Emirates Week » Accessories

Emirati Designers Return from Exclusive Fashion Excursion to Paris Organised by Dubai Ladies Club

amjadbaker — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 09:05:06 +0000

Dubai Ladies Club, a member of Dubai Women Establishment, organised an exclusive fashion extravaganza trip to Paris for the three Emirati winners of the Oriental Red Carpet Emerging Designer Contest 2009. On 15th November, 2009 the three lucky designers flew to Paris for an all-expense-paid excursion to Paris’s fashion attractions. The agenda included visits to fashion emporiums & museums as well as special behind-the-scene visit and exclusive tour of Louis Vuitton’s historical workshops and its Espace Culturel.
Muna Bin Kalli, Executive Director of Dubai Ladies Club commented: “We are pleased to be able to offer the three Emirati designers with the unique opportunity to travel to the fashion capital of the world – Paris. Through this initiative we aim to give the young Emirati designers valuable exposure to learn about the international fashion scene and use that new found knowledge to expand their businesses in the UAE, which is a promise we take on our shoulders as a support to the young and dynamic local entrepreneurs and we are proud to support the fashion leaders of the future.”
In Paris, the Emirati designers had the rare opportunity visit to Louis Vuitton’s historical workshop in Asnières, where the designers witnessed craftsmen hand-making Louis Vuitton luxury leather and travel goods, followed by a trip to the Maison des Champs Elysee to preview Louis Vuitton’s latest collection. The day concluded at Louis Vuitton’s Espace Culturel.
During their stay in Paris, ladies also visited Musée de la Mode et du Costume de Paris, dedicated to the history of Fashion from the 18th century to present; the Musée de la Mode et du textile, museum of fashion and textiles located in the Louvre and Tout a Loisir, speciality store for Parisian handicrafts frequented by professional designers of elegant accessories.
About Oriental Red Carpet Ramadan 2009:

The Oriental Red Carpet Fashion Show is an annual fashion design contest for emerging Emirati designers; organised by Dubai Ladies Club, a subsidiary of Dubai Women Establishment. Following the success of its inaugural launch in 2008, the competition returned once again as a pioneering campaign aimed at promoting young emerging designers and advancing their careers through extensive media exposure and introductions to key local & international clientele.
This year, aspiring designers were invited to rise to the challenge of conceiving ‘The Next Big Trend’ in Khaleeji fashion. The competition was divided into three categories – Abayas, Jalabiyas and Ready-to-Wear.
At a private Judging Ceremony held in early August, Fatima Al Hashimi (winner of Jalabiyas category), Athija Al Mazroui (winner of Abayas category) and Mariam Al Mazrou (winner of Ready-to-wear category) were selected, by a group of eminent panellists, from among 10 shortlisted Emirati fashion designers in three categories – Jalabiyas, Abayas and Ready-to-Wear.
This year’s selection committee included Ms Mirvat Ghanem, Editor of L’Officiel Middle East magazine, Mr Gonzague Duriez, Managing Director of Arabesque shailas and abayas, Ms Jo Wright, Personal Stylist for Boutique 1 and Ms Mai Sulaiman, Communications Director of Dubai Ladies Club.
The Oriental Red Carpet Fashion Show has been a launch pad for a number of distinguished local fashion designers such as Reem Beljafla, Fatima Al Qassimi, Fatima Al Tunaiji and Jamila Al Mansoor who have gone on to accomplish even greater things.
Focussing on Emirati women’s overall development, Dubai Ladies Club has consistently promoted Emirati talents through a number of educational and career-oriented professional programmes to open avenues for women to channelize their strengths and contribute effectively to the social and economic progress of the UAE.
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The Monaco Calibre 12 Chronograph Gulf Limited Edition

admin — Sun, 17 May 2009 11:45:16 +0000

To celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the Steve McQueen’s trendsetting MONACO, and to pay tribute to TAG Heuer’s new partnership with Gulf, a new limited edition version of the vintage chronograph – with for the first time an elegant, anti-reflective sapphire crystal front and back – is slated for worldwide launch in September 2009.

The seriously upgraded version houses the TAG Heuer Calibre 12 Automatic Chronograph Movement, a high-performance all-Swiss engine based on the Dubois Depraz 2008.

The larger (39mm) case gives the watch a more contemporary look, while the orange and blue meteor dial design, inspired by the Porsche Gulf 917K driven by Steve McQueen in Le Mans, expresses its professional racing heritage. Vintage “Gulf” logo and date window at 6 o’clock, small second at 3 and chronograph minute at 9, faceted and a stylish grey alligator strap with grey stitching – the 5,000-pieces edition is a racing purist’s dream machine.

Evangeline Lilly and David Duchovny new brand ambassadors for Baume & Mercier

admin — Tue, 12 May 2009 08:10:12 +0000

Dubai, UAE: Baume & Mercier & Me, the slogan adopted by the Swiss watch brand Baume & Mercier, is embodied this year by two new personalities with which it shares many similarities: internationally recognized, while remaining totally authentic and profoundly human.

Actress Evangeline Lilly (Lost) and actor David Duchovny (X-Files) are associating with the fourth edition of the Baume & Mercier & Me campaign, representing the Geneva-based brand in order to join it in supporting charity projects. All royalties for the two celebrities, as well as those of photographers Michael O’Neill and Markus Klinko & Indrani who shot their portraits, are donated to charities selected in cooperation with Evangeline Lilly and David Duchovny. The causes supported by this campaign include cancer research, child education, helping underprivileged women and the struggle against poverty.

This campaign enables Baume & Mercier to convey, in an authentically committed manner, the three values forming the essence of its brand identity: proximity, authenticity and creativity.

Proximity through the association with famous personalities well-known to the general public, who nonetheless remain accessible and are prepared to engage in helping others. In the same way, within the world of luxury watchmaking, Baume & Mercier has managed to remain an accessible brand producing watches that become intimate possessions for their owners. Therein lies the true meaning of the slogan Baume & Mercier & Me. These close ties are visually illustrated by the close-up shots of Evangeline Lilly and David Duchovny, who reveal themselves without artifice, as they are in daily life, in order to serve good causes that touch them profoundly.

Authenticity through an approach based on heart-felt values: the personalities who take part in the Baume & Mercier & Me campaign do so pro bono, in order to serve noble causes they share with the brand. This authenticity echoes that which undergirds Baume & Mercier’s entire approach to watchmaking, building on 179 years of uninterrupted history and expertise to craft genuine Swiss watches. Creativity through a new and unprecedented relationship between a watch brand and its ambassadors. Exactly like the technical and aesthetic creativity for which Baume & Mercier watches have been famous over the decades, while remaining deeply rooted in the timeless values of Swiss watchmaking. The previous Baume & Mercier & Me campaigns were created in cooperation with Meg Ryan and Kiefer Sutherland (2006), Kim Basinger and Gary Sinise (2007), Teri Hatcher and Ashton Kutcher (2008).

Thanks to this fourth edition of the Baume & Mercier & Me campaign, to be launched worldwide in April 2009, Baume & Mercier is pursuing with a new pair of celebrities its action aimed at promoting voluntary use of the time and image of Hollywood stars.