Luxury: The November issue

Does design really matter?

Does design, in its many multifaceted forms, really matter? Whether it’s a couture dress or a pretty bag or a carefully crafted table, does it have a purpose beyond the superficial? There are plenty of examples in this issue that prove, yes, it does.

It’s a point that Pierpaolo Piccioli, creative director of Valentino, makes in our interview . “Fashion is not just clothes,” he says. “They are instruments through which you can say more.”

Piccioli is in the process of creating a new vision for the fashion brand, one that is more aligned with our altered world. For Valentino’s spring/summer 2022 presentation in Paris, the designer sent a series of archival pieces down the runway, painstakingly replicated down to the last button.

He selected items that reflected precise moments in Valentino’s history, where the brand “was witnessing a change in society”. It was a recognition that clothes can be a marker of their times and can provide unspoken commentary on the issues of the day.

I feel that I have a responsibility to use my voice to say what I stand for, and not just offer a summer dress. It’s watching the world, thinking what it is feeling.
Pierpaolo Piccioli, creative director, Valentino

For Piccioli, our current times call for greater inclusivity, individuality and equality, and this is the message he is trying to communicate through his creations and campaigns. “I feel that I have a responsibility to use my voice to say what I stand for, and not just offer a summer dress,” he says. “It’s watching the world, thinking what it is feeling.”

While design can provide commentary on the present, it also has a vital role to play in commemorating the past. This is artfully conveyed in many of the intriguing objects currently on show in the Beirut Concept Store at Dubai Design Week. From tables to tote bags, the pieces provide striking observations of the contradictory city they are born in.

Among them are The Grain Silos at Beirut Harbor by Karim Chaya, founder of Spockdesign. These architectural scale models pay homage to the now instantly recognisable structures flanking the Beirut port. Chaya credits them with protecting part of the city by withstanding last year’s blast. On the underside of each model is the date August 4, 2020, and the precise time the explosion occurred, 6.07pm. It’s a stark reminder to remember.

Design can also change lives, as Sarah Beydoun of Sarah’s Bag has been proving for the past 20 years. Her stylish accessories are crafted by female prisoners in Lebanon, or by other underprivileged women in villages around the country. We speak to the entrepreneur as she prepares to launch a new collection of bags commissioned by Mastercard, as part of the company’s commitment to support female-owned SMEs in the region.

Among the many women Beydoun has helped over the years is Randa, a female prisoner accused of murder who was able to hire a lawyer and overturn her judgment, thanks to the money she earned working with Sarah’s Bag. She is, perhaps, all the proof needed that sometimes a bag can be more than just a bag, and that, if done right, with proper intent and a sense of accountability, design really does matter.
Selina Denman, editor

Mightier than the sword

A homegrown brand is reimagining writing instruments for the modern age

“I’m not a talented artist who draws elaborately or a prolific writer who writes poetically, but with the right pen or pencil, I can feel – for a moment – like one or the other,” says the under-the-radar founder of Elaa, who prefers simply to be known as MZ.

Born in Abu Dhabi, Elaa produces “concept pens” and its first design, the Touine, is a manifestation of MZ’s long-held love for writing instruments. In the 1990s, his first significant purchases were a fountain pen and a mechanical pencil, he recalls.

“Both were substantially more expensive than my Dh50 monthly allowance as an 11-year-old, and required some saving to buy. I admired the craft, the writing performance, the theatre of its packaging and, of course, the prestige and privilege I felt while using them.”

I feel that Elaa responded to a question that I asked myself even before starting out: 'What does it mean to be an artisanal/luxury product in the 21st century?'
MZ, founder, Elaa

The young MZ also lived next to a stationery shop and would spend his afternoons perusing its shelves. “I still get that feeling of being in a toy store when I’m in a stationery shop, and every country I travel to, I have to visit their stationery and pen stores.”

His interest in pens translates into philosophical musings about the act of writing and the pen as a symbol of communication and culture; but also as a deep-rooted knowledge of the history and geographical differences between writing instruments around the world, from disposable Japanese gel ink pens to rare German fountain pens.

After graduating with a degree in design management from the American University of Sharjah, MZ shifted his focus to filmmaking, and continues to direct and produce films, TV shows and branded content. But, at his core, he says he is “a designer/creative, in the most abstract sense”, which led him to making his own writing instruments.

The Arabic word elaa translates as “to” or “towards”, and is a way of addressing someone in a letter or a package. But also, significantly, it is the Finnish word for “to live” or “be alive”, MZ notes.

“By that I mean the pen is only alive when ink is flowing through it. That trinity of pen, person and paper makes all three alive and the result is a permanent expression of that aliveness.”

Sculptural, tactile and organic, the Touine does feel like a living thing. It is crafted primarily from the fronds of date palms, a material that intrigues MZ for numerous reasons. “People here would know that every single part of a frond was used for crafts or construction not so long ago. Before concrete, cladding or plastic, it was part of the scarce reality of the desert that nothing is wasted.

“Today, these fronds are discarded or even worse, burned, because they no longer serve a purpose. With a huge and growing dates industry, I find the environmental implications of that quite troubling.

“As a material, it has really interesting properties; it has a very high weight to strength ratio when dry, which is why it was used as a construction material. Yet, after a certain length, it becomes flexible. The leaves of the frond, the khose, have been used for weaving baskets and other household items for centuries,” he says.

Limited to only 71 pieces and priced at Dh7,121 ($1,940) each, the Touine comes with limited-edition works by local artists Mariam Abbas and Khalid Mezaina, a box organiser made with the safeefah weaving technique, and a PlyPalm mastaba base with a camel leather surface.

The Touine’s roots in this region have added resonance, given that the written word evolved in two separate locations, Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, in this part of the world. This sense of history is alluded to in the pen’s brass cap, which mimics the shape of the qalam, an ancient reed pen used in Arabic calligraphy.

But that’s not to say Elaa is married to the past. “As someone who believes that the fine writing instrument industry is mostly rooted in a 20th-century tradition, with major brands desperately looking back into their archives for inspiration, I want Elaa to be a writing instrument brand that is born in our time, and not in the past,” says MZ.

“I feel that Elaa responded to a question that I asked myself even before starting out: What does it mean to be an artisanal/luxury product in the 21st century? And what would that entail creatively, environmentally and economically?”

