The metallic busts that decorate the new Wonderlab stores have been designed by Swarovski creative director Giovanna Engelbert. Courtesy Swarovski
The metallic busts that decorate the new Wonderlab stores have been designed by Swarovski creative director Giovanna Engelbert. Courtesy Swarovski
The metallic busts that decorate the new Wonderlab stores have been designed by Swarovski creative director Giovanna Engelbert. Courtesy Swarovski
The metallic busts that decorate the new Wonderlab stores have been designed by Swarovski creative director Giovanna Engelbert. Courtesy Swarovski

Swarovski unveils new Wonderlab store at Dubai's Mall of the Emirates


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Swarovski has a revealed a bold new direction at its store in the Mall of the Emirates.

Entitled Wonderlab, the store, which reopened on Friday, has been completely refurbished, and is now decked out entirely in green, with walls lined with hexagonal jewellery boxes, each one filled with a Swarovski treasure.

In a rebrand spearheaded by the first brand creative director Giovanna Engelbert, the new approach has done away with the old navy blue colour, and instead replaced it with vibrant pink, yellow, green and baby blue.

First unveiled as an all-yellow store in Paris, the Wonderlab concept has also opened in New York in two colours, and now arrives in the UAE covered in floor-to-ceiling green.

A wall of jewellery boxes at the new Wonderlab store in the Dubai Mall. Sarah Maisey / The National
A wall of jewellery boxes at the new Wonderlab store in the Dubai Mall. Sarah Maisey / The National

The first of its kind in the region, the space has a plush green carpet, tables where customers can try on the pieces (with green chairs, naturally), and walls covered in pretty jewellery boxes in different sizes.

Green, metallic mannequins in a high-polish finish now show off the new array of jewellery that comes in every colour imaginable: earrings, bracelets, rings and necklaces, some even with invisible settings usually only found in high-end jewellery.

To add to the feeling of being inside a treasure trove, the Swarovski collections have been completely mixed up, so that now a crystal parrot sits next to edgy cube earrings based on the rules of sacred geometry, and children’s earrings in the shape of a ladybird nestle against a chic, chunky lilac stone necklace, perfect for dressing up a T-shirt.

Included, too, is the new company logo, which now appears as a pink neon sign in the window. Under Engelbert's new vision, the swan of old, quietly sitting and looking to the left, is gone, replaced with the same bird with wings raised – as if taking off – and now facing the right. It is a small shift, but an important one, signalling the new direction of onwards and upwards the company is striving for.

A metallic bust in the new Wonderlab store in Mall of the Emirates. Sarah Maisey / The National
A metallic bust in the new Wonderlab store in Mall of the Emirates. Sarah Maisey / The National

As a whole, the new store feels fresh, vibrant and exciting, packed with hundreds of beautiful, glittering pieces that span hoop earrings, tennis-style bracelets and elaborate necklaces.

Whether you are in the mood for shopping or merely looking, there is plenty of eye candy in this dazzling new space.

MATCH INFO

Northern Warriors 92-1 (10 ovs)

Russell 37 no, Billings 35 no

Team Abu Dhabi 93-4 (8.3 ovs)

Wright 48, Moeen 30, Green 2-22

Team Abu Dhabi win by six wickets

The specs
  • Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
  • Power: 640hp
  • Torque: 760nm
  • On sale: 2026
  • Price: Not announced yet
BMW M5 specs

Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor

Power: 727hp

Torque: 1,000Nm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh650,000

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ESSENTIALS

The flights 
Fly Etihad or Emirates from the UAE to Moscow from 2,763 return per person return including taxes. 
Where to stay 
Trips on the Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian cost from US$16,995 (Dh62,414) per person, based on two sharing.

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Tips for job-seekers
  • Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
  • Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.

David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East

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.

Paatal Lok season two

Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy 

Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong

Rating: 4.5/5

88 Video's most popular rentals

Avengers 3: Infinity War: an American superhero film released in 2018 and based on the Marvel Comics story.  

Sholay: a 1975 Indian action-adventure film. It follows the adventures of two criminals hired by police to catch a vagabond. The film was panned on release but is now considered a classic.

Lucifer: is a 2019 Malayalam-language action film. It dives into the gritty world of Kerala’s politics and has become one of the highest-grossing Malayalam films of all time.

If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.

When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.

How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
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Cinco in numbers

Dh3.7 million

The estimated cost of Victoria Swarovski’s gem-encrusted Michael Cinco wedding gown

46

The number, in kilograms, that Swarovski’s wedding gown weighed.

1,000

The hours it took to create Cinco’s vermillion petal gown, as seen in his atelier [note, is the one he’s playing with in the corner of a room]

50

How many looks Cinco has created in a new collection to celebrate Ballet Philippines’ 50th birthday

3,000

The hours needed to create the butterfly gown worn by Aishwarya Rai to the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.

1.1 million

The number of followers that Michael Cinco’s Instagram account has garnered.

FA Cup fifth round draw

Sheffield Wednesday v Manchester City
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Chelsea v Shrewsbury Town/Liverpool
West Bromwich Albion v Newcastle United/Oxford United
Leicester City v Coventry City/Birmingham City
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Southampton/Tottenham Hotspur v Norwich City
Portsmouth v Arsenal