“I am in a cafe, I hope you don’t mind,” says Osman Yousefzada as we connect over Zoom. He's been rushing between meetings so has to make do with the impromptu venue.
It's little wonder he is busy. The day before, he unveiled his first public artwork, the spectacular Infinity Pattern 1, a giant 10,000-square-metre canvas of pink and black tumbling blocks that wraps the entire Selfridges building in Birmingham in the UK.
While the pattern feels light and cheery, as with much of Yousefzada’s work, there is a deeper meaning underpinning it. The repeated, cascading shapes echo the strict geometry of Islamic design, and the artwork as a whole, representing bridges connecting "continuously shifting cultures", is a nod to the thousands of migrants who have moved to the UK and the traditions they've brought with them.
It captures the "trauma of globalisation, migration from global south to global north", says Yousefzada. Born to migrant parents himself, this is a topic that is deeply personal.
Scroll through the gallery below for a closer look at Osman Yousefzada's 'Infinity Pattern 1' installation:
“My parents come from an underclass; they were illiterate and couldn’t read or write in any language,” he explains. They came from "humble rural areas" in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and moved to the UK in the early 1970s to fill the low-level jobs no one else wanted.
While Yousefzada now prefers to be known as a multidisciplinary artist, he made his name as a fashion designer, setting up his own label in 2008.
With a deft eye for sleek, sophisticated cuts infused with a subtle hint of subversion – in the form of colour, volume or decorative features – he shot to fame in 2013 when Beyonce wore one of his jumpsuits to the Grammys. His designs have also been worn by Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, Jennifer Lopez and Queen Rania of Jordan.
While others would have revelled in the sudden fame, Yousefzada went on to launch an art publication called The Collective.
“I really enjoyed what I was doing,” he says of working in fashion. He says the publication simply offered him a new creative outlet.
“I was basically doing more collaborations with different artists, so it allowed me to broaden the conversation. I did anthropology at university before I did fashion, so I really approach what I do in a multilayered way."
Today that conversation has expanded to incorporate not only fashion, but also filmmaking, writing, artworks and installations.
Fashion is always this very hierarchical, elitist club, where being a posh kid is beneficial to some extent
Osman Yousefzada,
designer and artist
“I don’t really want to be making clothes the way I was making them before," he says. "It's not that I have turned my back on making clothes, it’s just that I feel I need to change my processes and the conversations about those processes. I am still making clothes, but I just want to do it so that it is not so disposable, so cyclical, with no seasonality to it, but a product that has value.”
His manifesto states that "fashion should be about the creation of human value from weaver to wearer", an ethos that is encapsulated in his autumn/winter 2021 collection.
A celebration of the handwork of artisans in Uzbekistan and India, it offers coats of luscious velvet ikat, tops heavy with Banjara mirror work, and jackets and dresses strewn with hand-stitched pomegranates and evil eye motifs. The result is wonderfully decadent, feels lovingly made and is worthy of being passed on to future generations.
Scroll through the gallery below to see more from Osman Yousefzada's autumn/winter 2021 collection:
Amid the sharp cuts and lavish handwork, a few pieces are graffitied with the words “here to stay", in reference to Yousefzada's spring/summer 2021 collection of the same name, which tackled the issue of racism in the UK. While not as overt, Yousefzada believes prejudice also exists in the fashion system.
“I think that as a creative, there are spaces and opportunities it takes a lot longer to get to. I don’t come from a middle-class background, so it has taken me a lot longer, even though I have been making clothes for a while.
"Fashion is always this very hierarchical, elitist club, where being a posh kid is beneficial to some extent. Or knowing the codes, because you don’t necessarily know them if you come from the sort of background I come from. You have to learn those codes, and learn what you have to say.”
Case in point, when starting out, he was often given advice that ran contrary what he was trying to achieve, but felt under pressure to act on it. “You feel you have to be grateful, as the advice is coming from the people who know what they are talking about, even if they come from a position that is completely unrelated to your position."
