DUBAI // Colourful Bedouin tents, wind towers and the emirate's landmark buildings have been painted on to a white satin dress by a group of artists with special needs for a Dubai fashion school's show.
The 11 students used bold brushstrokes to replicate Dubai's skyline on a dress inspired by both the kimono and abaya.
The completed outfit, featuring a five-metre train and red cummerbund, will be displayed at a weekend fashion show opening on Friday at 5.30pm at the DIAC Student Hub near Heriot-Watt University in Dubai's International Academic City. The show has been organised by second-year students at the university.
"It's a great platform for these students to show what they can do," said Wemmy de Maaker, the director of Mawaheb (Talent) from Beautiful People, a studio that teaches art to special-needs students in the central Bastakiya district.
"We have some artists who are really developing their talent and we want to make sure they are recognised."
The artists, from Sharjah and Dubai, have conditions such as muscular dystrophy, learning difficulties and Down's syndrome. They began work last month blending fabric, sand and glittering mosaic tiles on 12 large canvas paintings.
These depict a red and blue-lined Bedouin tent, the Burj Al Arab streaked with yellow and purple lights, the Etisalat building cocooned within a giant purple butterfly and flowers strewn across the Burj Khalifa.
Guided by their art teacher, Gulshan Kavarana, the students then painted compact designs on to 20 pieces of cloth to be sewn on the dress's hemline, sleeves, cummerbund and train.
"They used glitter for the paintings on the dress because the tiles and sand used on the canvas are too heavy," Mrs Kavarana said. "It's a misconception that art by people with special needs is childish. This will show the world what people with disabilities are capable of."
Heriot-Watt students will also carry the original canvases down the catwalk during the fashion show, and Mawaheb will auction the dress and the canvases in September.
The idea to integrate art and fashion was thought up by teachers of both schools.
"It's absolutely stunning, the dress is a walking canvas," said Vanessa Northway, the head of Heriot-Watt's School of Textile and Design. "The work is a strong statement about Dubai because it is different things to different people."
Ten fashion school students designed the dress with a simple cut to highlight the art work. They said collaborating with special-needs students was a learning experience.
"Most people think people with special needs would just be able to do general strokes, but their work is quite amazing," said Shivani Agarwal, 20, a fashion marketing student.
"They've used bold colours and interesting silhouettes. This will show people that those with special needs can do a great amount of work."
For the special-needs art students, the dress was a means to express themselves. One painting has a couple in a khandoura and abaya seated in the desert gazing at the sun setting over Dubai's imposing structures.
"This is about Dubai. I like sand and buildings," said Zaid Jaffer, a 28-year-old Iraqi student with special needs. "Painting makes me relaxed, calm."
Sharan Budhrani, who is a wheelchair user, said painting made him happy.
"It's my passion," said Sharan, 20, who painted a wind tower for the dress. "I wanted to show people where the real Dubai is."
rtalwar@thenational.ae
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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PROVISIONAL FIXTURE LIST
Premier League
Wednesday, June 17 (Kick-offs uae times) Aston Villa v Sheffield United 9pm; Manchester City v Arsenal 11pm
Friday, June 19 Norwich v Southampton 9pm; Tottenham v Manchester United 11pm
Saturday, June 20 Watford v Leicester 3.30pm; Brighton v Arsenal 6pm; West Ham v Wolves 8.30pm; Bournemouth v Crystal Palace 10.45pm
Sunday, June 21 Newcastle v Sheffield United 2pm; Aston Villa v Chelsea 7.30pm; Everton v Liverpool 10pm
Monday, June 22 Manchester City v Burnley 11pm (Sky)
Tuesday, June 23 Southampton v Arsenal 9pm; Tottenham v West Ham 11.15pm
Wednesday, June 24 Manchester United v Sheffield United 9pm; Newcastle v Aston Villa 9pm; Norwich v Everton 9pm; Liverpool v Crystal Palace 11.15pm
Thursday, June 25 Burnley v Watford 9pm; Leicester v Brighton 9pm; Chelsea v Manchester City 11.15pm; Wolves v Bournemouth 11.15pm
Sunday June 28 Aston Villa vs Wolves 3pm; Watford vs Southampton 7.30pm
Monday June 29 Crystal Palace vs Burnley 11pm
Tuesday June 30 Brighton vs Manchester United 9pm; Sheffield United vs Tottenham 11.15pm
Wednesday July 1 Bournemouth vs Newcastle 9pm; Everton vs Leicester 9pm; West Ham vs Chelsea 11.15pm
Thursday July 2 Arsenal vs Norwich 9pm; Manchester City vs Liverpool 11.15pm
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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Green ambitions
- Trees: 1,500 to be planted, replacing 300 felled ones, with veteran oaks protected
- Lake: Brown's centrepiece to be cleaned of silt that makes it as shallow as 2.5cm
- Biodiversity: Bat cave to be added and habitats designed for kingfishers and little grebes
- Flood risk: Longer grass, deeper lake, restored ponds and absorbent paths all meant to siphon off water
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
It
Director: Andres Muschietti
Starring: Bill Skarsgard, Jaeden Lieberher, Sophia Lillis, Chosen Jacobs, Jeremy Ray Taylor
Three stars
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- Start with a simple recipe such as yogurt or sauerkraut
- Keep your hands and kitchen tools clean. Sanitize knives, cutting boards, tongs and storage jars with boiling water before you start.
- Mold is bad: the colour pink is a sign of mold. If yogurt turns pink as it ferments, you need to discard it and start again. For kraut, if you remove the top leaves and see any sign of mold, you should discard the batch.
- Always use clean, closed, airtight lids and containers such as mason jars when fermenting yogurt and kraut. Keep the lid closed to prevent insects and contaminants from getting in.
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Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
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Director: Brady Corbet
Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn
Rating: 3.5/5
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
If you go
The Flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct to Johannesburg from Dubai and Abu Dhabi respectively. Economy return tickets cost from Dh2,650, including taxes.
The trip
Worldwide Motorhoming Holidays (worldwidemotorhomingholidays.co.uk) operates fly-drive motorhome holidays in eight destinations, including South Africa. Its 14-day Kruger and the Battlefields itinerary starts from Dh17,500, including campgrounds, excursions, unit hire and flights. Bobo Campers has a range of RVs for hire, including the 4-berth Discoverer 4 from Dh600 per day.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
THREE
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TWISTERS
Director: Lee Isaac Chung
Starring: Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Anthony Ramos
Rating: 2.5/5