The trend: Zingy hues to lift the spirit

Fendi

Presented in a rich, almost decadent chartreuse, Fendi’s deeply quilted look is designed to soothe and comfort, while making a strong statement

Jacquemus

Served up in head-to-toe persimmon, this hooded knit top under a matching suit feels bright, uplifting and likely to protect you from the elements

Balmain

For a blast of energy, nothing beats a pulse of brilliant tiger orange, teamed here with a sharp red. Mirrored shades are the cherry on the top

JW Anderson

This oversized mohair look stretches to the knees, but is prevented from becoming too twee by the sharp lime hue, which is offset by black trousers

The art of conversation

A phone call with Faris Badwan turns into an artistic exploration of the subconscious mind, writes Selina Denman

An artwork by Faris Badwan, created during a phone call with Selina Denman. Photo: Faris Badwan

What does a conversation look like? My hour-long chat with artist and musician Faris Badwan touches on the creative process, past relationships and perceptions of Dubai.

We delve into the inexplicable nature of human connections, the role of the subconscious and how we have both been affected by the pandemic. And all the while, he paints.

Badwan has spent the past year working on a project called Call and Response. The resultant artworks were presented in an exhibition at Dubai’s Masterpiece Fine Art gallery last month, as part of Badwan’s first showcase outside of Europe.

Born in the midst of extended lockdowns in his native UK, the body of work hones in on the freestyle, subconscious expressions of creativity that emerge when the brain is engaged in something else, such as a phone call.

“I’ve always been interested in the looseness and natural feeling of the drawings you make when you’re on the phone – when your mind is completely clear and you are having a conversation, but meanwhile, your hand is engaged in some parallel dialogue,” he explains.

Artist and musician Faris Badwan. Photos: Faris Badwan

Artist and musician Faris Badwan. Photos: Faris Badwan

“I’ve always tried to recapture those feelings and never could. I guess because it’s without critical thought or judgment. There’s a freedom, so it’s the purest way of making something, because you are not trying to think 10 steps ahead about what it could be.”

Badwan, who is also the lead vocalist of alternative rock band The Horrors, found himself reaching out to friends and acquaintances, but also to people he didn’t really know or had met online. While talking to them on the phone, he would paint, creating abstract works that would map the ebb and flow of each conversation.

“I didn’t want a literal representation of the conversation on paper because that wouldn’t be coming from that hypnotic, completely meditative place. I wanted it to be natural and loose and coming from the subconscious. But what I find really interesting is that parts of the conversation would make their way into the pictures, but often in a less literal way than you would expect,” says Badwan, who is half English and half Palestinian.

Each piece is a reflection of the artist – influenced by his thoughts, feelings and even mood on any given day – as well as the person he is speaking to and what is being said. They are intrinsically of their time, since so many of us yearned for human connection during the pandemic and relied so heavily on our phones to interact with others.

The conversations are never stage-managed; Badwan lets them flow naturally and thrives on not really knowing where they might end up. “I value uncertainty,” he says. “I feel like I am at my creative best when I am reacting to something, rather than directing it.” And once the conversation is finished, the piece is done. Badwan will not disrupt the purity of the work by revisiting or polishing it.

Sometimes the conversations are awkward or stilted, sometimes they are heated, sometimes superficial, but largely not. But does he ever just end up talking about the weather? “I don’t spend a lot of my life talking about the weather,” he retorts.

“The conversations do often end up being quite deep, but obviously it’s a two-way thing and some people just aren’t willing to engage on that level. I have to rein in that part of myself sometimes, because people just don’t want it.”

And is silence good or bad, I ask, when, at one point, our conversation falls into a natural lull. “Silence is just silence,” he responds.

Luckily, he likes talking to people, particularly those he doesn’t know. “I am interested in what motivates people and what excites them and drives them. Even if I don’t identify with them personally.”

He says that if he hadn’t pursued art and music, he would have liked to go into psychotherapy, and it is notable that he has found a way to integrate his fascination with the human brain into his work.

Call and Response has morphed into an exploration of human connections – how people engage and interact and how that experience, coupled with external factors such as location, are processed by the subconscious mind. “It began as trying to find that loose hypnotic place that I’ve always loved, and then it has all these other aspects to it because of the circumstances,” Badwan says.

A piece from Call and Response

A piece from Call and Response

To coincide with the Dubai exhibition, Badwan spent a month in the emirate and found that this change of setting also influenced his output. “Since being in Dubai, the work has changed. It’s becoming so much more structural, probably because I am fascinated by the architecture here. When I look at the work I’ve done in Dubai, it looks like code or networks. I didn’t really foresee that.”

I receive the artwork that Badwan created during our call a couple of weeks later. It is full, colourful and expressive. I try to play back our conversation and track it on the page. Because somewhere in among the vibrant symbols, sweeps and smudges, is me, or at least a version of me, filtered through Badwan’s subconscious mind.

Street style

In the heart of Paris, fashion still reigns supreme

Jacket, Dh12,350; shorts, Dh2,590; tights, Dh950; and boots, Dh5,750, all from Fendi. Double ring (worn throughout), Dh895, Swarovski

Jacket, Dh12,350; shorts, Dh2,590; tights, Dh950; and boots, Dh5,750, all from Fendi. Double ring (worn throughout), Dh895, Swarovski

Jumper, Dh9,800; skirt, Dh11,900; boots, Dh9,100; and bag, Dh13,200, all from Louis Vuitton

Jumper, Dh9,800; skirt, Dh11,900; boots, Dh9,100; and bag, Dh13,200, all from Louis Vuitton

Jacket; trousers; and boots, Dh89,887 for the full look, all from Givenchy

Jacket; trousers; and boots, Dh89,887 for the full look, all from Givenchy

Top, Dh5,800; shirt, Dh9,580; and skirt, Dh30,240, all from Hermès

Top, Dh5,800; shirt, Dh9,580; and skirt, Dh30,240, all from Hermès

Jacket; trousers; and coat, prices on request, all from Christian Dior. Boots, Dh3,500, Santoni

Jacket; trousers; and coat, prices on request, all from Christian Dior. Boots, Dh3,500, Santoni

Dress, Dh9,180, Dolce & Gabbana. Bag, Dh9,950, Valentino

Dress, Dh9,180, Dolce & Gabbana. Bag, Dh9,950, Valentino

Skirt; and coat, prices on request, both from Christian Dior. Boots, as before

Skirt; and coat, prices on request, both from Christian Dior. Boots, as before

Photographer: Chantelle Dosser
Fashion director: Sarah Maisey
Model: Margo at The Face Paris
Hair and make-up: June Sawyer Photographer’s assistants: Eric Sauter and Christophe Evrard

Beirut, je t'aime

The Houses of Beirut,

The Houses of Beirut,

A dedicated pop-up at Dubai Design Week is shining a spotlight on Lebanon’s diverse creative scene, writes Selina Denman

From vintage prints to a book exploring Beirut’s traditional homes and a table crafted from a 200-year-old tree, the Beirut Concept Store at Dubai Design Week is showcasing the breadth of Lebanon’s creative offering.

