Abu Dhabi couture house Hamda Al Fahim has joined forces with American luxury accessories company Tyler Ellis to create an exclusive new range of clutches and bags.
Love and Romance, the limited-edition collection, marks the first time Ellis has united with a regional designer. The new range draws together the lavish, hand-beaded textiles of Al Fahim, with some of Ellis’s most famous bag silhouettes.
The Lee pouchet, for example, has been reworked in black satin, and is now covered in multi-hued sequins under the name of Everlasting Fantasy, while the Perry clutch has two new finishes.
Silver Diamond comprises gunmetal satin embellished with crystals, while Bee Mine is also crafted in black satin, but adorned with hand-embroidered bumble bees.
The famous Lily clutch arrives in dazzling pink and covered in delicate flowers, under the moniker Yours Truly, while the Meme pouch includes crystals on silver satin with an extravagant feather fringe.
“I am extremely excited to announce my partnership with Hamda Al Fahim. We are thrilled to celebrate the collaboration of two women from different cultures joining forces to create unique works of art," said Ellis.
"We are entrepreneurial designers of the same age, brought up on the opposite sides of the world, Hamda in Abu Dhabi and me in Los Angeles, who built independent, female-owned brands, focusing on craftsmanship, true luxury, and timeless designs."
Made only to order, the collection is a celebration of slow fashion. The fabric is entirely hand-embellished at Al Fahim's atelier in Abu Dhabi, before being sent to Ellis's factory in Italy, where a father-and-son team painstakingly create each bag.
As a result of the labour-intensive, hand-made process, customers have the opportunity to add personal touches as desired.
As the daughter of fashion name Perry Ellis (whose label launched the career of Marc Jacobs), Ellis founded her namesake brand in 2011, and is a regular on red carpets.
Hamda Al Fahim, meanwhile, launched her label in 2012, having taken a creative leap from a career in interior design.
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
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Fixtures
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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
Kathryn Hawkes of House of Hawkes on being a good guest (because we’ve all had bad ones)
- Arrive with a thank you gift, or make sure you have one for your host by the time you leave.
- Offer to buy groceries, cook them a meal or take your hosts out for dinner.
- Help out around the house.
- Entertain yourself so that your hosts don’t feel that they constantly need to.
- Leave no trace of your stay – if you’ve borrowed a book, return it to where you found it.
- Offer to strip the bed before you go.
DRIVERS' CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
1. Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari) 171 points
2. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP) 151
3. Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes-GP) 136
4. Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull Racing) 107
5. Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) 83
6. Sergio Perez (Force India) 50
7. Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing) 45
8. Esteban Ocon (Force India) 39
9. Carlos Sainz (Torro Rosso) 29
10. Felipe Massa (Williams) 22
