In Profile: Reem Kanj as PUMA Ambassador

Reem Kanj, a budding fashion designer has recently been chosen by PUMA to be their Middle East brand ambassador as part of their global initiative. A first of its kind, not only is this exciting news for the Middle East, it also portrays the importance of embracing the culture you have a presence in. We at Malone could not be more happier to see international brands collaborate with Middle Eastern talent to promote their brand. It is about time other brands follow suit and grow towards this direction to appeal to its local customer. Reem Kanj, kindly talks to us about her experience with PUMA during her stay in Dubai.

When did all this happen?

I was approached  by PUMA 2 months ago to represent them as a brand ambassador. I have been a die hard PUMA fan ever since I was a child, so being given the chance to represent them was an absolute honour. I was over the moon with excitement, because for me, it was a chance to showcase my creative side as someone who had a background in fashion and textiles.

Tell us about your experience at the PUMA creative factory.

The entire project was so much fun and refreshing to begin with. Meeting the other 15 ambassadors and working together in the same room felt like being in a chemistry lab at school. Only thing is, we were allowed to go wild with our ideas and inspirations, so the room was buzzing with energy and positivity. Fun is definitely the word I would use to describe this experience; it was the perfect way to end the year for me.

What inspired you to come up with the design of the sneakers?

We were called to the factory at such short notice. At first, I found it a bit daunting when I realized I had to design the shoes from scratch, as I was unsure of the design procedures PUMA followed. However, upon seeing the array of different fabrics, colors, cuts and shapes, I knew what I had in mind.

Essentially, it was important for me to come up with a design that represented my personality as a person and a fashion designer for my brand, House of Rena. Always think of the basic elements that identify you and then build on from there. The colors pink, white and grey represented my brand, so I knew what colors I wanted to use. Not to mention how fun and feminine these colors were, so I was definitely pleased with the look.

Moving on to the fabric, I mixed it up a bit. The feel of suede was very appealing to me. I used suede for the front and side part of the sneakers, and incorporated leather on the back for durability. The look was finished off with white laces to give the sneakers a fresh and crisp look.

What responsibilities do you have as the brand Ambassador for PUMA.

In addition to being directly involved in the design process, part of my duties will naturally be to partake in press opportunities and public appearances for PUMA. I am very pleased to have been picked as an ambassador, and I see this as an ongoing supportive relationship between the both of us.  

You can connect with Reem via the following links:

Twitter 

Facebook 

Malone Fashion (UAE's first retail industry blogger)

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Chanel does pop up at Meatpacking district

Karl Lagerfeld does it all again with his pop up store in the Meatpacking district of New York. The Chanel pop up store" has to be the coolest pop-up news maybe ever" As WWD reveals. The space offers 1,000 square feet of umbrellas, tables, awnings, and beach cabins are all kitted up in rosy hue. Jeffrey Kalinsky, the founder of the boutique, says the on-site Chanel is "a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity." 

Fatma & Sharifa Al-Thani, Qatar’s luxury bloggers report on their leading fashion blog hautecouturista.com  "The pop-up store will include many of Chanel's gorgeous cruise collection that has over 60 looks. Printed chiffons, cage dresses, bikinis, patchwork, caftans and long dresses. Also the store will include the most famous watches by Chanel J-12 and selection of ties"

  

But this isnt a NEW strategy of Chanel, infact it all  began two years ago in 2008  at London's Dover Street Market when we first saw Chanel’s first retail initiative of the pop-up kind. This theme continued with Karl Lagerfeld’s pop-up store in the ritzy-glitzy glamour of  St. Tropez a store  210sqm in size Chanel in St. The NYC version is said to launch on the 30th of Nov til the 4th of Jan 2011.

The question on our lips and no doubt many others is…When will we see such stores come here and treat us with the same creative love and buzz?  

For now Khaleeji fashionistas will have to travel to engage and experience the latest creative works of Chanel (not that it’s something to complain about)! Nevertheless we at MALONE love where the fashion set is going globally – But… why not bring it here?  Luxury today engages all the senses and delivers a shopping experiences more than just design hanging on the rack, it engages all of the senses in design, experience and even music inspiration. 

