“No business can exist on a dead planet.”
This was the underlying message of a press conference today announcing Lebanese designer Rami Kadi as the United Nations Environment Programme’s (Unep) regional goodwill ambassador for sustainable fashion in west Asia.
Kadi has been a long-term proponent of sustainable fashion, most notably in his spring / summer 2020 collection, where he created a dress made entirely out of plastic recovered from the ocean. The material was converted into threads that were woven into a light fabric. “Even the sequins were made from reused plastic,” Kadi explains. “So there was zero waste while producing this dress.”
He was also the first designer in the region to embrace the virtual fashion show – before the pandemic made them de rigeur. “We are proud to have done it before it became a trend. We felt it was more responsible and a way to reduce the planet’s carbon footprint. “
His most recent offering is another exercise in sustainable thinking, although this time born out of necessity. The latest collection was created after the Beirut Port explosion on August 4, which damaged Kadi's home and atelier. "We were about to shut everything down," the designer admits, "but then we thought, let's do this collection by recycling everything we have.
"When we produce a dress for a client, it is a unique piece, since we might do four or six or eight samples of embroidery and those samples would usually be thrown away; we throw out lots of stones and crystals, lots of threads.
"What we did for this collection is we took all the stones and all the sequins and removed them, and we recreated new pieces out of them. Even with old fabrics. We used to buy lots of fabrics. We'd buy 100 metres and use 20 metres, and the rest we would give away or throw out. Now with those fabrics, I re-dyed them into the colours I wanted, and I created a collection from what I had left in my atelier."
For Garette Clark, sustainable lifestyles programme officer at the UN Environment Programme, this is a prime example of sustainability in action: "Looking at your resources, at how you reuse them, at how you keep them in the system longer."
Unep West Asia’s sustainable fashion programme was launched this year "to encourage the region’s consumers to become more responsible and environmentally conscious, to promote circularity, and sustainable consumption and production, while also encouraging cross-cultural collaborations to discover innovative solutions”, Clark explains.
The press conference also included a panel discussion about the current state of sustainability in the fashion industry. Panelist Bandana Tewari, lifestyle editor, sustainability activist and former editor-at-large of Vogue India, highlighted the need for fashion consumers to take personal accountability for the consequences of their purchases.
“It is about taking personal responsibility for social impact and social change. We have a moral duty to take personal ownership and see how we are behaving as consumers and what are our own acts that degrade the environment."
We need to cleanse our hoarding mentality. We are suffocated by the stuff we accumulate in our lives; buy less, buy things of value, buy things that we don't throw away
It’s time for a #fashiondiet, she continues. “We need to cleanse our hoarding mentality. We are suffocated by the stuff we accumulate in our lives. This doesn’t mean we don’t support the fashion industry, or we don’t support creative designers, or that we don’t want beautiful things in our lives – it’s just buy less, buy things of value, buy things that we don’t throw away. And that’s something we as consumers can do individually. You don’t need any corporation or institution or brand to tell you this. Let’s be cognisant of where we put our hard-earned money – let’s not put it into things that go into landfills,” Bandana insisted.
The Unep sustainable fashion programme will consist of four key pillars, explains Sami Dimassi, director and regional representative of Unep West Asia. These include awareness, where the public will be educated on the impact of the fashion industry through campaigns; education and advocacy, to “allow the youth to become accustomed to a more sustainable way of living”; collaborative efforts to develop innovative solutions with industry experts; and finally, policy framework, where science will be used to provide reports and studies that aid governments in drafting relevant policies.
"It is no longer an unknown that the textile industry utilises a lot of the world's natural resources, which are being consumed and disposed of inefficiently," says Dimassi. "In principle, the take-make-dispose model currently adopted by the fashion industry, as well as it consumers, has had a potentially long-lasting impact on the environment through pollution, excessive use and depletion of natural resources, biodiversity loss and a tremendous amount of waste. The sustainable fashion programme will push the industry to shift towards more sustainable practices."
Part of that process, says Tewari, involves peeling back the layers of an industry that is not known for its transparency, to highlight the human hands that lie at the heart of the clothes we wear.
“The idea of being a sustainable brand takes a lot more transparency, a lot more effort, and perhaps even money, to make visible the very invisible hands that have existed in the industry thus far."
Within this framework, Kadi says his role as a goodwill ambassador is "to act more responsibly and to encourage other designers and fashion students to become more aware of this programme that we are working on." His industry insight will be invaluable in helping the United Nations Environment Programme understand the inner workings of the fashion world, while it is hoped that his own sustainable approach will help promote lasting cultural and behavioural change across the region.
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What is Reform?
Reform is a right-wing, populist party led by Nigel Farage, a former MEP who won a seat in the House of Commons last year at his eighth attempt and a prominent figure in the campaign for the UK to leave the European Union.
It was founded in 2018 and originally called the Brexit Party.
Many of its members previously belonged to UKIP or the mainstream Conservatives.
After Brexit took place, the party focused on the reformation of British democracy.
Former Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson became its first MP after defecting in March 2024.