Curated by Mariana Wehbe and conceptualised by artist Rumi Dalle, the initiative aims to shine a spotlight on Lebanon’s design scene, providing visibility as well as commercial opportunities for the multifaceted creatives being featured, at a time when they need it most.

A tote bag by Beirut Je T’aime. Photo: Beirut Je T’aime

A tote bag by Beirut Je T’aime. Photo: Beirut Je T’aime

“I am sincerely grateful for the support of Dubai Design Week and the Dubai Design District for providing us with this platform, which offers visitors an experiential journey into the heart of Beirut’s design scene, while promoting the work of emerging and established designers and studios from Lebanon, shedding light on the country’s talent, capabilities and possibilities,” says Wehbe.

Making its debut in the concept store is Exil Collective, a newly launched incubator that is presenting more than 20 established and emerging product designers. Exil has created a framework whereby cost-conscious objects made in Lebanon are industry-competitive, by adapting designs to local manufacturing skills.

Works by master ceramists such as Hala Matta, Nathalie Khayyat, Souraya Haddad and Lina Shamma sit alongside gift items and memorabilia from Beirut Je T’aime, Spockdesign and Cut Paste Build, ensuring there is something for everyone in this intriguing space. At its centre is a four-metre-long table by architect Samer Bou Rjeily, called Untitled. The piece is crafted from a long metal plank and the trunk of a pine tree that is more than 200 years old, which Bou Rjeily came across in Lebanon after it had been toppled by an unusually powerful storm. “It was about giving another life to something that was already dead,” the designer says.

Samer Bou Rjeily's 'Untitled'. Photo: Samer Bou Rjeily

Samer Bou Rjeily's 'Untitled'. Photo: Samer Bou Rjeily

The trunk was treated with the 18th-century Japanese technique of shou sugi ban, which involves preserving wood using fire. And so it became a reflection on one of nature’s most volatile elements: while fire has destroyed numerous forests in Lebanon in recent years, here it is harnessed to protect and weatherproof the wood and ensure its longevity.

Concrete is the chosen medium for siblings Marylynn and Carlo Massoud, who have been experimenting with the material to create oversized but lightweight indoor and outdoor furniture in various hues. The pieces are made in Lebanon by local artisans and reflect the duo’s innovative, fun-loving take on common objects.

A piece by Marylynn and Carlo Massoud. Photo: Marylynn and Carlo Massoud

A piece by Marylynn and Carlo Massoud. Photo: Marylynn and Carlo Massoud

Lebanon’s capital looms large in the work of the selected designers, whether appearing on the pages of The Houses of Beirut, a book first published in 1997 by Nayla Audi and then reimagined by her daughters in the wake of the explosion that rocked through the city last year; or in the charming prints of Cut Paste Build, which pay tribute to the contradictions inherent in a city that is both beautiful and difficult.

Under the moniker OhMyHappiness, writer Raja Farah documents this dichotomy in 291 Days, a collection of works that chronicle events in Lebanon between the October 17, 2019 revolution and the August 4, 2020 Beirut blast, and the aftermath. Using micro-stories, short anecdotes and rallying calls, the writer has documented everyday life in Lebanon during an exceptional period “filled with hope and despair, with the backdrop of a global pandemic”, with the aim of challenging the traditional narrative of stories told about the country. The book is available in the UAE for the first time exclusively at Dubai Design Week, which is running until Saturday, November 13.

Exil Collective is presenting more than 20 established and emerging product designers. Photo: Exil Collective

Exil Collective is presenting more than 20 established and emerging product designers. Photo: Exil Collective

Karim Chaya, founder of Spockdesign, pays homage to a very specific section of the city. He creates architectural scale models of one of his favourite structures, the grain silos at Beirut harbour, which he credits with protecting part of the city when they withstood the August 4 blast.

But the sentiments of the participating designers are perhaps best summed up by the simple messages on the tote bags created by Rouba Mourtada, which read: “Beirut Je T’aime” and “I left my heart in Beirut”.

Londa Residences, Limassol, Cyprus

A much-loved boutique hotel on the southern coast of Cyprus is being converted into luxury homes

One of the best-known boutique hotels on the coast of Limassol, Cyprus, is being transformed into beachfront residences.

The five-star Londa Hotel will be converted into 29 luxury homes conceptualised by architecture firm NMA and Parisian interior designer Thierry Lemaire.

All photos: Londa Residences

All photos: Londa Residences

There are two, three and four-bedroom options available, each offering expansive sea views, private hot tubs or swimming pools, sunlit terraces and direct access to the beach. Owners also have exclusive use of a residents-only spa, which includes a sauna, hammam and gym, and an indoor swimming pool flanked by a 35-metre-long terrace. Other facilities include a cellar, storage space, private parking and conference and meeting rooms.

The apartments sit within 1,000 square metres of private gardens and are surrounded by more than 450 square metres of vertical gardens, making it one of the greenest developments in Limassol.

Londa is located in a quiet enclave in the town’s so-called Tourist Area, meaning it is within walking distance of shops, restaurants and other amenities. Limassol is located on the southern coast of Cyprus and offers all the hallmarks of Mediterranean island living.

Lemaire’s Art Deco-inspired design for the interiors of the properties includes floor-to-ceiling windows that flood the space with natural light. A muted palette is elevated using marble, wood, copper and gold, in reference to the Cypriot coastline and sun. Open-plan living spaces are fitted with sumptuous corner sofas, marble-topped tables and bespoke kitchens.

Smart home features have been incorporated throughout the property, including keyless entry and one-time security passwords for guests, integrated smart systems to control lighting, audio, blinds and curtains, VRV heat pump air conditioning systems and photovoltaic panels on the roof that provide energy for all communal areas.

