Loewe to unveil its latest collection with Studio Ghibli

Loewe is unveiling a third — and final — collaboration with Studio Ghibli in a pop-up at The Dubai Mall's Fashion Catwalk, from February 2 to 14.

Called Loewe x Howl’s Moving Castle, this is the latest chapter in the collaboration between the Spanish leather house and the Japanese animation studio.

The range focuses on the Oscar-nominated animated film from 2004, Howl’s Moving Castle, by Japanese animator, director and manga artist Hayao Miyazaki. The film is rumoured to be Miyazaki's personal favourite.

Studio Ghibli films are particularly popular in Japan, but the charming stories also bookmark the childhoods of people in many other parts of the world.

The campaign for the Loewe x Howl's Moving Castle collaboration was shot by Juergen Teller. Photo: Loewe

Characters from the film, which include Sophie, Howl and the ﬁre demon Calcifer, as well as Markl, Heen, Turnip Head and the Witch of the Waste, now appear scattered through a collection that shifts from bags and small leather accessories to clothing, including hoodies, jumpers, cardigans, T-shirts, jackets, jeans, silk shirts, skirts, capes and shoes.

Leaning into Loewe's savoir faire, the characters are rendered in numerous materials, from shearling intarsia, raffia and feathers, to embroidery and applique, as well as being drawn on to leather. The castle of the title itself makes an appearance, patchworked from remnants of Loewe’s famous leather, while other images are illustrated on bags such as the Puzzle, Flamenco, Hammock, Amazona and Luna, in addition to the Bracelet pouch, in applique and printing.

Jonathan Anderson, creative director at Loewe, says: "Blending hand-drawn and digital animation, Howl’s Moving Castle is technically innovative, exemplifying the power of craft as a bridge between the old and new — a creative approach that Loewe is proud to share. In the collection, we pushed creativity with bold, intricately crafted pieces designed to bring the world of the ﬁlm, literally, to life. Key pieces embody the beloved characters and backdrops, giving wearers the chance to identify with the ﬁlm on a deep level and escape into its rich layers. It’s almost like handcrafted virtual reality in wearable form."

This follows two previous projects, Spirited Away and My Neighbor Totoro, which were a global phenomenon, disappearing from shelves faster than they could be restocked. When Spirited Away was launched in January 2022, such was the rush to buy online that the whole Loewe website crashed. Given this is the final instalment, these latest items are expected to sell out even faster.

The good news is that for die-hard fans, Loewe is opening a pre-sale on Loewe.com one day ahead of the event, on February 1, granting exclusive access to clients that have registered online, and a chance to snap up the latest creations a day before everyone else. In addition, selected Calcifer items will be exclusively sold online.

“The world we are living in needs a counteract: not as an escape, but as a different outlook, Anderson says, explaining why the work of Studio Ghibli is still so relevant.

"This, to me, is what Hayao Miyazaki’s animated ﬁlms for Studio Ghibli are about: a commentary on the moment and an alternative to it, always heartfelt, fulﬁlling, full of fantasy and sentiment. This is also the reason why the ﬁnal instalment of our collaboration with Studio Ghibli feels more timely than ever.”

The Loewe x Howl’s Moving Castle collection will be the third and final instalment of the collaboration. Photo: Loewe

To celebrate, Loewe commissioned Juergen Teller to shoot the advertising campaign, resulting in playful images starring Taylor Russell, Rianne Van Rompaey, Oliver O’Sullivan, Hyunji Shin and a sheep, photographed against a white backdrop, resulting in off-beat images that are as quirky – and charming – as the pieces themselves.

ENGLAND TEAM

England (15-1)
George Furbank; Jonny May, Manu Tuilagi, Owen Farrell (capt), Elliot Daly; George Ford, Ben Youngs; Tom Curry, Sam Underhill, Courtney Lawes; Charlie Ewels, Maro Itoje; Kyle Sinckler, Jamie George, Joe Marler
Replacements: Luke Cowan-Dickie, Ellis Genge, Will Stuart, George Kruis, Lewis Ludlam, Willi Heinz, Ollie Devoto, Jonathan Joseph

Results

3pm: Maiden Dh165,000 (Dirt) 1,400m, Winner: Lancienegaboulevard, Adrie de Vries (jockey), Fawzi Nass (trainer).

3.35pm: Maiden Dh165,000 (Turf) 1,600m, Winner: Al Mukhtar Star, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass.

4.10pm: Handicap Dh165,000 (D) 2,000m, Winner: Gundogdu, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer.

4.45pm: Handicap Dh185,000 (T) 1,200m, Winner: Speedy Move, Sean Kirrane, Satish Seemar.

5.20pm: Handicap Dh185,000 (D) 1,600m, Winner: Moqarrar, Dane O’Neill, Erwan Charpy.

5.55pm: Handicap Dh175,000 (T) 1,800m, Winner: Dolman, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.

Dubai Bling season three

Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed

Rating: 1/5

While you're here

Mustafa Alrawi: To get the 'jab' done, there must be patience and empathy

Damien McElroy: Anti-science attitudes in America are proving lethal

Editorial: What makes the UAE such a good place to test vaccines?

Editorial: The fight against Covid-19 should be guided by science

Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi

From: Dara

To: Team@

Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT

Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East

Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.

Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.

I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.

This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.

It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.

Uber on,

Dara

Tips for used car buyers

Choose cars with GCC specifications
Get a service history for cars less than five years old
Don’t go cheap on the inspection
Check for oil leaks
Do a Google search on the standard problems for your car model
Do your due diligence. Get a transfer of ownership done at an official RTA centre
Check the vehicle’s condition. You don’t want to buy a car that’s a good deal but ends up costing you Dh10,000 in repairs every month
Validate warranty and service contracts with the relevant agency and and make sure they are valid when ownership is transferred
If you are planning to sell the car soon, buy one with a good resale value. The two most popular cars in the UAE are black or white in colour and other colours are harder to sell

Tarek Kabrit, chief executive of Seez, and Imad Hammad, chief executive and co-founder of CarSwitch.com

UAE currency

While you're here

Kareem Shaheen: Even a pandemic could not unite today's America

Michele Wucker: The difference between a black swan and a grey rhino

Robert Matthews: Has flawed science and rushed research failed us?

Company Profile

Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million

Tamkeen's offering

Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
Option 2: 50% across three years
Option 3: 30% across five years

Developer: Ubisoft Montreal / Ubisoft Toronto
Publisher: Ubisoft
Platforms: Playstation 4, Xbox One, Windows
Release Date: April 10

SUCCESSION%20SEASON%204%20EPISODE%201

%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECreated%20by%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJesse%20Armstrong%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Brian%20Cox%2C%20Jeremy%20Strong%2C%20Kieran%20Culkin%2C%20Sarah%20Snook%2C%20Nicholas%20Braun%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A