Women couldn’t drive in Saudi Arabia until last year, but race driver Reema Juffali is taking her right to drive to the next level. Against all odds, she’s forging a trailblazing career in the male-dominated world of motorsports. Five years ago, no one would have believed that a Saudi woman…
Category
People
Fresh off the heels of his role as Aladdin in the blockbuster Hollywood film, Mena Massoud is speaking out about the lack of diversity in Hollywood, saving the planet and his new Hulu series ‘Reprisal’, a neo-noir thriller set to launch this December. ALADDIN EXCEEDED ALL EXPECTATIONS AND GROSSED OVER…
Michel Abboud, Founder and Principal at NYC-based SOMA Architects, shares his views on the future of architecture in the Middle East. SOMA BECAME GLOBALLY RENOWNED IN 2010 WITH THE PARK 51 ISLAMIC CENTER IN NYC, CLOSE TO GROUND ZERO. WHAT CAUSED THIS CONSTERNATION DO YOU THINK? It became the centrepiece…
It’s a feel-good story with lots of happy endings. Toters has gone from startup app to thriving business in a couple of years, and it’s a stellar example of how hard work and great tech are more important than an original idea. Everyone has a great idea at some point…
Ghanaian-British architect Sir David Adjaye has cultivated a reputation for being fearless and nonconformist but a new project in Abu Dhabi could well define his career. Abu Dhabi’s Saadiyat Island is fast becoming the Arabian Gulf’s most distinguished cultural hub. Travel there now and you’ll find the Louvre Abu Dhabi…
Aquazzura founder and creative director Edgardo Osorio is known for his joyful disposition as much as for his mood-elevating footwear. The fetching Colombian-born designer shares his thoughts on his autumn/winter 2019 collection, having too many shoes and driving in heels. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE FEELING OF WEARING AQUAZZURA SHOES,…
Karen Wazen’s eyewear label is infiltrating the global fashion market with designer products at high-street prices plus a very of-the-moment digital marketing strategy. Dubai-based Instagrammer Karen Wazen could easily have been content with her lot as a social media influencer who showcases others’ products. But she was clearly too astute…
A Talented Syrian Architect Reinvents Himself in Lebanon as a Cutting Edge Modern Furniture Designer
Following the onset of the Syrian Civil War in 2011, architect Philippe Daher left both his country and his architecture practice behind. But personifying the motto of what to do when life gives you lemons, he eventually established a new life in neighbouring Lebanon, this time as a talented furniture…
If there was ever a watershed moment for the tech industry in the Middle East, it’s now. Following Souq.com’s acquisition by Amazon last March for 580 million USD and Uber’s acquisition of Careem in June for a cool 3.1 billion USD, all eyes are on a new breed of startups.…
Alakeel’s original and creative east-meets-west designs have been around for over a decade but it’s only now, within a new context of reform and change within the Kingdom, that they’re finding more mainstream success. Having debuted during Dubai’s Fashion Week back in 2008, many might have thought the experimental and…