“For nearly 40 years, Londa provided luxury beach holidays and hosted politicians, presidents, celebrities and some of the most influential families of Cyprus,” reveals Matea Leko, marketing and sales director, Londa Residences.

“By transforming our hotel into a limited number of high-end residences with uninterrupted sea views, we are maximising the potential of this magnificent location. It honours Limassol’s cultural landmarks and offers our future residents privacy and bespoke luxury for all senses, in a place where the elite have slept, dined and drank their morning coffee.”

Handover of the apartments is scheduled for summer 2023, with a guide price of €2 million ($2.3m). They are already proving popular, with 30 per cent of inventory reserved during the pre-launch phase. Londa Residences is also one of the only developments in Limassol that is exempt from VAT.

‘Fashion is not just clothes. They are instruments through which you can say more’

Valentino's Des Ateliers haute couture collection. Photos: Valentino

In an exclusive interview, Pierpaolo Piccioli, creative director of Valentino, talks to Sarah Maisey about his ‘grounded dreams’ and human-centric designs

“Coming back to Paris, I hated the idea of everything being exactly as it was,” says Pierpaolo Piccioli, creative director of Valentino. Sitting in the company’s lofty Parisian headquarters ahead of his spring/summer 2022 runway presentation, the designer is laying out the context of the show. “I really wanted to get a new vision, a new picture of Valentino.”

The event marked the brand’s first physical show at Paris Fashion Week since the onset of the pandemic and, as such, Piccioli was keen to present a new fashion manifesto, better suited to an altered world. “It’s like Valentino for the future. And when you think about your future, you have to be aware of your past, of who you are, of your identity.”

Pier Paolo Piccioli. Photo: Nick Thompson

Pier Paolo Piccioli. Photo: Nick Thompson

That sentiment was neatly encapsulated in the show’s opening look, a delicate, embellished ivory mini dress lifted straight from Valentino’s expansive archives. Piccioli asked his team to copy it, down to the last button, pearl and petal. The revitalised dress, now teamed with combat boots, felt ravishingly pretty and very modern, despite being more than five decades old. The update came, Piccioli says, from a new attitude, not a new cut.

The presentation continued with a mix of new designs and other archival pieces. “I don’t think the aesthetic is made by the clothes; it’s made by the humans wearing the clothes. So it was challenging to revisit the pieces exactly as they were, as I didn’t change anything. It is an act of love, in a way, because the selection is, of course, very personal and each piece is a thing I love from the archives that was witnessing a moment in Valentino, and where Valentino was witnessing a change in society.”

The show unfolded in a cavernous cast iron and glass space in the Marais district of Paris. Called Rendez-Vous, it started as any other runway presentation, with a parade of models sweeping past seated guests. Rather than return backstage, however, the models walked out of the doors to continue the show on the street outside, in front of the waiting public.

When Piccioli had spoken about how the presentation would offer an alternative view of the house, and would be a “new picture of Valentino, not in the palazzo, but in the street”, he was being literal.

Models take to the streets as part of Valentino's Rendez-Vous presentation Paris. All photos: Valentino

Models take to the streets as part of Valentino's Rendez-Vous presentation Paris. All photos: Valentino

The collection was filled with familiar pieces, rethought and revisited. A shirt was exaggerated into a voluminous dress, while couture-style embroidery was lifted from a dress and placed across the shoulders of a long coat. Cuts were relaxed and fluid, favouring the oversized, while a closer look revealed painstaking handwork more commonly found in haute couture.

Sequins were applied to a shirt in intricate patterns, leaving gaps of bare netting, while a woman’s shirt dress, which from afar looked to have a blue and white printed design, was actually appliqued, each piece carefully sewn by hand. Even the fabric used, taffeta, was given a new treatment. It was washed and crumpled to strip away the crispness and grandeur, “but keep the intimacy and care, and cut into new objects that are not evening gowns but oversized shirts, balloon dresses, PJs, jackets and suits”, Piccioli explains. “They still have the grandness in the cut, but in a very effortless way.”

A look from the Rendez-Vous collection

A look from the Rendez-Vous collection

The overall sense was of duality, a mixing and blending of things previously kept separate. Footwear, meanwhile, remained resolutely flat; not, as the designer explains, “because I don’t like heels, but that I feel in this moment that it’s important to deliver a different vibe of grounded dreams”.

Individually, such elements are subtle, but together they speak of the new vision Piccioli has for the house. As one of the few designers to instinctively grasp how the world has altered, he speaks of a new order emerging, where boundaries have been swept away and individuality is embraced.

“If I am able to describe this new world, it is about just humans. I don’t care about gender, identity, culture, whatever, just humans who stand for the same values. I think couture is about humanity – and humanity is about imperfection. If I am to deliver a different image of Valentino, a celebration of diversity as something normal, then I don’t have to add the word ‘equality’ or the word ‘freedom’ to the pictures. It’s already there. And it can be super-powerful and strong, much more than any words.”

Fast to pivot around the pandemic, Piccioli has embraced inclusion by taking his runway out into the street. And by adding archival pieces, he is returning them to the youth, where they belong.
It’s a quiet realignment that has been under way since March last year, when Piccioli launched Valentino’s Re-Signify programme as a way of reframing the company’s history.

The Re-Signify exhibition in Beijing

The Re-Signify exhibition in Beijing

The first exhibition opened in Shanghai in China in December 2020, while a second recently began in Beijing. With both events focusing on the house as it exists today, it is a way of introducing the brand’s know-how to a new, younger, more global audience.

“What I want to do now is open Valentino to everybody, so Re-Signify is not an exhibition that celebrates the history of the brand, but that celebrates the present. And Re-Signify is opening the world of Valentino to other perspectives, other points of view. It’s still about life, about people looking at the same moment, but with different perspectives.”

During extended bouts of Italian lockdowns, Piccioli found himself craving the company of others, rather than the buzzy allure of shows, awards and red carpet events. “What was missing in this year and a half was the people, not the glamour. I don’t care about it. I was missing the emotions. My inspiration is humans.”

