It started out as a way to solve a problem.
In the 1980s, Christopher Kara, his father Sami and mother Kaylyn, lived in Lebanon, which was then still in the grip of civil war.
His father promised his American-born wife, Kaylyn, she could return to her homeland at any time. But the cost of a ticket would put a major strain on his finances.
"It happened that near her house [in the United States] was an exhibition for lingerie," says Mr Karam, who now lives in Dubai.
"He told her, 'Great, go to the exhibition, buy a few pieces, come back here and we will sell them and make up for the cost of the ticket,'" he adds.
She brought back five dressing gowns on that first trip in 1988, all of which sold almost immediately. It remained a way to pay for Mrs Karam's flights until they got their first big break in 1992 - the offer of a small stand at the ABC department store in Beirut.
Sami spent his life savings on stock, which sold out in less than a week and K-Lynn, a multi-lingerie brand store, was born.
"Being a family business my father would encourage me,and I use the word encourage very lightly, to work with him every summer. It wasn't really an option for me. I had to be there," Christopher says.
Nonetheless, he was happy to do it and spent a summer when he was 14 years old sticking barcodes on 40,000 items in K-Lynn's warehouse.
After studying business at the American University of Beirut, Mr Karam was planning on continuing with his education.
"My father said, 'OK, great, we're happy that you want to do your master's. What will you do after?'" he says. He told his father he wanted to expand the business. When Sami pointed out they had Lebanon covered, Christopher replied saying he planned to expand outside the country and Dubai was the obvious answer.
They decided to visit together to check it out.
"The opportunities were falling from the sky, practically, and all [anyone] had to do was reach up and grab one. It was too difficult for me to say no to," Christopher says.
He moved to the emirate in 2003 and has steadily built his own business, Gulf Mode, which operates five K-Lynn shops in Dubai and Al Ain, with one on the way in Abu Dhabi.
People may assume working in a woman's world would make his job harder but that is not the case.
"Believe it or not, most of the people I meet when I'm buying are men," he says. "Men are the owners of the businesses and men give the directions to the designers," he adds.
Designers tend to follow the fashion trends and he is guided by feedback from the shops when buying. Experience tells him if a particular item will be popular. But just because he is comfortable working with women's lingerie, it does not mean everyone else is.
"When I first started my business all I had was a shop. I didn't have an office. I didn't have a warehouse. I didn't have anything," he says.
As the shop was very busy, he suggested to one female buyer they meet in a coffee shop near the K-Lynn boutique in the Mall of the Emirates.
"I held up the bra and I could see she was getting uncomfortable. She said, 'You're really comfortable around this merchandise.' I said, 'Yes, to me it's the product that I'm selling. I don't look at it and imagine someone is going to be wearing this bra.'
"It's just the business that I'm in and the business that I grew up in. The only answer I can give is that it came naturally," he adds.
gduncan@thenational.ae
THE%20STRANGERS'%20CASE
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The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Dengue%20fever%20symptoms
%3Cul%3E%0A%3Cli%3EHigh%20fever%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EIntense%20pain%20behind%20your%20eyes%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3ESevere%20headache%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EMuscle%20and%20joint%20pains%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3ENausea%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EVomiting%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3ESwollen%20glands%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3ERash%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3C%2Ful%3E%0A%3Cp%3EIf%20symptoms%20occur%2C%20they%20usually%20last%20for%20two-seven%20days%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3EFounder%3A%20Hani%20Abu%20Ghazaleh%3Cbr%3EBased%3A%20Abu%20Dhabi%2C%20with%20an%20office%20in%20Montreal%3Cbr%3EFounded%3A%202018%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%20Virtual%20Reality%3Cbr%3EInvestment%20raised%3A%20%241.2%20million%2C%20and%20nearing%20close%20of%20%245%20million%20new%20funding%20round%3Cbr%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%2012%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Company profile
Company: Verity
Date started: May 2021
Founders: Kamal Al-Samarrai, Dina Shoman and Omar Al Sharif
Based: Dubai
Sector: FinTech
Size: four team members
Stage: Intially bootstrapped but recently closed its first pre-seed round of $800,000
Investors: Wamda, VentureSouq, Beyond Capital and regional angel investors
Guns N’ Roses’s last gig before Abu Dhabi was in Hong Kong on November 21. We were there – and here’s what they played, and in what order. You were warned.
- It’s So Easy
- Mr Brownstone
- Chinese Democracy
- Welcome to the Jungle
- Double Talkin’ Jive
- Better
- Estranged
- Live and Let Die (Wings cover)
- Slither (Velvet Revolver cover)
- Rocket Queen
- You Could Be Mine
- Shadow of Your Love
- Attitude (Misfits cover)
- Civil War
- Coma
- Love Theme from The Godfather (movie cover)
- Sweet Child O’ Mine
- Wichita Lineman (Jimmy Webb cover)
- Wish You Were Here (instrumental Pink Floyd cover)
- November Rain
- Black Hole Sun (Soundgarden cover)
- Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door (Bob Dylan cover)
- Nightrain
Encore:
- Patience
- Don’t Cry
- The Seeker (The Who cover)
- Paradise City
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
2018 ICC World Twenty20 Asian Western Regional Qualifier
Saturday results
Qatar beat Kuwait by 26 runs
Bahrain beat Maldives by six wickets
UAE beat Saudi Arabia by seven wickets
Monday fixtures
Maldives v Qatar
Saudi Arabia v Kuwait
Bahrain v UAE
* The top three teams progress to the Asia Qualifier
Mountain%20Boy
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
Titanium Escrow profile
Started: December 2016
Founder: Ibrahim Kamalmaz
Based: UAE
Sector: Finance / legal
Size: 3 employees, pre-revenue
Stage: Early stage
Investors: Founder's friends and Family
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
The Bio
Favourite holiday destination: Either Kazakhstan or Montenegro. I’ve been involved in events in both countries and they are just stunning.
Favourite book: I am a huge of Robin Cook’s medical thrillers, which I suppose is quite apt right now. My mother introduced me to them back home in New Zealand.
Favourite film or television programme: Forrest Gump is my favourite film, that’s never been up for debate. I love watching repeats of Mash as well.
Inspiration: My late father moulded me into the man I am today. I would also say disappointment and sadness are great motivators. There are times when events have brought me to my knees but it has also made me determined not to let them get the better of me.
Formula%204%20Italian%20Championship%202023%20calendar
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