Mossi Traore’s path to fashion was far from typical. Born to Malian parents in Hautes-Noues, a deprived Parisian suburb, he defied the odds to become a designer and founder of a top-tier vocational school.
Working with the unskilled, underrepresented and underprivileged, including migrants, Traore’s school, Les Ateliers Alix, equips students with rare haute couture skills. Located in the district where he grew up, the school embodies his commitment to giving back.
“When you are from the suburbs, life teaches you a lot of good,” he says. “It teaches you how to share, be strong together, how to sing together.” Now, he’s helping others rise.
Speaking from Mumbai, his passion is palpable. Founded in 2015, Les Ateliers Alix lifts up Paris’s forgotten youth, training them in flou (soft dressmaking) and tailleur (tailoring) over three years. Initially, it was just small workshops, creating pieces for the Paris National Opera and private designers. By 2019, the full programme was launched.
In September last year, the school achieved its biggest milestone – a partnership with Chanel. The couture house, noticing many of its atelier hires came from Les Ateliers Alix, reached out. “Chanel called saying, ‘We heard a lot about you. People coming to work with us are very good. We want to know where they’re being trained,’” Traore recalls.
The deal provides financial stability and eases students’ financial burdens. Many juggle part-time jobs while studying. “The partnership is very positive because Chanel wants to help the school and students. Today, we are the only school in France offering this kind of haute couture programme.”
As a couture house, Chanel understands the school’s importance. “It knows the school is good for all of the couture houses and their different needs,” he says. “It understands the elite values we are teaching, and importantly, it’s not coming to take only what it needs.”
While Chanel gets priority for hiring, students aren’t obligated to stay. “I think Chanel has very good values and spirit.” Chanel has long invested in preserving couture craftsmanship, acquiring specialist ateliers – lace, buttons, feathers – to safeguard disappearing skills. Karl Lagerfeld initiated this move in response to the risk of losing generational knowledge. Today, these ateliers are united under Chanel’s 19M, a dedicated space in Paris’s 19th arrondissement.
Les Ateliers Alix focuses on similar skills, passing on knowledge even fashion graduates often lack. Cutting, sewing, moulding, sculpting and draping with precision are not museum relics, but the foundation of couture, where a simple jacket starts at €25,000. “All students start as beginners, even those with fashion degrees,” Traore says.
“You don’t need experience, just motivation. We don’t need quantity; we need quality. That’s why we take only 12 students a year.” Beyond funding, Chanel donates archival fabrics, a priceless resource, as couture fabrics can cost hundreds of euros per metre. “If you want to study, you need the right fabrics,” he explains.
Traore’s passion drives every aspect of the school, from securing funding – an ongoing challenge that keeps him up at night – to its very name. Les Ateliers Alix honours Madame Alix Gres, one of France’s most revered designers. Traore discovered her work during his own studies in the early 2000s and was captivated.
“I asked my fashion teacher for the name of the most inspiring designer. She said Madame Gres. I didn’t know who she was, so I researched and studied her work for two to three hours daily. It was amazing.”
Renowned for her pleating and drapery, Gres created ethereal, Grecian-inspired gowns that influenced designers such as Issey Miyake and Yohji Yamamoto. “I discovered fashion the same year Yohji paid tribute to Madame Gres in his spring/summer 2005 collection.”
Her work inspired Traore to attend fashion school, work as a costume designer at the Paris Opera, and launch his eponymous label, Mossi, in 2017. However, running the school has forced him to put his brand on hold. “I had to sacrifice my own fashion brand to focus on the school and secure financial support for students,” he says.
The contrast between haute couture’s refinement and his own upbringing isn’t lost on Traore. His introduction to fashion came via stolen high-end clothes resold in his neighbourhood. Now, he passes on his love of fashion to students, helping them break cycles of deprivation and access the industry’s highest echelons.
“It’s a passion project. I’m not from a rich family, but if I can open a door that wasn’t open for me, I will – for the next generation, for immigrants, for people from the suburbs. You can be rich or poor, but if you have patience and motivation, I will do my best to open the door of fashion for you.”
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
Countdown to Zero exhibition will show how disease can be beaten
Countdown to Zero: Defeating Disease, an international multimedia exhibition created by the American Museum of National History in collaboration with The Carter Center, will open in Abu Dhabi a month before Reaching the Last Mile.