A look from Valentino's haute couture Des Ateliers presentation

A look from Valentino's haute couture Des Ateliers presentation

Despite being with Valentino since 1999, and becoming its sole creative director in 2016, Piccioli retains the rare ability to see the house with fresh eyes. Feeding into this are the various collaborations he has embarked upon recently. What started quietly as a tie-up with Undercover designer Jun Takahashi in 2017, for the relaunch of the Tokyo Ginza store, has snowballed to encompass a project with Levi jeans and the July launch of new Roman Stud trainers with British designer Craig Green. Valentino then teamed up with tasking musician Robert Del Naja (better known as 3D of Massive Attack) to create the soundtrack for its February 2021 haute couture show. That event debuted menswear, while in July, Valentino joined social media platforms Tik Tok and Clubhouse.

Perhaps the most memorable step towards Valentino’s utopian future came during the autumn 2021 haute couture show in July, in Venice. Delivered as a masterclass in 82 lessons, 22 of the looks were made in collaboration with 17 artists, each personally handpicked by Piccioli.

“Venice was a moment in time. It came out in a very particular moment after the illusion of the summer, when we thought the pandemic was all over, but we went back to a scary moment. I felt isolated from people. I needed to talk with other people who could witness it from different perspectives.”

Artists were invited to contribute works to the Valentino atelier, to be translated into couture, which is itself often described as a work of art. But Piccioli is clear where the division between the two disciplines lies. “Fashion is not art. I feel that fashion is fashion and has its own dignity in being fashion, and art is for art’s sake. Fashion has to be in relation to the body, so the purposes are different. And we can create a conversation if we are aware of who we are, and our language. Fashion is my whole language, for artists, painting is their language, so we work together.”

Amid looks that either billowed or were sleekly tailored, in tones of flamingo pink, mint green, lilac, magenta, mustard and chartreuse, came the creations crafted in collaboration with the artists, translated using the astonishing skills of the atelier. Kerstin Brätsch’s work The If (2010), for example, was pieced from 46 collages of fabric. Meanwhile, the ball gown inspired by the art of Patricia Treib required more than 140 metres of cloth to make and took close to 700 hours to complete.

“It was challenging to translate the originality of the works. I didn’t want to do just souvenir couture, so we worked to catch the spirit of the artist. The different voices came out as one in the end. The story behind every artist is different, and so each one was a process and that was very interesting for me. It was actually like a new beginning. All those colours and volumes, it was like a catharsis.”

Pierpaolo Piccioli walks the runway following the Rendez-Vous presentation in Paris

Pierpaolo Piccioli walks the runway following the Rendez-Vous presentation in Paris

Back in Paris, in the run-up to the spring/summer 2022 show, Piccioli had the opening dress’s most famous outing – a 1968 photograph of it being worn by American actress Marisa Berenson – replicated, now starring brand ambassador Zendaya. Boasting a mixed German and African American heritage, Zendaya was the perfect choice for the project, Piccioli says. “In 1968, would anyone have given that dress to a black woman?” he asks, highlighting social shifts over the past half century.

With a career spanning 22 years with Valentino, Piccioli’s drive is infectious, as is his determination to throw Valentino’s doors open to the world. “It is a need for connection. It’s a real, authentic need to connect, and share a vision, values, ideas. I still feel lucky to be the creative director of such a huge brand, but I am still the same as when I was dreaming about fashion, and this is an opportunity to share and deliver my values through my work.

“I think you can manage a company like this with a personal approach. Not with arrogance, not with money, but just with humanity. If you want to deliver that, first you have to collaborate with people to create something that is unique, where two identities meet. Fashion is not just clothes, they are instruments through which you can say more.

“And I feel that I have a responsibility to use my voice to say what I stand for, and not just offer a summer dress. It’s watching the world, thinking what it is feeling. I think beauty is something you have to feel. And if I don’t feel it, I can’t deliver it.”

Noble intentions

He may be the eighth baron of the Welsh Rhug Estate, but Lord Robert Newborough takes to his roles of organic farmer, green energy proponent and sustainable skincare founder with alacrity and acumen, writes Panna Munyal

Rid yourself of all airs and graces, don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty and work hard every day. These are the three pieces of advice Michael Wynn, war hero and seventh baron of the Rhug Estate in North Wales, passed down to his son Robert, leading purely by example. And the current Lord Newborough has clearly followed that advice, as I discover when I show up 30 minutes early to our meeting in the labyrinthine SLS Dubai Hotel, only to find him already there.

What ensues is a conversation about legacy, sustainability and mortality. “My family is steeped in heritage; we have been around since the ninth century, after all. So I’m conscious that it is important to leave something better behind than one found in the first place… to leave something good for the next generation,” he says.

It explains why, when Newborough inherited his father’s farm in 1998, he set about making all 5,000 hectares of it organic, even receiving the Royal Warrant from Prince Charles for the team’s stewardship of the environment.

Lord Robert Newborough. All photos: Rhug Wild Beauty

Lord Robert Newborough. All photos: Rhug Wild Beauty

Within only a few years, the Rhug Estate’s organic produce became highly sought after by the world’s best chefs and restaurants, including Core by Clare Smyth and Sketch in the UK; Ossiano and At.mosphere in the UAE; and by one Christina Ong, arguably Singapore’s most successful hotelier, owner of the Como Group conglomerate and majority stakeholder in Mulberry, among other luxury brands.

It was this fortuitous entry into the Asian market by way of Ong-owned properties that sowed the seeds, quite literally, for Newborough’s latest adventure: clean beauty. “A chef working at the Mandarin Oriental in Hong Kong came to check out the estate. He looked around the farm, turned to me and said: ‘What I want as well as meat is wild forage. I want you to supply me all these lovely ingredients you have growing wild on your property.’ And that’s when I started thinking about skincare, about what ingredients we had on the estate that I could use in an organic and natural range,” says Newborough.

Rhug Wild Beauty was born less than two years later, after Newborough approached a formulator with 20 years of experience with natural and organic beauty products, and got her to cherry-pick about 20 ingredients sourced from the plants found around the farm. These ingredients are unusual, to say the least, yet are packed to the petal with skincare goodness.

Richard Prideaux, chief forager at Rhug Estate

Richard Prideaux, chief forager at Rhug Estate

Nettle, for example, is rich in vitamins A, C, D and several B vitamins to boost radiance; gorse flower helps to tone the skin with its astringent properties; the milk from organic oats has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties to cleanse and soothe; and lemon balm, which is a member of the mint family, contains two potent antioxidants – caffeic and ferulic acids – that promise to protect against environmental stress.
Mushroom root, heather, hawthorn, dandelion and elderflower are some other ingredients used in this skincare range, which is available in the UAE exclusively through clean-beauty portal Secret Skin, founded by breast cancer survivor Anisha Oberoi, who labels the collaboration between her platform and Rhug as “serendipitous”.

