Our Rene does it again! Season after season, it only gets better. We would love to congratulate him and his team on such wonderful creation and we always look forward to hearing from you.

Press Release:
SS14 OH MAN! – A collection dedicated to the early days of hip hop.The period where graffiti became art and nightlife became wilder and wilder. Dance music was called high energy.The boys were out all night – breaking, painting, rolling..Fashion became bright and easy to wear! Today “street wear” is bigger than ever – even big old Parisian fashion houses are fighting to dress today’s rapper!

SS14 is loud, colorful and diverse. Our aim is always to please the two side sides of the modern man: THE CUTE and THE COOL.On the cute side the very flashy printed sportswear-inspired items. Mega hoodies which can be carried as backpacks and the almost superhero-like tracksuits.For the cool the mega skirt like shorts covered in patches – with tartan maxi shirts.

“Rene Gurskov is always a big hitter in Tokyo street fashion and this season his subversive cuteness fits in perfectly with the mood of the moment."Tokyo telephone

Photo: kasper harup-hansen –

  http://www.kasperharup-hansen.com

Make-up: martin svaneklink brandt

Model: noah syrkis

Artwork: arnold gevers - 

 http://www.incircus.dk/2013/04/the-fashion-pack-6-arnold-gevers.html

 New Classic Collection Available Exclusively at Toby Boutiques

The Toby Junior Ramadan/Summer 2013 Collection

"The new collection of thobe market leader Toby by Hatem Alakeel's Toby Junior Ramadan/Summer 2013 collection encorporates Hatem Alakeel's refined design ethos featuring smart stripes and a sophisticated color palette of baby blue, navy and silver made of the finest international fabrics. This festive season fashion forward kids who wish to stand out in a crowd in bespoke red carpet cool designs will be wearing Toby Junior. Toby Junior the perfect choice for the 2013 Ramadan/Eid/Summer season." - Toby

Photos: courtesy of Toby by Hatem Alakeel

Kay Li AW 13/14

A dream is a great motivation that keeps us going in this life, and no one is luckier than a person who pursuits it and make it come true, that was the case of Kay Li who traveled from her home town to explored the world til she decided to settle follow her dream in becoming a fashion designer, her lines, inspiration and silhouettes are different and shows her diverse backgrounds.

Here is our interview with her... 

- Where are you from and how did you start in fashion?

I'm from Hong Kong but I left home for college when i was 18.  Since then I have lived in the US, Switzerland and the UK and now I'm in Dubai.  Fashion Design was something I wanted to pursue when i was young but didn't have a chance to do so.  When I first came to Dubai, I realized that was my chance to finally make my dream come true, so I enrolled in the full-time program at ESMOD Dubai and started my own label soon after I graduated.  I'm now based between Dubai and Hong Kong.

Kay Li AW 13/14

- What was the inspiration behind your collection?

I draw inspiration from humanity to architecture, environmental issues to current affairs.  At this moment, my inspirations come from my life journey.  This AW13-14 collection was about the similarity between modern women and horses.  We all think horses are free-spirited animals, running wild in the woods. Much like modern women - free to express ourselves, free to pursue whatever we like.  However, just like all but 1 breed of horses in the world, when duties call, most of us are happily being domesticated, comfortably being tamed.

Kay Li AW 13/14

- How do you describe the Kay Li Brand customer?

Sophisticated, cultured, intellectual.  A woman with an understated elegance

Kay Li AW 13/14

- What are your future plans and where are your items sold currently?

I will continue what i love to do the most - designing quality womenswear.  My focus is to continue building and promoting this label.  You can find my Spring/Summer collection in O-Concept, which is located on Jumeirah Beach Road in Dubai.  Next collection i will also sell through notjustalabel.com, which is the world’s leading designer platform for showcasing and nurturing emerging designers worldwide, for people that live outside of Dubai.

Kay Li AW 13/14

The Inspiration...

Kay Li's A/W13-14 collection paints a surreal scene of a black horse being trapped in an enchanted forest When a fair maiden came to rescue him, one look into each other eyes, they realized they are both trapped in the world they have put themselves in.

The Silhouettes...

