and moved to Toronto when I was a teenager. It really stayed with me, and having gone through things like 9/11, that always stuck with me that this is how the West perceived us.”
And now, Yousef is keen to cement his connection with the Mena region once again, by bringing his clothing brand to his birthplace.
Growing up in what he describes as the "melting pot" of Toronto, he realised that many around him had only a negative view of the Middle East, with little or no idea about the rich cultural heritage. Eager to redress that, he set about creating his own clothing brand that would meld the two.
“I got into fashion to use it as medium to showcase the beauty that exists in the Middle East and South Asia. It is not appreciated for its art forms, for its history, or the beauty of the Arabic language."
Leaning on Arabic poetry, Yousef began to weave phrases and imagery through his designs, creating street wear staples such as over-sized track suits, with Arabic wording running down the side seam, and baseball shirts with "The Sun rises in the East" emblazoned across the back, in dual languages.
“I wanted to really make it simple for those who may not have been exposed that that culture, and make them able to relate to it, I want to bridge that gap that exists for some people.”
The result was LoveClosely, launched in late 2018, which soon grew a loyal following, including musicians such as Jessie Reyez, Riz Ahmed, Roy Woods, Yuna, Ali Gatie, Drake’s producer OVO 40, and French Montana.
Now, several North American pop-ups later, the brand is now keen to bring its latest collection, entitled Birds of Love, back to the Mena region (including a website showing prices in AED) and launch the latest offering online during the week of Monday, 27 July.
True to form, the new collection has taken its inspiration from a poem by Attar of Nishapur called Conference of the Birds, that was written in 1177 and is widely regarded as a masterpiece of Persian literature. From its soaring allegories about the fruitless search for happiness that can only be found within, Yousef has taken a bird motif to scatter throughout the collection. As a message, despite being over eight hundred years old, Yousef feels the poem is now more pertinent than ever.
I got into fashion to use it as medium to showcase the beauty that exists in the Middle East and South Asia
“In a post-pandemic world, a lot of people have been forced away from their nine to five lives, of always being busy and always having something to do. Now we have been put in a position where we have to question the choices we are making, and I wanted to take this very historic piece of poetry and take the message from it and present in a way that it will resonate now."
LoveClosely is also attempting to capture the cultural zeitgeist by shifting away from using higher end fabrics such as satin, and moving towards upcycled fabric off-cuts instead. With the new collection patch-worked from left overs of different types of material, with seams all left frayed, the result is a deeply urbane aesthetic with a focus on environmental responsibility.
“Switching over to something sustainable is something we wanted to do all along. We are carrying such a meaningful message in our clothing, we also want where that clothing comes from to be meaningful. It took quite a bit a bit of time to really source waste materials, and everything is a little different from each other as a result, and its exciting. It’s a tricky time but I think the door has opened for smaller brands, because I think people are looking for smaller brands they identify with."
To further build the link with the region, the accompanying campaign images for the new collection were shot by in Marrakech by Moroccan artist Ismail Zaidy, who is known for his raw takes on Arabic identity. For Yousef, having an Arabic artist involved was important, almost as important as bringing the Arabic inspired clothing back to the Middle East.
"Our culture is very beautiful in itself, and there should be a lot of pride in who we are. We can show people that this is being accepted at an international level by people who are not necessarily Arab, and [we can] take pride in it.
“I hope we can take what we have accomplished here and take it back to the Middle East and show people it’s being appreciated in North America.”
Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
The Byblos iftar in numbers
29 or 30 days – the number of iftar services held during the holy month
50 staff members required to prepare an iftar
200 to 350 the number of people served iftar nightly
160 litres of the traditional Ramadan drink, jalab, is served in total
500 litres of soup is served during the holy month
200 kilograms of meat is used for various dishes
350 kilograms of onion is used in dishes
5 minutes – the average time that staff have to eat
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
PROFILE OF INVYGO
Started: 2018
Founders: Eslam Hussein and Pulkit Ganjoo
Based: Dubai
Sector: Transport
Size: 9 employees
Investment: $1,275,000
Investors: Class 5 Global, Equitrust, Gulf Islamic Investments, Kairos K50 and William Zeqiri
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Water waste
In the UAE’s arid climate, small shrubs, bushes and flower beds usually require about six litres of water per square metre, daily. That increases to 12 litres per square metre a day for small trees, and 300 litres for palm trees.
Horticulturists suggest the best time for watering is before 8am or after 6pm, when water won't be dried up by the sun.
A global report published by the Water Resources Institute in August, ranked the UAE 10th out of 164 nations where water supplies are most stretched.
The Emirates is the world’s third largest per capita water consumer after the US and Canada.
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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.”
