It takes seven days for craftsmen to produce a pair of HH – The Brand sandals. In a boutique atelier in the heart of Beirut, “a tiny but mighty team” make each pair by hand, using premium leathers that also happen to be deadstock.
The end results are the epitome of slow fashion. Produced in limited-editions and only available for a single season, each pair of HH sandals is painstakingly made-to-order on site, to reduce the brand’s carbon footprint.
“It was very clear to me when I first started that I wanted to take the sustainable path,” explains Hazem Haddad, a communications expert with a passion for design who founded HH – The Brand.
“Taking care of the environment is a top priority at HH. We produce zero waste. All the leathers are purchased from a couple of stock shops around Beirut. I don’t want fresh leathers – the idea scares me to kill an animal only for their skin. We are also looking into vegan leathers and other materials for the next collections.”
I've always loved sandals but could never find what I was looking for, so I created it myself.
Haddad identified a gap in the market for stylish, high-quality, handcrafted sandals that did not come with a designer price tag. "It started from a simple thought. I've always loved sandals but could never find what I was looking for, so I created it myself," Haddad tells The National.
“While there are great sandals developed by major fashion brands, each are priced at about $700 (Dh2,570). On the other hand, high-street fashion brands are developing sandals retailing around the $70 mark, but are made of very poor-quality elements that damage the feet. I wanted to create a collection of footwear that is minimal, timeless and classic, retailing from $170 to $190 per pair without compromising on the high-grade of materials and craftsmanship.”
It was also an opportunity to reassert Lebanon’s craftsmanship and design capabilities to the world, says Haddad. “Lebanese designers have added so much to the international fashion world with the technical work done by local seamstresses and craftsmen, despite all the challenges faced daily in the country,” he says.
“From the beginning I knew I wanted to produce in Lebanon and nowhere else. It is my goal to continue producing here and showing the world the remarkable things we can do.”
Haddad recently unveiled Collection Two, a line of sandals inspired by the colours of the sea – from "Gitanes" blue and semi-matte navy and black to caviar grey. Made from premium cowhide with finely knit threading and lambskin linings, the sandals come in slip-on and adjustable sling-back versions, and are constructed with leather footbeds and flexible rubber soles to prevent perspiration, slippage and discomfort.
The designs were inspired by a diving trip that Haddad took to Egypt’s El Gouna last summer. “As I descended from the surface into the depths of the sea, my eyes were mesmerised by the different shades of colour, hues of blues transcending into greys and blacks. Underwater everything seems calm, zen and complete. This sensation is represented in Collection Two and is the inspiration defining the collection.”
The designs are only available from designated retailers, including Personage in Riyadh, Homegrown Market in Jeddah, or from the brand's online store www.HHthebrand.com, which offers international shipping. A new luxury retailer in Dubai's Mall of the Emirates will begin stocking HH - The Brand later this summer, while Haddad is also in talks with a couple of high-end retailers in Europe.
Ultimately, he believes that the slow approach that his brand encapsulates represents the future of fashion. "We all want to have pieces that last and are somehow exclusive. The future will have a lot of positive surprises in terms of purchasing."
RESULTS
Bantamweight:
Zia Mashwani (PAK) bt Chris Corton (PHI)
Super lightweight:
Flavio Serafin (BRA) bt Mohammad Al Khatib (JOR)
Super lightweight:
Dwight Brooks (USA) bt Alex Nacfur (BRA)
Bantamweight:
Tariq Ismail (CAN) bt Jalal Al Daaja (JOR)
Featherweight:
Abdullatip Magomedov (RUS) bt Sulaiman Al Modhyan (KUW)
Middleweight:
Mohammad Fakhreddine (LEB) bt Christofer Silva (BRA)
Middleweight:
Rustam Chsiev (RUS) bt Tarek Suleiman (SYR)
Welterweight:
Khamzat Chimaev (SWE) bt Mzwandile Hlongwa (RSA)
Lightweight:
Alex Martinez (CAN) bt Anas Siraj Mounir (MAR)
Welterweight:
Jarrah Al Selawi (JOR) bt Abdoul Abdouraguimov (FRA)
MATCH INFO
Manchester City 1 (Gundogan 56')
Shakhtar Donetsk 1 (Solomon 69')
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
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
F1 line ups in 2018
Mercedes-GP Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas; Ferrari Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen; Red Bull Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen; Force India Esteban Ocon and Sergio Perez; Renault Nico Hülkenberg and Carlos Sainz Jr; Williams Lance Stroll and Felipe Massa / Robert Kubica / Paul di Resta; McLaren Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne; Toro Rosso TBA; Haas F1 Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen; Sauber TBA
Skoda Superb Specs
Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol
Power: 190hp
Torque: 320Nm
Price: From Dh147,000
Available: Now
Countdown to Zero exhibition will show how disease can be beaten
Countdown to Zero: Defeating Disease, an international multimedia exhibition created by the American Museum of National History in collaboration with The Carter Center, will open in Abu Dhabi a month before Reaching the Last Mile.
Opening on October 15 and running until November 15, the free exhibition opens at The Galleria mall on Al Maryah Island, and has already been seen at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Western Region Asia Cup T20 Qualifier
Sun Feb 23 – Thu Feb 27, Al Amerat, Oman
The two finalists advance to the Asia qualifier in Malaysia in August
Group A
Bahrain, Maldives, Oman, Qatar
Group B
UAE, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia
UAE group fixtures
Sunday Feb 23, 9.30am, v Iran
Monday Feb 25, 1pm, v Kuwait
Tuesday Feb 26, 9.30am, v Saudi
UAE squad
Ahmed Raza, Rohan Mustafa, Alishan Sharafu, Ansh Tandon, Vriitya Aravind, Junaid Siddique, Waheed Ahmed, Karthik Meiyappan, Basil Hameed, Mohammed Usman, Mohammed Ayaz, Zahoor Khan, Chirag Suri, Sultan Ahmed
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
Race%20card
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