Pilot Big Date Flyback Chronograph Porter edition (left) and the Pilot Automatic Porter Edition watches by Zenith x Porter. Photo Zenith
Pilot Big Date Flyback Chronograph Porter edition (left) and the Pilot Automatic Porter Edition watches by Zenith x Porter. Photo Zenith
Pilot Big Date Flyback Chronograph Porter edition (left) and the Pilot Automatic Porter Edition watches by Zenith x Porter. Photo Zenith
Pilot Big Date Flyback Chronograph Porter edition (left) and the Pilot Automatic Porter Edition watches by Zenith x Porter. Photo Zenith

Black Book: Reimagined Fendi, Zenith x Porter and Nike launches Year of the Snake Air Jordan 1 lows


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Every week, The National's Luxury magazine team puts together Black Book, a cheat sheet of the most interesting and noteworthy arrivals in fashion, watches, jewellery and cars.

A reimagined Fendi classic

Peekaboo Mini Lunar New Year bag, Dh19,250, Fendi. Photo: Fendi
Peekaboo Mini Lunar New Year bag, Dh19,250, Fendi. Photo: Fendi

Fendi is moving into 2025 by reimagining some of its most famous pieces. As part of the celebration of its centenary year, and in a nod to the upcoming Lunar New Year, the Fendi 'monster eyes' first introduced in 2014 have been added to a series of men's and women's pieces spanning bags, accessories and shoes. The Peekaboo bag first launched in 2009, for instance, now sports a playful set of eyes peering from inside, while the Fendi Flow trainers for men have the same eyes on the upper of the shoe.

Peekaboo Mini Lunar New Year bag, Dh19,250

Tamara Ralph X Daum

A piece from the Poetique Collection by Tamara Ralph for Daum. Photo Daum
A piece from the Poetique Collection by Tamara Ralph for Daum. Photo Daum

Daum, the French crystal maker, has teamed up with haute couture designer Tamara Ralph for a collection of vases and tablepieces that resemble fabric dancing in the breeze. Called the Poetique Collection by Tamara Ralph, it fuses two worlds of expertise, with Ralph bringing her deeply feminine vision.

To render her ideas into glass has required Daum to draw on all of its knowledge, for a result that looks like a whisp of silk caught in a breeze. Sculptural and poetic, the resulting works in pale ballerina pink, studded crystal and sensual shapes acknowledge Daum's own art nouveau history.

Price on request

Zenith and Japanese bag maker Porter team up

The Pilot Big Date Flyback Chronograph Porter Edition is a collaboration between the watchmaker and the Japanese bag company. Photo: Zenith
The Pilot Big Date Flyback Chronograph Porter Edition is a collaboration between the watchmaker and the Japanese bag company. Photo: Zenith

Watchmaker Zenith and the Japanese bag company Porter have collaborated on two new watches. In military khaki green, the Pilot Big Date Flyback Chronograph Porter edition comes in a 42.5mm matte ceramic case, while the Pilot Automatic Porter Edition is the same colour, but slightly smaller with a 40mm case.

Both are made for readability, with white markers and orange hands, while the flyback can be reset to zero with the push of a single button, even if wearing thick gloves. Porter has created rugged matching bags, as well as the nylon watch strap. Limited to 500 pieces each.

From Dh44,474

Repossi

Antifer 8 rows rings in (left) black gold and diamond, Dh101,387, and (right) pink gold and diamonds, Dh59,302. Photo: Repossi
Antifer 8 rows rings in (left) black gold and diamond, Dh101,387, and (right) pink gold and diamonds, Dh59,302. Photo: Repossi

The Italian jeweller Repossi leans into architecture for its Antifer collection, incorporating an obtuse angle into the designs. Seen across rings, pendants, earrings, and bracelets, the design is most distinctive as stacked rings, with as many as 10 thin layers piled one on top of another.

It is made in white, pink, yellow and black gold (white gold covered in rhodium), with and without white diamonds, as well as pendants and earrings containing slices of malachite, turquoise, mother of pearl or onyx. Each piece is handmade using the lost wax casting method, and then polished.

From Dh2,869

Nike Air Jordan 1 Low Year of the Snake

Men's Air Jordan 1 Low made especially for the Chinese Year of the Snake. Photo: Nike
Men's Air Jordan 1 Low made especially for the Chinese Year of the Snake. Photo: Nike

Chinese New Year may not be for another month, but Nike has already unveiled its collection for the Year of the Snake. Centred around the Air Jordan low, there is a women's version in Phantom/Football Grey/White/Black, with snake-skin texture on the tongue and Swoosh (tick), and a subtle pearly iridescence on the pale sand-coloured upper.

The men's version, meanwhile, will be available in Summit White/Photon Dust/Barely Green/Sail/Black, with the white base overlaid with Photon Dust leather. There is snakeskin on the tongue and Jumpman tag, and the Swoosh (tick) is made in ripstop with an iridescent winged logo on the heel.

From Dh587

Specs

Engine: 51.5kW electric motor

Range: 400km

Power: 134bhp

Torque: 175Nm

Price: From Dh98,800

Available: Now

U19 WORLD CUP, WEST INDIES

UAE group fixtures (all in St Kitts)

  • Saturday 15 January: UAE beat Canada by 49 runs 
  • Thursday 20 January: v England 
  • Saturday 22 January: v Bangladesh 

UAE squad:

Alishan Sharafu (captain), Shival Bawa, Jash Giyanani, Sailles
Jaishankar, Nilansh Keswani, Aayan Khan, Punya Mehra, Ali Naseer, Ronak Panoly,
Dhruv Parashar, Vinayak Raghavan, Soorya Sathish, Aryansh Sharma, Adithya
Shetty, Kai Smith  

Profile

Co-founders of the company: Vilhelm Hedberg and Ravi Bhusari

Launch year: In 2016 ekar launched and signed an agreement with Etihad Airways in Abu Dhabi. In January 2017 ekar launched in Dubai in a partnership with the RTA.

Number of employees: Over 50

Financing stage: Series B currently being finalised

Investors: Series A - Audacia Capital 

Sector of operation: Transport

Trolls World Tour

Directed by: Walt Dohrn, David Smith

Starring: Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake

Rating: 4 stars

The specs

Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel

Power: 579hp

Torque: 859Nm

Transmission: Single-speed automatic

Price: From Dh825,900

On sale: Now

First Person
Richard Flanagan
Chatto & Windus 

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Company Profile:

Name: The Protein Bakeshop

Date of start: 2013

Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani

Based: Dubai

Size, number of employees: 12

Funding/investors:  $400,000 (2018) 

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Updated: January 03, 2025, 5:03 AM`