Miharayasuhiro floral printed wool dress slippers (Courtesy Browns)
Miharayasuhiro floral printed wool dress slippers (Courtesy Browns)
Miharayasuhiro floral printed wool dress slippers (Courtesy Browns)
Miharayasuhiro floral printed wool dress slippers (Courtesy Browns)

Trend-ometer: This week's highs and lows


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Strong finish

Balenciaga's new jumpers are on this season's must-have list. Futuristic 1980s prints mixed with leather in boxy shapes are the way forward.

A better base

Now that the weather is about to change you can ditch your powder for something a bit richer. Switch to a BB Cream for the winter.

Globetrotting

Salvatore Ferragamo's new collection of travel pieces has us yearning for another holiday. Think super luxurious 4-wheel trolleys, accessories and soft bags for your next getaway.

Spec refresh

Stash away your aviator sunglasses. This time of year we're all about minimal plastic/wood frames.

Smart move

British department store Browns has collaborated with Japanese designer Mihara Yasuhiro for a collection of jeans, coats and shoes. We're after these floral printed wool slippers, available online.

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COMPANY PROFILE

Company name: Letstango.com

Started: June 2013

Founder: Alex Tchablakian

Based: Dubai

Industry: e-commerce

Initial investment: Dh10 million

Investors: Self-funded

Total customers: 300,000 unique customers every month

Match info

Liverpool 4
Salah (19'), Mane (45 2', 53'), Sturridge (87')

West Ham United 0

Innotech Profile

Date started: 2013

Founder/CEO: Othman Al Mandhari

Based: Muscat, Oman

Sector: Additive manufacturing, 3D printing technologies

Size: 15 full-time employees

Stage: Seed stage and seeking Series A round of financing 

Investors: Oman Technology Fund from 2017 to 2019, exited through an agreement with a new investor to secure new funding that it under negotiation right now. 

Race results:

1. Thani Al Qemzi (UAE) Team Abu Dhabi: 46.44 min

2. Peter Morin (FRA) CTIC F1 Shenzhen China Team: 0.91sec

3. Sami Selio (FIN) Mad-Croc Baba Racing Team: 31.43sec

Islamophobia definition

A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.

Heather, the Totality
Matthew Weiner,
Canongate 

Why it pays to compare

A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.

Route 1: bank transfer

The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.

Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount

Total received: €4,670.30 

Route 2: online platform

The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.

Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction

Total received: €4,756

The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.