For its autumn/winter 2025 presentation in Paris, Spanish house Loewe eschewed a traditional runway show for a static display – a tableau of ready-to-wear looks, accessories and bags, created in part with the Josef and Anni Albers Foundation in the US.
Josef and Anni Albers, pioneers of 20th century art – he as a Bauhaus Movement figure, she as a textile artist – infused their bold colouring and geometric patterning into the collection.
Josef’s Homage to the Square series appeared as colour-blocked accents across Flamenco clutches, Puzzle bags, and Amazona totes, while Anni’s textured weaves lent depth to overcoats and pom-pom-embroidered bags.
The format was unexpected, but characteristic of creative director Jonathan Anderson, who departed Loewe shortly afterward. Anderson is known for threading high-art concepts through mainstream fashion and his avant-garde interpretations reliably generate social media buzz.
Closer to home, a drive down Sheikh Zayed Road reveals billboards of Zendaya clutching Louis Vuitton’s latest bags, co-created with Japanese artist Takashi Murakami. This is the second time the brand has partnered with the artist – the first was in 2002, when Murakami reimagined Vuitton’s monogram in 32 vibrant hues – an instant hit that remains a cultural touchstone to this day.
Fashion and art have long been intertwined. From the sculpted drapery of Ancient Greek statues, such as The Winged Victory of Samothrace (circa 190 BCE, now at the Louvre), to the regal portraits of European monarchs, attire has served as both artistic medium and political statement.
A 1588 portrait of Queen Elizabeth I, for instance, showcases her opulent pearl-and gold-strewn gown while a window behind her depicts England’s defeat of the Spanish Armada, an unmistakable symbol of dominance.
In December 2018, Dolce & Gabbana channelled the Milanese Renaissance for its Alta Moda collection, incorporating Titian’s Bacchus and Ariadne (circa 1520) and Giorgione’s Judith (1504) into lavishly hand-stitched gowns.
The intersection of fashion and art has often been strategic. In 2017, American artist Jeff Koons collaborated with Louis Vuitton, not incorporating his own works, but repurposing masterpieces, such as Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, plus works by Fragonard, Rubens and Gauguin onto Neverfull, Speedy and Keepall bags, transforming priceless art into luxury accessories.
Similarly, in spring/summer 1991, Gianni Versace revived Andy Warhol’s portraits of Marilyn Monroe and James Dean in a pop-art-meets-fashion moment. Decades later, London’s Saatchi Gallery houses Versace Paintings, which reference Versace’s famous Medusa head motif, illustrating how fashion can inspire fine art in return.
Christian Dior’s link to the art world dates back to its 1947 founding – Monsieur Dior was a gallerist before becoming a designer, championing the likes of Picasso, Dali, Miro, Man Ray and Max Ernst. This legacy has been a launchpad for Maria Grazia Chiuri, Dior’s current creative director, who consistently shines a light on female artists, from Tomaso Binga (autumn/winter 2019) to Judy Chicago (What If Women Ruled the World, haute couture spring/summer 2020) and Surrealist painter Leonor Fini (spring 2018 haute couture).
Chiuri also engages with feminist discourse, citing historian Linda Nochlin’s Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists? (1971) and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s We Should All Be Feminists, the latter emblazoned on a T-shirt that opened her Dior show.
Dior’s ongoing Lady Dior Art project invites artists – Gilbert & George, Judy Chicago, Qatari artist Bouthayna Al Muftah, and Marc Quinn – to reinterpret the maison’s iconic handbag.
Meanwhile, Gucci has taken an artistic route by replacing traditional campaigns with digitally painted visuals by Spanish artist Ignasi Monreal and large-scale murals by Alex Merry in Tokyo and New York, where dreamlike compositions feature Gucci furniture and tea sets alongside monkeys and mythical creatures.
Such collaborations have historical precedence. In the 1930s, Elsa Schiaparelli enlisted her friend Salvador Dali to paint a giant lobster on to a gown, which was donated to the Philadelphia Museum of Art in 1969.
Prada has maintained a firm grip on the art world since opening Fondazione Prada in 1993, followed by its touring Prada Mode programme, which brought exhibitions by Damien Hirst to Dubai in 2022 and Theaster Gates to Abu Dhabi in 2025. Miu Miu, Prada’s sister label, fosters artistic dialogue through short films by female directors worldwide.
In the UAE, Sheikha Hoor Al Qasimi merges art and fashion through Qasimi, the brand founded by her late twin brother, Sheikh Khalid Al Qasimi. As president of Sharjah Art Foundation, she enlists artists to shape collections.
For autumn/winter 2025, Maori artist Emily Karaka contributed bold, indigenous motifs, while previous seasons featured the painted-slash-sketched work of American artist Kambui Olujimi.
At Louis Vuitton, the late Virgil Abloh blurred the lines between fashion, art and architecture, producing kite-shaped jackets and airplane-shaped bags that fuelled viral moments. While reducing such craftsmanship to social media currency may seem reductive, platforms such as Instagram and TikTok have changed how we engage with fashion and art – shifting from private appreciation to mass consumption.
The craving for experiential, shareable culture may seem superficial, but if it broadens access to high art and design, it might just be the perfect antidote to our digital age.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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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.
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Tips to stay safe during hot weather
- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
- Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
- Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
- Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
- Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
- Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
- Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
RESULTS
2pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (Dirt) 1,200m
Winner: Najem Al Rwasi, Fabrice Veron (jockey), Ahmed Al Shemaili (trainer)
2.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Fandim, Fernando Jara, Majed Al Jahouri
3pm: Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,700m
Winner: Harbh, Pat Cosgrave, Ahmed Al Mehairbi
3.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,700m
Winner: Wakeel W’Rsan, Richard Mullen, Jaci Wickham
4pm: Crown Prince of Sharjah Cup Prestige (PA) Dh200,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Jawaal, Fernando Jara, Majed Al Jahouri
4.30pm: Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Cup (TB) Dh200,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Tailor’s Row, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESally%20El-Hosaini%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENathalie%20Issa%2C%20Manal%20Issa%2C%20Ahmed%20Malek%20and%20Ali%20Suliman%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EImelda%20Staunton%2C%20Jonathan%20Pryce%2C%20Lesley%20Manville%2C%20Jonny%20Lee%20Miller%2C%20Dominic%20West%2C%20Elizabeth%20Debicki%2C%20Salim%20Daw%20and%20Khalid%20Abdalla%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EWritten%20by%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPeter%20Morgan%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%20stars%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Profile of Udrive
Date started: March 2016
Founder: Hasib Khan
Based: Dubai
Employees: 40
Amount raised (to date): $3.25m – $750,000 seed funding in 2017 and a Seed round of $2.5m last year. Raised $1.3m from Eureeca investors in January 2021 as part of a Series A round with a $5m target.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre, twin-turbo V8
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 582bhp
Torque: 730Nm
Price: Dh649,000
On sale: now
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Watch live
The National will broadcast live from the IMF on Friday October 13 at 7pm UAE time (3pm GMT) as our Editor-in-Chief Mina Al-Oraibi moderates a panel on how technology can help growth in MENA.
You can find out more here
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57%20Seconds
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ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA
Starring: Nader Abd Alhay, Majd Eid, Ramzi Maqdisi
Directors: Tarzan and Arab Nasser
Rating: 4.5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
SPECS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.4-litre%204-cylinder%20turbo%20hybrid%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20366hp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E550Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESix-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20From%20Dh360%2C000%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EAvailable%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
