In recent years, self-taught Emirati designer Lamya Abedin has been making fashion statements with her modern interpretations of national dress. While her range spans abayas, ready-to-wear and even a baby collection, at Arab Fashion Week this week she will be unveiling a selection of couture evening gowns.
“The collection is called True Love and is an ode to timeless love stories.” she says. “I have put together a luxurious, dreamy assortment of gowns that will appeal to romantic personalities. There will be free-flowing georgettes, blossom prints and lace, interspersed with richer textures such as silks and velvets. Embellishments will include ostrich feathers, decorative lace, double damask weaves and brocade. I will also display an array of bridal dresses, emphasised by flowing shapes, layers of lace, and subtle embellishments and embroidery.”
The collection is feminine and fun – created to have broad appeal.
“As with all my collections, this one is quite varied,” says Abedin. “There will be enough choice to suit different personal styles. They are meant for every fashion-forward ladies anywhere in the world. Florals and chintz, ruffles and pleats, lace and tulle are just a few of the romantic details I’ve brought out in this latest collection. And I’ve played up the glamour quotient with jacquards and embroidery, to give the girlish romantic charm a more dramatic spin. It’s important to also mention that, of course, all the pieces I’m displaying are unique. That way, no two ladies will have the same dress.”
Abedin founded her label Queen of Spades in 2008, partly out of her passion for fashion and partly out of necessity given the limited number of one-of-a-kind abayas on the market. Since then she has gone on to become one of the first Emirati designers to be stocked at Galeries Lafayette and collaborated with major brands, such as Rolls-Royce, to produce limited-edition collections. Abedin is hopeful that her participation in Arab Fashion Week will point to more global tie-ups and high-profile commissions.
“Being associated with the event takes my connection with industry stalwarts beyond the catwalk. I’ve been to Milan with the team, exploring the markets, meeting production houses and suppliers – it’s expanded my horizons exponentially,” she says.
“I’ve always been excited to represent my country on global fashion platforms and it’s my pride and joy to style the abaya in a truly universal light. It is not only the exposure of working with international fashion bigwigs, but also getting to meet international buyers and global fashion media, which brings an immense boost to my brand and drives it towards a universal platform. I see this as the beginning of a new chapter in my fashion career.”
Proud of her roots and keen to see Dubai realise its fashion ambitions, Abedin believes the city and the fashion sector have the right road map for success.
“I consider myself extremely fortunate and proud to be from the UAE, which is the fashion hub for the entire Middle East. Institutions and forums such as Dubai Design and Fashion Council and Dubai Design District are doing a lot to organise the fashion industry and connect design, media, manufacturing, retail, international partners and stakeholders.
“The one thing that would make an even bigger effect for local designers like me and change the way we can do business is to have more international collaborations. We need access to more production houses, suppliers, textile fairs and fashion schools within our country instead of travelling across the world to source these things.”
With these things in place, the potential for Abedin and her contemporaries to see their brands flourish at home and abroad is limitless. Having celebrities wear her modern interpretation of traditional wear is also a perk of having her label well positioned, says Abedin.
“I have always been excited and proud to represent my country at global fashion platforms, be it dressing numerous international fashion personalities – most recently Giuliana Rancic, Kimora Lee Simmons and Nicole Richie, to name a few. I also love exploring transnational fashion weeks and it has been my pride and joy to style the abaya in a truly universal light.”
Catch the Queen of Spades show on Saturday, March 19 at 10.30pm
www.queenofspadesstore.com
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Herc's Adventures
Developer: Big Ape Productions
Publisher: LucasArts
Console: PlayStation 1 & 5, Sega Saturn
Rating: 4/5
The biog
Born November 11, 1948
Education: BA, English Language and Literature, Cairo University
Family: Four brothers, seven sisters, two daughters, 42 and 39, two sons, 43 and 35, and 15 grandchildren
Hobbies: Reading and traveling
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