Opening on October 15 and running until November 15, the free exhibition opens at The Galleria mall on Al Maryah Island, and has already been seen at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
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
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Racecard
6.30pm: Mazrat Al Ruwayah Group Two (PA) US$55,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
7.05pm: Meydan Trophy (TB) $100,000 (Turf) 1,900m
7.40pm: Handicap (TB) $135,000 (D) 1,200m
8.15pm: Balanchine Group Two (TB) $250,000 (T) 1,800m
8.50pm: Handicap (TB) $135,000 (T) 1,000m
9.25pm: Firebreak Stakes Group Three (TB) $200,000 (D) 1,600m
10pm: Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 2,410m
The National selections: 6.30pm: RM Lam Tara, 7.05pm: Al Mukhtar Star, 7.40pm: Bochart, 8.15pm: Magic Lily, 8.50pm: Roulston Scar, 9.25pm: Quip, 10pm: Jalmoud
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
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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SCHEDULE
Saturday, April 20: 11am to 7pm - Abu Dhabi World Jiu-Jitsu Festival and Para jiu-jitsu.
Sunday, April 21: 11am to 6pm - Abu Dhabi World Youth (female) Jiu-Jitsu Championship.
Monday, April 22: 11am to 6pm - Abu Dhabi World Youth (male) Jiu-Jitsu Championship.
Tuesday, April 23: 11am-6pm Abu Dhabi World Masters Jiu-Jitsu Championship.
Wednesday, April 24: 11am-6pm Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship.
Thursday, April 25: 11am-5pm Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship.
Friday, April 26: 3pm to 6pm Finals of the Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship.
Saturday, April 27: 4pm and 8pm awards ceremony.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Brief scoreline:
Manchester United 0
Manchester City 2
Bernardo Silva 54', Sane 66'
Brief scores
Barcelona 2
Pique 36', Alena 87'
Villarreal 0
More from UAE Human Development Report:
The schedule
December 5 - 23: Shooting competition, Al Dhafra Shooting Club
December 9 - 24: Handicrafts competition, from 4pm until 10pm, Heritage Souq
December 11 - 20: Dates competition, from 4pm
December 12 - 20: Sour milk competition
December 13: Falcon beauty competition
December 14 and 20: Saluki races
December 15: Arabian horse races, from 4pm
December 16 - 19: Falconry competition
December 18: Camel milk competition, from 7.30 - 9.30 am
December 20 and 21: Sheep beauty competition, from 10am
December 22: The best herd of 30 camels
Prop idols
Girls full-contact rugby may be in its infancy in the Middle East, but there are already a number of role models for players to look up to.
Sophie Shams (Dubai Exiles mini, England sevens international)
An Emirati student who is blazing a trail in rugby. She first learnt the game at Dubai Exiles and captained her JESS Primary school team. After going to study geophysics at university in the UK, she scored a sensational try in a cup final at Twickenham. She has played for England sevens, and is now contracted to top Premiership club Saracens.
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Seren Gough-Walters (Sharjah Wanderers mini, Wales rugby league international)
Few players anywhere will have taken a more circuitous route to playing rugby on Sky Sports. Gough-Walters was born in Al Wasl Hospital in Dubai, raised in Sharjah, did not take up rugby seriously till she was 15, has a master’s in global governance and ethics, and once worked as an immigration officer at the British Embassy in Abu Dhabi. In the summer of 2021 she played for Wales against England in rugby league, in a match that was broadcast live on TV.
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Erin King (Dubai Hurricanes mini, Ireland sevens international)
Aged five, Australia-born King went to Dubai Hurricanes training at The Sevens with her brothers. She immediately struck up a deep affection for rugby. She returned to the city at the end of last year to play at the Dubai Rugby Sevens in the colours of Ireland in the Women’s World Series tournament on Pitch 1.
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How to help or find other cats to adopt
Company%20Profile
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The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
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Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
How to help
Call the hotline on 0502955999 or send "thenational" to the following numbers:
2289 - Dh10
2252 - Dh50
6025 - Dh20
6027 - Dh100
6026 - Dh200
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
The Prison Letters of Nelson Mandela
Edited by Sahm Venter
Published by Liveright