The Wild Beauty line, which hit the market last September, includes a cleansing lotion, eye cream, skin tonic, day and night creams, lip treatment and face mask. One of its bestselling products on Secret Skin, the Exfoliating Body Scrub, uses honey that comes from the estate’s own bees. “This has natural healing properties, promotes collagen building and works to moisturise the skin,” says Newborough.

Wild Beauty products include ingredients found on Rhug Estate, including honey, dandelion and lemon balm

Wild Beauty products include ingredients found on Rhug Estate, including honey, dandelion and lemon balm

“The momentum for conscious beauty around the world is gathering pace, led by Australia, the US and the UK,” he says. “I felt the time was right to build on this global awareness and, with a well-thought-out strategy, use the resources and the expertise we have at home to hook into the conscious consumer.
“When I went into organic farming in the 1990s, few people saw a future in it. Now it is becoming mainstream because people understand how important it is to eat food produced in a way that doesn’t involve the use of fossil fuels, and that hasn’t been sprayed and produced in a way that damages the environment. Clean beauty is the same. It is honest, the products are not tested on animals, many items are vegan, they are sustainably packaged and toxin-free. And clean beauty is here to stay. It may not be your quick fix, but it will be a long-term solution to more healthy skin and a better lifestyle.

“I really don’t see myself as different to anyone else and yet I am aware that it is important to lead by example because that is what is expected of you.” And, ever the gentleman, he says: “With Secret Skin, we have found a partner who understands the values of clean beauty, who cares about honesty in the market and is as passionate about sustainability as we are. Anisha Oberoi is visionary, driven and passionate about what she is doing. This is her crusade and we are happy to be part of it.”

Anisha Oberoi launched Secret Skin, which offers ethical beauty brands, in October 2020. Photo: Secret Skin

Anisha Oberoi launched Secret Skin, which offers ethical beauty brands, in October 2020. Photo: Secret Skin

The Wild Beauty range benefits equally from Newborough’s present-day philosophy as it does the provenance of his family and farm. “It’s true to say that our heritage has been a strong influence on what I am doing, but the uniqueness also comes from the fact that these wild foraged ingredients are hand-picked on an organic estate in a beautiful, pollution-free part of the world.

“Next year we hope to bring out eight new products, one of which is a body serum. I think there is a growing desire to take as much care of the skin on your body as your face,” says Newborough, who may run a team of 130 people working across the various facets of the Rhug Estate, but who is still fully in the know about every single aspect of Wild Beauty.

“Because I’m so old, I’m always in a hurry to do things,” he says, belying his wry observation with the fact that he works out for 90 minutes every morning, and plays tennis and golf (“the latter under duress”). The rest of his day is spent as much on estate work as on social media, which he acknowledges is “essential” to the success of almost every brand today. “I spend far too much time on Instagram, but I’m lucky because I’ve got idyllic material to work with, from my dog Truffles, to the lovely deer and wild flowers all around. My office is my farm.”

It’s also through social media that Newborough can get his message across to the target audience he believes is the ultimate Wild Beauty consumer, one who appreciates not only the natural source of the ingredients, but also the vegetable inks and dyes, and the recycled glass bottles, plastic caps and cardboard packaging. “The younger set are very much into saving the planet, they care about what is written on the back of the pack, they get what sustainable skincare is all about and they are the ones who aspire to something that is kinder and better for their skin. Slow beauty is in their DNA,” he says.

The pandemic, too, has a part to play in our quest for sustainability – even, or especially, among purveyors of luxury, he says. “Luxury is quality and, as far as skincare is concerned, luxury is honesty. It’s using uncompromising ingredients, supported by certification. Big things happened during Covid; people started to focus more on what was healthy for them and good for the planet.

“The things we do at Rhug, from organic farming and green energy generation, to luxury skincare, all share the same principle of using the assets God gave us, the soil, the wind, the sun and the heat in the ground, to produce something that is good for our health and kind on the environment.”

A cut above

The Chanel cruise 2021/22 collection by Virginie Viard is a masterclass in modernity

Jacket in pink, white and black painted cotton tweed, embellished with braid and jewelled buttons; black T-shirt in cotton, embroidered with sequins and strass; skirt in pink, white and black painted cotton tweed, embellished with braid; black fishnet tights in polyamide, elastane and cotton; black booties in stretch patent leather and knit; bag in white and black leather and metal; jewelled belt in metal, leather and resin, all from Chanel

Jacket in pink, white and black painted cotton tweed, embellished with braid and jewelled buttons; black T-shirt in cotton, embroidered with sequins and strass; skirt in pink, white and black painted cotton tweed, embellished with braid; black fishnet tights in polyamide, elastane and cotton; black booties in stretch patent leather and knit; bag in white and black leather and metal; jewelled belt in metal, leather and resin, all from Chanel

White jacket in tweed, embellished with jewelled buttons; black top and long-sleeved T-shirt in stretch silk crêpe; black trousers in stretch jersey embellished with one jewelled button; wedge shoes in white and black leather and grosgrain; bag in white and black tweed, woven leather and metal interlaced with leather, all from Chanel

White jacket in tweed, embellished with jewelled buttons; black top and long-sleeved T-shirt in stretch silk crêpe; black trousers in stretch jersey embellished with one jewelled button; wedge shoes in white and black leather and grosgrain; bag in white and black tweed, woven leather and metal interlaced with leather, all from Chanel

Sweater in black and ecru silk and cotton; trousers in black and ecru silk and cotton, embellished with jewelled buttons; black booties in stretch patent leather and knit; black belt in leather and metal; bag in strass beads and metal interlaced with leather, all from Chanel

Sweater in black and ecru silk and cotton; trousers in black and ecru silk and cotton, embellished with jewelled buttons; black booties in stretch patent leather and knit; black belt in leather and metal; bag in strass beads and metal interlaced with leather, all from Chanel

Sleeveless jacket in beige, ecru and black tweed, embellished with jewelled buttons; black T-shirt in cotton, embroidered with sequins and strass; earrings in metal, strass and glass beads; bracelets in metal and strass, all from Chanel

