Wabhi: Meher and I have known each other since we were in the third grade. We went to school together, then we studied fashion and marketing together. And so eight years ago, when we launched, we did it together. That was cool because we were one of the first to originate here; when we started there were no other Dubai labels.
I guess I started getting interested in fashion because of an aunt of mine in India; she always looked good. But also, I had a huge Barbie wardrobe. She always dressed so creatively, and eventually I made clothes for her myself.
Meher's father is also in the garment industry - he has a factory in Jebel Ali and that's where our studio is. We learnt about things like quality control there.
Things have changed a lot here. There weren't always so many malls or expats. Now Dubai is so cosmopolitan, it's such a blend of East and West. And these are our customers: they're from all nationalities; locals, Europeans, Australians, Saudis. These clothes are for confident, successful women; our pieces are high-priced.
There's a lot of detail on our designs. We add our own touch and that comes out in the detail.
When I was a teenager I wasn't wearing the nicest clothes. I would have an idea of something I wanted to wear but it wouldn't be available here, I just wouldn't be able to find it. I wanted fitted clothes. I wore dresses, I can't remember exactly what else. I dress better now.
Mirchandani: We're Indian originally, but the inspiration for our designs comes from the Middle East. We've lived here all our lives. I grew up in Jumeirah. As a child I was always very focused. I liked the arts and drawing - I'm a painter too. As a child, I used to paint portraits of old men and old women. As a teenager, I liked bright clothes; jeans and a brightly coloured top. I wanted to stand out individually in a crowd. Now, I want the same type of thing, so I wear my own designs.
That's kind of what Dubai is about. And we've seen Dubai grow around us. It used to be all small brown houses and mosques - those were the most beautiful things. Now, it's transformed into this amazing international city; there's all these high-rise buildings, it's all new and clean and shiny. Our own lives have been influenced by the vision of Dubai.
Every season we find inspiration in different things; it's never something directly from the UAE, but it's always something to do with the Middle East. For our spring/summer 2010 collection, called Pearl of Aegean, it was the Greek chiton; we were inspired by those drape dresses and we wanted to reinvent part of those silhouettes.
Our designs are bright, sophisticated, elegant. They're for the international woman; they make her happy. These clothes work from New York to Shanghai, from Dubai to Paris. The international woman knows about quality, about these fabrics, about the details in all our pieces.
Now, we're seeing our clothes on Hollywood and Bollywood people. I felt a great sense of achievement when Beverley Knight, the British queen of R&B, came by Villa Moda after her show at the Irish Village in Dubai and picked up two dresses. She's the perfect Meher & Riddhima woman; she's successful and confident. Recently one of the sheikhas ordered almost an entire collection. When women put these clothes on they feel happy. That's what this is all about.
Affascinare by Meher & Riddhima is available at Villa Moda
The 10 Questions
- Is there a God?
- How did it all begin?
- What is inside a black hole?
- Can we predict the future?
- Is time travel possible?
- Will we survive on Earth?
- Is there other intelligent life in the universe?
- Should we colonise space?
- Will artificial intelligence outsmart us?
- How do we shape the future?
MATCH INFO
Sheffield United 0 Wolves 2 (Jimenez 3', Saiss 6)
Man of the Match Romain Saiss (Wolves)
MATCH INFO
AC Milan v Inter, Sunday, 6pm (UAE), match live on BeIN Sports
Company Profile
Name: Takestep
Started: March 2018
Founders: Mohamed Khashaba, Mohamed Abdallah, Mohamed Adel Wafiq and Ayman Taha
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: health technology
Employees: 11 full time and 22 part time
Investment stage: pre-Series A
THE SPECS
Cadillac XT6 2020 Premium Luxury
Engine: 3.6L V-6
Transmission: nine-speed automatic
Power: 310hp
Torque: 367Nm
Price: Dh280,000
Company profile
Name: Tharb
Started: December 2016
Founder: Eisa Alsubousi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: Luxury leather goods
Initial investment: Dh150,000 from personal savings
The specs
Engine: three three 212.7kWh motors
Power: 1,000bhp
Torque: 15,600Nm
Range: 530km
Price: Dh500,000+ est
On sale: early 2023
TV (UAE time);
OSN Sports: from 10am
Iraq negotiating over Iran sanctions impact
- US sanctions on Iran’s energy industry and exports took effect on Monday, November 5.