The party gained support from Elon Musk, and had hoped the tech billionaire would make a £100m donation. However, Mr Musk changed his mind and called for Mr Farage to step down as leader in a row involving the US tycoon's support for far-right figurehead Tommy Robinson who is in prison for contempt of court.
ICC Women's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier 2025, Thailand
UAE fixtures
May 9, v Malaysia
May 10, v Qatar
May 13, v Malaysia
May 15, v Qatar
May 18 and 19, semi-finals
May 20, final
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
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BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
Janet Yellen's Firsts
- In 2014, she became the first woman to lead the US Federal Reserve
- In 1999, she became the first female chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers
Mane points for safe home colouring
- Natural and grey hair takes colour differently than chemically treated hair
- Taking hair from a dark to a light colour should involve a slow transition through warmer stages of colour
- When choosing a colour (especially a lighter tone), allow for a natural lift of warmth
- Most modern hair colours are technique-based, in that they require a confident hand and taught skills
- If you decide to be brave and go for it, seek professional advice and use a semi-permanent colour
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
PREMIER LEAGUE RESULTS
Bournemouth 1 Manchester City 2
Watford 0 Brighton and Hove Albion 0
Newcastle United 3 West Ham United 0
Huddersfield Town 0 Southampton 0
Crystal Palace 0 Swansea City 2
Manchester United 2 Leicester City 0
West Bromwich Albion 1 Stoke City 1
Chelsea 2 Everton 0
Tottenham Hotspur 1 Burnley 1
Liverpool 4 Arsenal 0
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Constant Variable (CVT)
Power: 141bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: Dh64,500
On sale: Now
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
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Last 10 NBA champions
2017: Golden State bt Cleveland 4-1
2016: Cleveland bt Golden State 4-3
2015: Golden State bt Cleveland 4-2
2014: San Antonio bt Miami 4-1
2013: Miami bt San Antonio 4-3
2012: Miami bt Oklahoma City 4-1
2011: Dallas bt Miami 4-2
2010: Los Angeles Lakers bt Boston 4-3
2009: Los Angeles Lakers bt Orlando 4-1
2008: Boston bt Los Angeles Lakers 4-2
How green is the expo nursery?
Some 400,000 shrubs and 13,000 trees in the on-site nursery
An additional 450,000 shrubs and 4,000 trees to be delivered in the months leading up to the expo
Ghaf, date palm, acacia arabica, acacia tortilis, vitex or sage, techoma and the salvadora are just some heat tolerant native plants in the nursery
Approximately 340 species of shrubs and trees selected for diverse landscape
The nursery team works exclusively with organic fertilisers and pesticides
All shrubs and trees supplied by Dubai Municipality
Most sourced from farms, nurseries across the country
Plants and trees are re-potted when they arrive at nursery to give them room to grow
Some mature trees are in open areas or planted within the expo site
Green waste is recycled as compost
Treated sewage effluent supplied by Dubai Municipality is used to meet the majority of the nursery’s irrigation needs
Construction workforce peaked at 40,000 workers
About 65,000 people have signed up to volunteer
Main themes of expo is ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ and three subthemes of opportunity, mobility and sustainability.
Expo 2020 Dubai to open in October 2020 and run for six months
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What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
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Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
Key products and UAE prices
iPhone XS
With a 5.8-inch screen, it will be an advance version of the iPhone X. It will be dual sim and comes with better battery life, a faster processor and better camera. A new gold colour will be available.
Price: Dh4,229
iPhone XS Max
It is expected to be a grander version of the iPhone X with a 6.5-inch screen; an inch bigger than the screen of the iPhone 8 Plus.
Price: Dh4,649
iPhone XR
A low-cost version of the iPhone X with a 6.1-inch screen, it is expected to attract mass attention. According to industry experts, it is likely to have aluminium edges instead of stainless steel.
Price: Dh3,179
Apple Watch Series 4
More comprehensive health device with edge-to-edge displays that are more than 30 per cent bigger than displays on current models.
MORE ON CORONAVIRUS & THE ECONOMY
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
Other ways to buy used products in the UAE
UAE insurance firm Al Wathba National Insurance Company (AWNIC) last year launched an e-commerce website with a facility enabling users to buy car wrecks.
Bidders and potential buyers register on the online salvage car auction portal to view vehicles, review condition reports, or arrange physical surveys, and then start bidding for motors they plan to restore or harvest for parts.
Physical salvage car auctions are a common method for insurers around the world to move on heavily damaged vehicles, but AWNIC is one of the few UAE insurers to offer such services online.
For cars and less sizeable items such as bicycles and furniture, Dubizzle is arguably the best-known marketplace for pre-loved.
Founded in 2005, in recent years it has been joined by a plethora of Facebook community pages for shifting used goods, including Abu Dhabi Marketplace, Flea Market UAE and Arabian Ranches Souq Market while sites such as The Luxury Closet and Riot deal largely in second-hand fashion.
At the high-end of the pre-used spectrum, resellers such as Timepiece360.ae, WatchBox Middle East and Watches Market Dubai deal in authenticated second-hand luxury timepieces from brands such as Rolex, Hublot and Tag Heuer, with a warranty.
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
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
VEZEETA PROFILE
Date started: 2012
Founder: Amir Barsoum
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
