<strong>Welcome back to the UAE. You are constantly travelling, so where is home for you these days?</strong> <span class="s1">Home is New York. I’ve been there for 28 years and I’ve actually lived there more than I’ve ever lived in Lebanon. But I have to say, my heart is here in the region and l have visited Dubai more than seven times this year already. I’m here every few weeks and I guess there must be some magnetic attraction. I really love Dubai. I mean it from the bottom of my heart and I’m not just saying that. It is a beautiful place with a great leader, full of energy and good vibes. It has a good future, for sure.</span> <span class="s3"><strong>While your flagship store is in New York, you are carried by more than 150 retailers around the world. So how is business in the Middle East? </strong></span> <span class="s1">Fortunately, I was able to create a label that does have a good sell – through the stores that it’s in. It sells well here because I think people support designers from the region. They like my style and I also dress celebrities, which I suppose helps, too. I think there’s a lot of effort on my part to continually bring the brand along, such as with the recent launch of my perfume in the UAE. Which, I guess, means the more effort I put in, the more sales follow. </span> <span class="s3"><strong>What’s the backstory to your first scent, Reem Acra Eau de Parfum, created by the acclaimed perfumer Pierre Negrin?</strong></span> <span class="s1">It’s my life’s story. It’s how I was brought up and it incorporates the scents that I was raised with. Amber, for example. When we were kids in Lebanon we’d go off and dig the mountains, looking for amber – that was just part of everyday life. I also drink orange blossom every morning so that features in the perfume too. Naturally, the Cedars of Lebanon were important to have, also. So, it’s a lot to do with my culture and background but there are also many elements of the countries I’ve lived in since I left Lebanon. From New York and Hong Kong to the Far East and Paris. It’s a very multicultural scent.</span> <span class="s3"><strong>Where do you continually find inspiration for your new collections?</strong></span> <span class="s1">When you are under pressure, you just do. [Laughs] So, I would normally wait until the pressure is really on, then the collection flows. I literally just finished a collection a week ago, just before coming here to Dubai. So it was a case of pressure and, of course, imagination. But, as I always say, it’s not me doing all of this alone. It’s down to the success of a group and I’m thankful to have a great team behind me.</span> <span class="s3"><strong>When inspiration hits you, how <br/> do you record what you’ve seen or imagined? </strong></span> <span class="s1">It’s a mental thing. I always have sharp, visual, mental pictures. When it’s time to sit down and figure out how to put my ideas into practice, I visualise things very clearly. The ideas come straight back.</span> <span class="s3"><strong>Looking back over the past 16 years, which collection do you remember most fondly?</strong></span> <span class="s1">I think always the first ones – whether in eveningwear, ready-to-wear or bridal. I’ve always made such an effort to give the brand a very strong stamp that I knew I needed to hit the right note from the very beginning or not bother. So, my first shows were really incredible and I’ll always flick back through them and look at them with such pride. </span> <span class="s3"><strong>You were most recently in town for Fashion Forward. What did you make of it? </strong></span> <span class="s1">I think it’s a great group of people with tremendous talent and ambition. That’s the reason I came all this way on my own; to support them and introduce them to my friend Steven Kolb, president of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), of which I’m a member. </span> <span class="s3"><strong>When you say you “came here on your own”, did you hear about the event on the fashion-grapevine and travel of your own volition? </strong></span> <span class="s1">Well, no. Bong [Guerrero, founder]called me up while I was in Paris a while back when I was meeting with the CFDA there. I then decided that I wanted to come here and introduce the CFDA to FFWD, as the event was being held in Dubai and I’m from of the Middle East. This is where I needed to be; I was happy to make the introductions and wouldn’t have had it any other way.</span> <span class="s3"><strong>How about your label opening or closing [the next] Fashion Forward in October? </strong></span> <span class="s1">My calendar is so crazy at the moment that it’s very difficult to put extra things on the agenda right now. We’re so busy with the global fashion weeks, Paris then New York etc. There’s just so much going on. That said, I do believe in these guys [FFWD] and what they are doing. I know it’s only the first step, but it’s exciting to see it in these early stages. </span> <span class="s3"><strong>What did you make of our home-grown designer talent at the runway shows?</strong></span> <span class="s1">I didn’t get the chance to go to any of the shows, but I did have a good look through the lookbooks and saw their collections beforehand. I think there is great talent here and a new generation that wants to be part of the fashion industry globally. Where there’s a will, there’s always a way.</span> <span class="s1">? </span><span class="s2"><strong>quick fire</strong></span> <strong><span class="s3">Life philosophy</span></strong> <span class="s3">Stay true to yourself</span> <strong><span class="s3">Work philosophy</span></strong> <span class="s3">Never give up</span> <strong><span class="s3">Remaining ambitions</span></strong> <span class="s3">I just take it one step at a time</span> <strong><span class="s3">Advice for designer newbies</span></strong> <span class="s3">I would urge them to never, ever give up</span> <strong><span class="s3">How to relax</span></strong> <span class="s3">I wish I had more time to dance. I love ballroom dancing but I had to stop it about two years ago</span> <strong><span class="s3">Favourite movie</span><span class="s4"> </span></strong> <span class="s3"><em>Love Story</em> </span> <strong><span class="s3">Currently reading</span></strong> <span class="s3">Fashion magazines, there’s no time for books</span> <strong><span class="s3">Go-to energising colour</span></strong> <span class="s3">Definitely red</span> <strong><span class="s3">An admired design peer</span></strong> <span class="s3">Geoffrey Beene</span> <strong><span class="s3">Last deed of the day before sleep</span></strong> <span class="s3">I thank God </span> <span class="s1">? </span><span class="s2"><strong>acra biog</strong></span> <span class="s5">• </span><span class="s3">Born and raised in Lebanon, Acra attended the American University of Beirut</span> <span class="s5">• </span><span class="s3">Further study followed at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York and Esmod in Paris</span> <span class="s5">• </span><span class="s3">In 1997 she launched her fashion business with a bridal range</span> <span class="s5">• </span><span class="s3">In 2003 Acra launched ready-to-wear</span> <span class="s5">• </span><span class="s3">Her flagship boutique in New York City opened the same year</span> <span class="s5">• </span><span class="s3">Acra's pet pooch, a white Maltese called Lou Lou, accompanies her to every catwalk show</span> <span class="s1">? </span><span class="s2"><strong>celeb couture</strong></span> <span class="s3">A-listers to have worn Acra’s gowns on the red carpet include:</span> <span class="s3">• Angelina Jolie</span> <span class="s3">• Taylor Swift</span> <span class="s3">• Beyoncé</span> <span class="s3">• Olivia Wilde </span> <span class="s3">• Eva Longoria</span> <span class="s3">• Nicole Richie</span> <span class="s3">• Catherine <br/> Zeta-Jones</span> <span class="s3">• Selena Gomez</span> <span class="s4"><strong><a href="mailto:rduane@thenational.ae">rduane@thenational.ae</a></strong></span> Follow us on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/thenationalArtsandLife">Facebook</a> for discussions, entertainment, reviews, wellness and news. 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