Stay tuned for our upcoming follow up on Architectural designs for pop up in luxury brands ;)

Malone fashion (UAE's first retail industry Blogger)

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Niftee collaborates with TEDxDubai

  

Aljoud Lootah, the  Emirati mastermind behind her fashion concept "Niftee" has been approached by TEDxDubai to design bags that will be given away to attendees and participants. TED, an acronym for Technology, Entertainment and Design is a global series of self organised events that aim to inspire people with "Ideas worth spreading", Every city adapts TEDx to a certain theme, and this year's theme of TEDxDubai is called REBOOT.  That is because the organiser Giorgio Ungania and his team, believe in the possibility of re-inventing lives and the world everybody lives in through the power of dreams and ideas.

Aljoud, so ecstatic about her involvement in such a presitigous project says "I was approached by the TEDxDubai organizing team a while back where they asked if I was interested in designing this year's bag. Of course, I was beyond interested! I accepted the request after being briefed on the project and started designing immediately, keeping in mind a few essential factors:

- design to depict a few bi-lingual phrases that would revolve around this year's theme (REBOOT)

- Colors of TEDxDubai

The concept of the design revolves around shapes (organic and geometric), evolution, dynamic colors, contrast and typography. I was mostly inspired by kaleidoscope patterns and you'd be able to sense that from the design".

The TEDxDubai organizing committee loved her take on the bags so much they decided to take care of the production and printing. Giorgio Ungania, the man who is responsible for bringing TEDx to Dubai says "I believe that Niftee's work and talent is so unique and relevant to the UAE that it deserves to be showcased to the international TEDx community". Unfortunately we cannot post any sneak peaks of the design, in due time, a video tutorial will be revealed on how to use the bag. Hmmm...something tells us this is not going to be an ordinary bag!

What is even more exciting for Aljoud is, the TED management is also considering using the same design for the entire event collateral in order to keep the whole look/feel of the event consistent. The Malone team could not have been more excited and happy for our friend Aljoud, as this will definitely give her brand a massive boost to a potential global audience. Mabrook to TEDxDubai and Aljoud on this fantastic collaboration :) We cannot wait for the 4th of December to come so we can attend this mind blowing event.

For those of you who would like to attend, make sure you register on http://tedxdubai.com/ as you will be given a barcode that will be scanned straight off your smartphone to enter. Sophisticated eh ;)

See you there

Malone Fashion (UAE's first retail industry blogger)

xoxo

Gulf luxury fashion goes SMART

As the west adopt their marketing strategies to the 21C, the luxury set in Dubai follows suit, but the tactics are different and knowing your customer is key for the 21C.  Today we heard form the brand leaders in luxury, one of the first such speakers at Dubai's Luxury Forum was Zayan Ghandour -she shared her vision of filling market gaps with her multi award winning boutique S*uce. Zayan shares " that when buying for the Gulf customer, her success has been in customization" and such a model evolved organically and to great success."  Zayan is an example of an innovator who understands her customer and the value of individualized hanger appeal, Zayan continues to develop innovative concepts and creating new products and services to fit the market gap and customer appeal. MAF Fashion CEO Asil Attar, shared the  Juicy Couture Story and its continued success in the region, which was once again attributed to tailoring the brand to the customer and the region. Asil looks at the stores look, feel and flow. "It must reflect the customer's needs and wants within the cultural environment" she said.  The day closed hearing from Danish Frahan, Chairman and CEO of Xische'.  "It only takes 1 satisfied trend setter to influence 10,900 people - that is the power of the internet and social media" says Danish. Danish captured the essence of the impact of the world online, he believes that "social media is not a sales tool it is an engagement tool". 

Today at the luxury Forum the story of engagement rang true, through and through, customers are looking for authenticity, a brand which fits the market and the need for it to be communicated to them, in their language. The luxury forum's mission is to create a market focused platform for all players of the regional space to meet and discuss strategies. Today we face new challenges, yes they are different to that of the West, but without careful consideration of this new decade in the gulf —  in store design, social interaction and connecting with brand influencers, the West may reach our market first - through their own new technologies and capture our very own market share.