Sleeveless jacket in beige, ecru and black tweed, embellished with jewelled buttons; black T-shirt in cotton, embroidered with sequins and strass; earrings in metal, strass and glass beads; bracelets in metal and strass, all from Chanel

Black and white cotton tank top; trousers in black and white printed denim, embellished with one jewelled button; necklace in metal and resin; necklace in metal, resin and strass; necklace in metal, leather, resin and strass, all from Chanel

Black and white cotton tank top; trousers in black and white printed denim, embellished with one jewelled button; necklace in metal and resin; necklace in metal, resin and strass; necklace in metal, leather, resin and strass, all from Chanel

Long white silk dress; necklace in metal, leather, resin and strass, both from Chanel. All prices on request

Long white silk dress; necklace in metal, leather, resin and strass, both from Chanel. All prices on request

Photographer: Fouad Tadros
Stylist: Sarah Maisey
Make-up: Toni Malt
Hair: Ivan Kuz
Model: Noor at Bareface

Changing lives, one bag at a time

Sarah Beydoun, founder of Sarah's Bag. Photos: Mastercard

Sarah Beydoun, founder of Sarah's Bag. Photos: Mastercard

The founder of Sarah’s Bag speaks to Selina Denman about creating a socially responsible accessories brand, long before the concept became fashionable

Sarah’s Bag may be a social enterprise, providing jobs for female prisoners and other underprivileged women in Lebanon, but from the beginning its founder, Sarah Beydoun, was adamant she didn’t want “any pity purchases”.

“From day one, I insisted on the aesthetics being the main draw,” she says. “I wanted people to buy the bags because they liked them and if they knew about the cause, that was an extra. I never wanted anyone to think that the social enterprise part of Sarah’s Bag was a marketing tool.”

The brand was conceptualised in 2000 as a social project by Beydoun, who studied sociology and was looking for a way to provide employment and income for women in Lebanon’s prisons. The bags became a way for the incarcerated to learn traditional crafts and develop transferable skills.

For her first exhibition, Beydoun created 120 bags and they sold out immediately. “People were very intrigued,” she says. “Everyone was so curious about what I was doing.”

Sarah's Bag has partnered with Mastercard for the Priceless collection

Sarah's Bag has partnered with Mastercard for the Priceless collection

The project quickly evolved into an enterprise and then a globally recognised, socially responsible brand, long before the term became fashionable. It is notable that when Sarah’s Bag first launched, its designs were often copied, but no one was interested in trying to replicate the social enterprise element of the business. Things have changed since then.

“The first 10 years I worked, a lot of people copied the bags themselves, but nobody was inspired by the concept. Now people are inspired by the concept. The customer is demanding this. They want to consume consciously and put their money in brands they believe in.”

Over the past two decades, Beydoun has supported hundreds of women, many of whom still work for her. “I still have 10 per cent of my original team from the first day I entered the prisons – more than 20 years later.”

She uses Randa, a woman she worked with in the early days, as an example of how the brand has been able to instigate actual change. “Randa was very shy and had never worked with her hands. But she proved to be very skilled. She worked with us for three years and put all the money aside. Eventually she was able to employ a lawyer and overturn her judgment. She was accused of murdering her husband, but she was able to prove it was not murder.”

Once they leave prison and return to their homes, the woman are able to secure employment with other ateliers, or in some cases continue working for Sarah’s Bag. Because access to the prisons has been restricted in the past 18 months as a result of the pandemic, Beydoun is increasingly reliant on women who have been released and who, in turn, employ other women in their villages to help out.

“When these women employ other women, they become like entrepreneurs in their villages. And they are highly regarded,” Beydoun says. “Instead of being criticised or stigmatised for having been in prison, they start working and employing other women, who look up to them as providers in the village.”

While the aesthetic of Sarah’s Bag is firmly rooted in the Middle East, it is by no means confined to regional motifs. “Every year we come up with new collections and they don’t need to be Middle East inspired, but they always have to feature the crafts we work with,” Beydoun says.

There are collections such as Beirut that pay tribute the city with nostalgic, vintage-looking pictures and typography, or Oriental, which features colourful Moroccan-inspired designs, geometric patterning and Arabic calligraphy. But there are also lines like Afrodisiac, which draws on the distinct colourways and tribal motifs of Africa, or the unashamedly camp Discotheque collection.

Retail Therapy includes new designs with the phrase “Vaccinated and Ready to Mingle” set across pouches that look like little pill boxes, and also features bags with the phrases “Xanaks and the Living Is Easy” and “Prozak Feels Like Heaven Every Day” emblazoned across the front.

These have proved both popular and controversial. “We were mocking the system and how it became so easy to access all these things. We got a lot of backlash, but I was personally shocked by how well the collection did.”

The bags breathe new life into age-old craft techniques that might otherwise fade into obscurity. They come adorned with beading, wood marquetry or specific types of embroidery that are native to the Levant. They also feature smocking, a sewing technique that is no longer commonly used, or crochet, although Beydoun is quick to point out that “it’s not the old-style crochet you see on tablecloths. We use different yarn and different colours. We try to present all these techniques in a new way.”

A design from the new Priceless collection

A design from the new Priceless collection

Today, the brand produces 8,000 to 10,000 bags a year. Beydoun’s most recent project is a collaboration with Mastercard, which includes a collection of bags that will be launched at the end of November and sold exclusively at Expo 2020 Dubai. Some are existing designs in new Mastercard-inspired colourways, while others are entirely new, including some limited-edition pieces crafted from mother-of-pearl. This is a long-term partnership that falls under Mastercard’s commitment to support female-owned small and medium-sized enterprises.

“The Priceless collection came after the Beirut blast, at a time when we really needed it. We needed help and it was a way for me to think, ‘OK, I am going to go back to work and I am going to produce and things are going to be OK.’ It is only when you start working that you start healing and moving forward,” says Beydoun.

“Mastercard was keen to make everyone who works with me part of the collaboration. So we selected bags that different handbag-makers could create. And we chose techniques used by different women.”

As part of the campaign, each bag comes with a card that has a unique QR code printed on it. When that code is scanned, a video will come up, featuring the women Sarah’s Bag works with, talking about their experiences and how their lives have changed as a result of the social enterprise. It’s yet another opportunity for these women to share their stories – women who might, were it not for Beydoun, have remained voiceless.