Much of that advice, he realised, was telling him to step back from the very heritage that made his work unique. Not surprisingly, he found this difficult to reconcile.
“It doesn’t really work if you can’t be yourself and what you have to offer authentically as a creative. [Or if] you are always trying to fit in and assimilate, thinking, ‘OK, I need to Anglicise my ways before I can be accepted and be part of this stable.'"
Now, 13 years after starting out, Yousefzada has successfully created a space where he can fully express his ideas, across a variety of mediums.
There has to be meaning behind what I want to present to the world
Osman Yousefzada,
designer and artist
“My work stems from three things – migration, ritual and exclusion. All aspects of my work stem from that, whether it's garment-making, moving images or art installations. It stems from one source, but it becomes many different things. I don’t see them as separate things, I see them all rolled into one. Making clothes becomes the very performative part of it for me.”
Part of that message involved Yousefzada skipping two fashion seasons entirely, instead creating a documentary-style film called Her Dreams are Bigger. In it, he took "made in Bangladesh" clothes back to the garment workers who made them, shining a spotlight on the women who are still so often ignored by the industry.
Another strong inspiration is his mother and her experiences, which he has referenced many times, particularly in the artworks A Migrant’s Room of Her Own and Leaving Your Mark, both of which have been shown at the Ikon Gallery in Birmingham.
“When my mother came to this country she was asked to sign her name with a cross on official documents. Leaving your Mark was a piece of work I did all about crosses, and I got her to sign her name with a cross again."
He is unafraid to tackle difficult issues head-on, but the question is, why does he feel so compelled to? “For me it is about being an artist and an activist for social change. So the clothes have to be fully sustainable, the visual arts have to have a strong defined message behind them, and the workshops have to have objectives of healing and understanding. There has to be meaning behind what I want to present to the world.”
To that end, Yousefzada is moving forward across many fronts. Having scaled down his fashion collections to only two a year (“bespoke projects, not as full on”), he still has a packed calendar.
“I am doing a commissioned piece for the Museum of Contemporary art in Sydney, I have my book coming out in January, and a few other projects. I am doing a residency and I start my PhD in September at the RCA, so there is a lot of stuff happening."
And when does he find time to sleep? He laughs. "It's a lot of juggling." For now, he is still buzzing from the Selfridges project and from seeing his artwork on such a huge scale. "It’s something that is very important in my home town.“
The Case For Trump
By Victor Davis Hanson
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
The%20specs%3A%202024%20Mercedes%20E200
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.0-litre%20four-cyl%20turbo%20%2B%20mild%20hybrid%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E204hp%20at%205%2C800rpm%20%2B23hp%20hybrid%20boost%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E320Nm%20at%201%2C800rpm%20%2B205Nm%20hybrid%20boost%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E9-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E7.3L%2F100km%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENovember%2FDecember%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh205%2C000%20(estimate)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Brief scoreline
Switzerland 0
England 0
Result: England win 6-5 on penalties
Man of the Match: Trent Alexander-Arnold (England)
What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
How tumultuous protests grew
- A fuel tax protest by French drivers appealed to wider anti-government sentiment
- Unlike previous French demonstrations there was no trade union or organised movement involved
- Demonstrators responded to online petitions and flooded squares to block traffic
- At its height there were almost 300,000 on the streets in support
- Named after the high visibility jackets that drivers must keep in cars
- Clashes soon turned violent as thousands fought with police at cordons
- An estimated two dozen people lost eyes and many others were admitted to hospital
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
More coverage from the Future Forum
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Plan to boost public schools
A major shake-up of government-run schools was rolled out across the country in 2017. Known as the Emirati School Model, it placed more emphasis on maths and science while also adding practical skills to the curriculum.
It was accompanied by the promise of a Dh5 billion investment, over six years, to pay for state-of-the-art infrastructure improvements.