The Autumn/Winter 13-14 collection with simple and yet beautifully structured silhouette. Elegantly sloping shoulders, wide sleeves and scarf collars are strong features to create effortless statement pieces that can easily translate into everyday look.

For more on Kay Li collections Please click here

Interview by: Amal Ismail

Collages by: Hussa Altubbaji

Photos: courtesy of Kay Li

KENZO: Spring-Summer 2014 Menswear Fashion Show from MM TV on Vimeo.

We've been waiting for the Kenzo Collection since March, everyone knows it's one of our favorite brands of all time and it's getting better and never disappointing! Ahhh while I was watching the show I felt like someone was aiming fire-crackers at my heart! really my chest was burning with excitement, with such a vibrant and beautiful inspiration, waves of success I swear! not just a theme. I think it had a Tokyo/London look, it was not very Paris which is what makes it so special. I don't care if it's menswear, I want some items..

Writing by: Amal Ismail

Photos: courtesy of fashinisto.com

Video: courtesy of mailmovement.com

Christophe Beaufays at Tahskeel- Jeddah

Christophe Beaufays is the Associate Art Director and Senior Designer for the Jeddah based Thobe house Lomar, a formar Jean Paul Gaultier senior designer and a teacher at the prestigous Parsons the new School of Design in New York. This creative designer have been everywhere and have seen it all, and decided two years ago to relocate and take Jeddah as his new home in collaboration with Lomar team to help take the Thobe industry to the next level providing the customers with unique cuts, materials and ideas every season..

We had the chance to have a causal talk with him to know more about Lomar, the fashion scene in the GCC and more... 

Lomar 2013

- When was the first time you were ever introduce to a Thobe? and where?

The first time I really paid attention to this outfit and start loving it was when I came in Dubai to work For ESMOD fashion university.

- What made you interested in becoming a Thobe designer?

I never thought of being a thobe Designer of course and I was not even sure that there were Designer for this outfits as in the UAE the thobes (Kendwrah) are all the same and are just made in small tailor shops. I had to wait to meet Loai Nassem and his wife Mona Al Haddad in Dubai at Lafayette Galleries inside the Lomar booth to discover that there were some very interesting and creative designs for Saudi thobes and that the first to re-define the thobes were Loai and his wife and that many other young designers started to do the same and they were all from Jeddah.

Lomar Collections

- You travelled all over the world, Japan, Europe  the US, etc, and saw all the grown mature fashion industries ...... Why did you choose to design thobe?! and why saudi?!

My dream was to mix my knowledge and experience in high fashion design and my passion for Arab culture. I couldn't find a better place for that than working in Saudi Arabia for Lomar,-the biggest and most influential thobe Design company- and in Jeddah, the most open-minded and cultural city in Saudi Arabia where the mix of the Eastern and the Western culture was existing for centuries.

- You've worked in haute couture and in the ready to industry, which do you think is closer to Thobe design? and why? 

Thobe Design is not Haute Couture anyway there are no Haute Couture for men so far (except by Jean-Paul gaultier). But its not purely ready-made neither as each thobe is custom-made on measurements of the client. Its a kind of “Semi-Couture” but the Designs are not exclusive like it must be for Haute Couture (except on demand for “VIP”). But recently lomar started to sell ready-made thobes for people who are travelling, passing by or in a hurry. We just fix the length (hem) directly on the spot.

Ediyah Kids Collection

- What are the differences that you have noticed between the Middle Eastern fashion scene and the International one? What do we need to do over here to reach professional global standards? Of course there are differences because of the culture and also the religion and  its very important to keep those differences because those differences are the identity of the region and for me the mission of Designer is to keep those cultural differences alive because I hate the globalization that is trying to standardize the tastes and customs to make everything and everywhere look the same. But in term of quality and technical skills there are improvements to do to reach the professional standards concerning the all Middle East countries. And that s the most important challenge to avoid in the future to see the manufacture companies with “know-how” and skilled labor only going to western (for luxury)  or Asian (for mass market) countries.

- What's your favorite part when you are preparing for a collection?  

The work on the concepts and the making of the samples until we get the best result.

- Where do you see the thobe market going in the future? internationally or remain in the region?

