What do you need to make it big in fashion? Talent, nerve, determination? Or, the hide of a rhinoceros, a mammoth ego and famous friends to sit front row and wave to you as you take your bow?
When I first began writing about fashion and going to shows, I used to think it was rather sweet when the designer would bounce on to the runway at the finale, mouth "thank you" to the paparazzi and disappear backstage chased by models.
The emergence of supermodels took catwalk shows to a new level. Then, super-brands created designer superstars, who in turn have come up with? the super-bow.
Now the moment when a designer reveals him or herself - for seconds in the case of Miuccia Prada or several minutes if you're John Galliano at the Dior show - is fast becoming as important as the 40 or so outfits preceding it.
The sight of a designer flanked by hangers-on after the show is the image you see on websites, TV channels and in magazines - not all of them fashion ones.
To pull in the right sort of crowd, the designer has to be the right sort of person. Extroverted. Fun-loving. Young. Don't be fooled by the myth about creative types being shy or retiring. At least not where fashion is concerned.
When I spot tutors from Central St Martins, my old college and the one from which so many A-list designers seem to hail, I always ask them if they ever suspected that Stella McCartney or Hussein Chalayan would be so successful. The answer is the same.
"Of course," they shriek. "Stella (or whoever) was such a show-off."
Successful designers are clearly the sort of children who make their parents' and teachers' lives a living nightmare (or a dream, depending on how pushy or modest Mummy, Daddy or Teacher is).
Over the years, I've seen far more pint-sized, foot-stamping designers reduce tough fashion editors and Fleet Street hacks to tears, rather than the other way round.
As for rumours about designers requiring protection from big, bad journalists? That's only if they are (whisper it) dull, which happens occasionally.
These days a designer is chosen as much for his repartee, contacts and age as his pattern cutting. Talent is an asset but precocious energy, and Lily Allen or Agyness Deyn as a buddy, is more valuable to an aged fashion house packed with skilled clothing mechanics with years of experience between them.
Take the handsome Esteban Cortazar, whose appointment at Emanuel Ungaro has been likened to fashion Botox, along with eye candy for ageing clients. At 24, what could he bring to the house besides the ability to put a spin on his master's signature looks?
His infectious bravado is identical to that of Marios Schwab, Tamara Mellon and Alice Temperley, who seem to have the geeky confidence of an Oxford don mixed with charm and - vital in this image obsessed world - rock-star looks.
Every designer has a different bow with quirks you get used to. Albert Elbaz comes out in a suit, waddling like the Penguin in Batman.
Christian Lacroix runs like a madman while the audience throws the carnation left on each seat at him.
It's always impressive to see female designers such as McCartney and Prada actually wear an ensemble from the collection they have just shown (on models several sizes smaller, several inches taller and many years younger).
Although Prada tends to look like a dowdy governess coming to claim her fourth-form clones, McCartney reinvents herself every season. Last time it was her legs, but then again she was launching a new hosiery line.
It's not only younger designers who are crowd-pleasers or household names. Vivienne Westwood, Lagerfeld and Giorgio Armani, all in their sixties, are considered cooler than ever.
Armani, who always takes his bow in a tight black T-shirt, black jeans and black plimsolls, chose his Paris Haute Couture show to launch his men's anti-ageing face cream. Who better as a walking advert?
Now do you see the true sense of the bow?
The men in suits at Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy (LVMH), which owns Christian Dior among other super-brands, call it the Galliano factor.
When Galliano - who takes in a staggering $20 million (Dh73m) a year for Dior - insists on taking his bow wearing something outrageous before a front row packed with celebrities, no one cheers louder than those LVMH executives who wouldn't dream of having it any other way.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
The specs
Price, base: Dh228,000 / Dh232,000 (est)
Engine: 5.7-litre Hemi V8
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 395hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque: 552Nm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.5L / 100km
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
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
The%20specs
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Sri Lanka squad
Dinesh Chandimal, Dimuth Karunaratne, Kaushal Silva, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Lahiru Thirimanne, Niroshan Dickwella, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Rangana Herath, Suranga Lakmal, Nuwan Pradeep, Lakshan Sandakan, Vishwa Fernando, Lahiru Kumara, Jeffrey Vandersay, Milinda Siriwardana, Roshen Silva, Akila Dananjaya, Charith Asalanka, Shaminda Eranga and Dhammika Prasad.
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
The Baghdad Clock
Shahad Al Rawi, Oneworld
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
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How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
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
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
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