Essential technology

From a digital notebook to a versatile coffee machine, Selina Denman rounds up some must-have gadgets

Nespresso Vertuo Next, $272, www.nespresso.com

Nespresso Vertuo Next
Nespresso has unveiled its most versatile at-home coffee machine yet, the Vertuo Next. It is designed to make a range of long and short drinks, from a 40 millilitre espresso to the new 535ml “Carafe Pour-Over Style”. Intelligent Centrifusion technology reads and recognises the coffee variety being brewed using barcode technology and automatically adjusts its extraction parameters – such as infusion time, water temperature and flow rate, rotational speed and cup length. “Modern coffee drinkers no longer want to settle for one style, even at home. With this in mind, the Vertuo system has been designed to deliver a wide range of brewing styles and sizes – all topped off with Vertuo’s signature crema,” says Yassir Max Corpataux, Nespresso coffee ambassador for the Middle East and Africa. In line with Nespresso’s sustainability ambitions, the Vertuo Next machine is made from 50 per cent recycled plastics, with 100 per cent of its packaging from recycled sources, and it is 99.5 per cent recyclable.

800 Series Diamond, $35,000 (801 D4), www.bowerswilkins.com

800 Series Diamond
Bowers & Wilkins has expanded its 800 Series Diamond range with seven additional speaker models, each available in a satin walnut finish for the first time. Also new is a rigid, cast aluminium top section – replacing the previous wooden design – which has a leather finish. The speakers feature Solid Body Tweeter-on-Top housing, with an elongated tube-loading system to produce an even more open sound for high frequencies. The 801 D4 speaker (pictured) has a downwards-firing Flowport, solid aluminium plinth and constrained layer steel damping. A series of other new technological tweaks “deliver unprecedented performance”, according to the company, which is calling the new 800 Series Diamond “the finest range of loudspeakers Bowers & Wilkins has ever created”.

AirFan by Haxon, from $199, www.haxson.com

AirFan by Haxon
The AirFan by Haxon is a bit of a multitasker. It combines 20 functions, acting as a fan, heater, air purifier, speaker, light and clock, in one streamlined design, which can be controlled via Alexa or Google Assistant. The device’s dual motors, intake and purification features each have a dedicated blower, meaning that noise is kept to a minimum. The fan has 10 adjustable speeds, while the heater has 10 settings, and the device can be set up horizontally or vertically. The air purifying element includes a UV-C lamp, Hepa H13 Carbon Filters and an Ionizer to keep your space germ and allergen-free. The AirFan is currently gathering funding on Kickstarter and is ready for pre-order, with production due to start in April.
From $199, www.haxson.com

Rocketbook Core, $34, www.getrocketbook.com

Rocketbook Core
If you find yourself harking back to the analogue age, but are conscious of your sustainability credentials, Rocketbook has you covered. The company has worked with experts to create digital notebooks that replicate the pen-and-paper experience. Although it feels like a traditional notebook, the Rocketbook Core is endlessly reusable and connects to your favourite Cloud services, so all your notes will be saved. When you write using a pen from the brand’s Pilot Frixion line, your musings will stick to Core pages as if they were regular paper, but add a drop of water and you’ll have a blank page to start over with.
$34, www.getrocketbook.com

WH-XB910N headphones, $249.99, www.sony.com

WH-XB910N headphones
Sony’s new WH-XB910N overhead wireless headphones promise club-like bass, as well as improved noise cancelling and comfort. A dedicated bass duct on the headphones’ housing is complemented by increased air-tightness between the driver units and eardrums, to help elevate the listening experience. Dual Noise Sensor technology results in enhanced noise cancelling, while Precise Voice Pickup Technology combines two built-in microphones with advanced audio signal processing, to make sure your voice is picked up clearly and precisely during hands-free calls. The WH-XB910N headphones also use Adaptive Sound Control, which senses where you are and what you’re doing, adjusting the ambient sound settings accordingly. And with 30 hours of battery life, they are the perfect companion when you are on the road.
$249.99, www.sony.com

Nespresso Vertuo Next, $272, www.nespresso.com

800 Series Diamond, $35,000 (801 D4), www.bowerswilkins.com

AirFan by Haxon, from $199, www.haxson.com

Rocketbook Core, $34, www.getrocketbook.com

WH-XB910N headphones, $249.99, www.sony.com

$350,000

...is the price of four antiprism sculptures designed specifically for Dubai Design Week by conceptual art studio Shuster + Moseley

Working with optics, geometry, light and glass, British artists Claudia Moseley and Edward Shuster create sculptural installations and immersive environments that reflect on the nature of consciousness and technology. Their creations are meant to be “meditative instruments” that act as an interface between the viewer and their environment.

For ‘Horizon of Day and Night’, the duo erected prismic glass monoliths, up to two metres in height, within Al Ula, home to Saudi Arabia’s first Unesco World Heritage Site. Existing as pillars of light that create a clockwork of optical projections, the structures point to the rising and setting of the sun at the current time and during the winter and summer solstices, as well as the south and north Polaris stars and the setting of Venus.

A piece by the pair also went on show as part of Forever Is Now, a historic exhibition at the Pyramids of Giza. Titled (Plan of the Path of Light) In the House of Hidden Places, the creation consisted of a display of glass panels that framed the Pyramids in the background, as a way to link “the experience of the present to both the ancient world and our future technological landscape”, the artists explain.

For Dubai Design Week, which is taking place until November 13, Shuster and Moseley created four of their signature large-scale glass antiprisms, in varying sizes. The forms, the pair say, are designed to “reveal the shape of light, showing how consciousness can be opened towards deeper dimensions of luminosity”.

Created in collaboration with Dubai studio Espace, each unique form is carefully constructed from clear optical glass panes and hand-bonded in the UAE. In situ in Dubai Design District, they reflect and refract a unique optical fingerprint of their surroundings. Entitled Resting, Empty, the works are suggestive of boulders in the landscape, like future relics of our technologically driven age.

The sculptural series is also a nod to the predominance of glass in the region’s architectural structures, and employs the precision techniques and technologies that allow for the complex bevelling and bonding of thick pieces of glass, usually preserved for the creation of glazing and high-tech facades.

The structures are priced at between $80,000 and $110,000 each, including bases, or can be bought as a set for $350,000.