The thobe market is and will most probably stay exclusively in the GCC market and even inside the GCC there are important differences between the designs of thobes from each of these countries. The Emiratis don't wear Saudi thobes for example as well as Saudis don t wear Omani thobes etc….

But of course we can think ( and we are already thinking….) “international” by designing other items like accessories and also by designing a western style ready-to-wear but with an Arabic inspiration.

Lomar Shumagh Collection

- Will we see an haute couture line for Lomar in future?

I don t think that s a very interesting market for Lomar... As a Designer I have more pride to see the people in the street wearing our designs than to spend time designing something that just one person will wear and maybe just for one occasion…For me the highest mission and pride of a Designer is to have an influence –even small-on the society or even sometimes on the world he’s living in. Haute Couture just makes u satisfy few privileged people in the world. It doesn't interest me that much, personally…

Questions: Amal Ismail & Hussa Altubbaji

Photos: Courtesy of Lomar & Christophe Beaufays.

Collages by: Hussa Altubbaji.

The different sides of Patrick Moritz

With the end of men's fashion weeks, an industry that is estimated to be almost a 40 billion dollar one and only getting bigger and better by the minute, we've decided few months ago to start  focusing on it. Now our interview is with a model who started at a young age in his home town of Berlin, Patrick Moritz is a Dubai based model who was featured in many GCC ads, you probably saw him once or twice in your local mall on some of the posters for the new season, here is our short interview with Patrick regrading modeling, Dubai and his future projects...

-How did you start in fashion?

I started at the age of 14. At that time I was living in Berlin and someone asked me if I wanted to do a fashion show for an upcoming local designer. After the show I signed with my first agency.

- From Berlin to Dubai..tell us about your journey...

I have been living on and off in Dubai now for the past 6 years, incredible how quickly that time has past. My decision of moving to Dubai had at that time nothing to do with modeling, so my first job in Dubai was as a Personal Trainer and Nutritionist. It is the field I studied in and I have always enjoyed doing it. After 2 years of purely focusing on my clients I decided to get involved in modeling again and it has been taking over since then. I still Personal Train whenever I do not have a modeling job.

- Was modeling your calling or do you have another passion you would to pursue in life?

Modeling is no Rocket Science. It is a great opportunity for anyone who can do it, but there is definitely not much of personal development happening. I have been doing Personal Training now for the past 12 years and I still enjoy doing it because it gives me the opportunity to change peoples lives and raise their awareness towards themselves.  Acting is and always has been one of my other passions. I have been going back and forth between Los Angeles and Dubai for workshops and networking. It is a process which you have to learn to enjoy without only looking at the end result.

- What is your absolute favorite moment on the catwalk?

It was a show in Dubai Mall (I have to not disclose the brand). The stylist team was instructed to leave all the tags on the clothes, which turned out to be a nightmare for the models. I rushed into my second outfit which was a Tux, realizing I had 3 security tags and 2 price tags on me. Unfortunately it was too late to do anything about it. I stepped onto the ramp, posed for 3 beats and saw a price tag dangling down from my jacket. I ripped it off, threw it backstage and started walking. At the end of the ramp I posed again and a photographer gave me a signal that my bow tie wasn't sitting right. I smiled it off, fixed it and continued. The whole show was a mess but after a couple of days you laugh about it.

-From your professional point of view, how do you see modeling opportunities in Dubai?

The Dubai market is very versatile and offers more and more each year. I enjoy working here because we are all like one big family. Unfortunately there are a lot of "models" that do jobs for very low rates, which kills the opportunity for higher quality modeling in Dubai.

- Describe your personal style, are there certain brands you love wearing?

My personal style is very simple. T-Shirt and Jeans do it for me. If I go out I mostly combine jackets with trousers and a shirt... simply smart casual. One of my favorite brands is Zara. I like the fit and the collections are always very fast moving.

- What are your future projects...

I am doing the next Campaign for Tchibo and Karstadt this Summer through my German Agency. As well I am in talks with L'Oreal for a hair product shoot.

Questions: Hussa Altubbaji

Photos: Courtesy of Patrick Moritz.

Collages by: Hussa Altubbaji.