- Washington issued formal waivers to eight buyers of Iranian oil, allowing them to continue limited imports. Iraq did not receive a waiver.
- Iraq’s government is cooperating with the US to contain Iranian influence in the country, and increased Iraqi oil production is helping to make up for Iranian crude that sanctions are blocking from markets, US officials say.
- Iraq, the second-biggest producer in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, pumped last month at a record 4.78 million barrels a day, former Oil Minister Jabbar Al-Luaibi said on Oct. 20. Iraq exported 3.83 million barrels a day last month, according to tanker tracking and data from port agents.
- Iraq has been working to restore production at its northern Kirkuk oil field. Kirkuk could add 200,000 barrels a day of oil to Iraq’s total output, Hook said.
- The country stopped trucking Kirkuk oil to Iran about three weeks ago, in line with U.S. sanctions, according to four people with knowledge of the matter who asked not to be identified because they aren’t allowed to speak to media.
- Oil exports from Iran, OPEC’s third-largest supplier, have slumped since President Donald Trump announced in May that he’d reimpose sanctions. Iran shipped about 1.76 million barrels a day in October out of 3.42 million in total production, data compiled by Bloomberg show.
- Benchmark Brent crude fell 47 cents to $72.70 a barrel in London trading at 7:26 a.m. local time. U.S. West Texas Intermediate was 25 cents lower at $62.85 a barrel in New York. WTI held near the lowest level in seven months as concerns of a tightening market eased after the U.S. granted its waivers to buyers of Iranian crude.
Chelsea 2 Burnley 3
Chelsea Morata (69'), Luiz (88')
Burnley Vokes (24', 43'), Ward (39')
Red cards Cahill, Fabregas (Chelsea)
MATCH INFO
Scotland 59 (Tries: Hastings (2), G Horne (3), Turner, Seymour, Barclay, Kinghorn, McInally; Cons: Hastings 8)
Russia 0
WORLD CUP SEMI-FINALS
England v New Zealand (Saturday, 12pm)
Wales v South Africa (Sunday, 1pm)
Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifier
UAE results
Ireland beat UAE by six wickets
Zimbabwe beat UAE by eight wickets
UAE beat Netherlands by 10 wickets
Fixtures
UAE v Vanuatu, Thursday, 3pm, Zayed Cricket Stadium
Ireland v Netherlands, 7.30pm, Zayed Cricket Stadium
Group B table
1) Ireland 3 3 0 6 +2.407
2. Netherlands 3 2 1 4 +1.117
3) UAE 3 1 2 2 0.000
4) Zimbabwe 4 1 3 2 -0.844
5) Vanuatu 3 1 2 2 -2.180
MATCH INFO
Everton v Tottenham, Sunday, 8.30pm (UAE)
Match is live on BeIN Sports
The Cockroach
(Vintage)
Ian McEwan
UAE FIXTURES
Wednesday 19 April – UAE v Kuwait
Friday 21 April – UAE v Hong Kong
Sunday 23 April – UAE v Singapore
Wednesday 26 April – UAE v Bahrain
Saturday 29 April – Semi-finals
Sunday 30 April – Third position match
Monday 1 May – Final
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
About Housecall
Date started: July 2020
Founders: Omar and Humaid Alzaabi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: HealthTech
# of staff: 10
Funding to date: Self-funded
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Xpanceo
Started: 2018
Founders: Roman Axelrod, Valentyn Volkov
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Smart contact lenses, augmented/virtual reality
Funding: $40 million
Investor: Opportunity Venture (Asia)
What is tokenisation?
Tokenisation refers to the issuance of a blockchain token, which represents a virtually tradable real, tangible asset. A tokenised asset is easily transferable, offers good liquidity, returns and is easily traded on the secondary markets.