Aspects of the school model will be extended to international private schools, the education minister has previously suggested.
Recent developments have also included the introduction of moral education - which public and private schools both must teach - along with reform of the exams system and tougher teacher licensing requirements.
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Evacuations to France hit by controversy
- Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
- Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
- It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
- Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
- Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The years Ramadan fell in May
Test series fixtures
(All matches start at 2pm UAE)
1st Test Lord's, London from Thursday to Monday
2nd Test Nottingham from July 14-18
3rd Test The Oval, London from July 27-31
4th Test Manchester from August 4-8
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
The five pillars of Islam
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
Rajasthan Royals 153-5 (17.5 ov)
Delhi Daredevils 60-4 (6 ov)
Rajasthan won by 10 runs (D/L method)
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
In The Heights
Directed by: Jon M. Chu
Stars: Anthony Ramos, Lin-Manual Miranda
Rating: ****
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
TUESDAY'S ORDER OF PLAY
Centre Court
Starting at 2pm:
Malin Cilic (CRO) v Benoit Paire (FRA) [8]
Not before 4pm:
Dan Evans (GBR) v Fabio Fogini (ITA) [4]
Not before 7pm:
Pablo Carreno Busta (SPA) v Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) [2]
Roberto Bautista Agut (SPA) [5] v Jan-Lennard Struff (GER)
Court One
Starting at 2pm
Prajnesh Gunneswaran (IND) v Dennis Novak (AUT)
Joao Sousa (POR) v Filip Krajinovic (SRB)
Not before 5pm:
Rajeev Ram (USA) and Joe Salisbury (GBR) [1] v Marin Cilic v Novak Djokovic (SRB)
Nikoloz Basilashvili v Ricardas Berankis (LTU)
Stamp duty timeline
December 2014: Former UK finance minister George Osbourne reforms stamp duty, replacing the slab system with a blended rate scheme, with the top rate increasing to 12 per cent from 10 per cent:
Up to £125,000 - 0%; £125,000 to £250,000 – 2%; £250,000 to £925,000 – 5%; £925,000 to £1.5m: 10%; Over £1.5m – 12%
April 2016: New 3% surcharge applied to any buy-to-let properties or additional homes purchased.
July 2020: Rishi Sunak unveils SDLT holiday, with no tax to pay on the first £500,000, with buyers saving up to £15,000.
March 2021: Mr Sunak decides the fate of SDLT holiday at his March 3 budget, with expectations he will extend the perk unti June.
April 2021: 2% SDLT surcharge added to property transactions made by overseas buyers.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Tips for avoiding trouble online
- Do not post incorrect information and beware of fake news
- Do not publish or repost racist or hate speech, yours or anyone else’s
- Do not incite violence and be careful how to phrase what you want to say
- Do not defame anyone. Have a difference of opinion with someone? Don’t attack them on social media
- Do not forget your children and monitor their online activities
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
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
Name: Colm McLoughlin
Country: Galway, Ireland
Job: Executive vice chairman and chief executive of Dubai Duty Free
Favourite golf course: Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club
Favourite part of Dubai: Palm Jumeirah
PROFILE BOX:
Company/date started: 2015
Founder/CEO: Rami Salman, Rishav Jalan, Ayush Chordia
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Technology, Sales, Voice, Artificial Intelligence
Size: (employees/revenue) 10/ 100,000 downloads
Stage: 1 ($800,000)
Investors: Eight first-round investors including, Beco Capital, 500 Startups, Dubai Silicon Oasis, Hala Fadel, Odin Financial Services, Dubai Angel Investors, Womena, Arzan VC
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The biog
Name: Timothy Husband
Nationality: New Zealand
Education: Degree in zoology at The University of Sydney
Favourite book: Lemurs of Madagascar by Russell A Mittermeier
Favourite music: Billy Joel
Weekends and holidays: Talking about animals or visiting his farm in Australia
Armies of Sand
By Kenneth Pollack (Oxford University Press)
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