Bella Hadid

Trust Bella Hadid to make a sartorial statement, all while supporting emerging talent.
Photo: Instagram.com/bellahadid
Promoting her beverage brand Kin Euphorics in Las Vegas this weekend, the part-Palestinian model championed an up-and-coming designer from the region. The bright red dress worn by Hadid for her attendance at the Stanton Social Prime at Caesars Palace had been picked from Egyptian creative Amy Shehab’s namesake label. Given that the model styled herself for the event, it makes sense that the long-sleeved, curve-hugging number with a drop waist buckle caught Hadid’s eye, as it falls in line with her penchant for 90s-inspired pieces.

See Bella Hadid strike a pose in her pick from Amy Shehab below

Amy Shehab is a US-based online brand founded in 2016, and born out of the designer’s love for fashion which bloomed when she worked in retail at the age of 16. Empowered by her mother’s advice to “never rely on anything or anyone, but God,” Shehab used the social skills and funds from the job to lay the foundation of her independence, and began making her own jewelry while in college. “I would walk around NYC to source materials and it brought me joy. I started wearing my pieces to work and customers would compliment me and ask me where they could buy them,” she tells Vogue Arabia. “Most of the time, I gave the pieces for free out of love, until realizing that I have the power to turn this into a business.”

It was a 2016 trip to her grandmother’s home in Cairo and exploring factories in the city that helped Shehab find the materials to launch her very own line of Egyptian-inspired jewelry which she later brought to New York. “That’s where I broadened my options and started selling all types of jewelry online. Four years later, I began to create clothing, as I love having my own individual style and try to buy pieces I don’t see on others.”
With the brand now finding a fan in one of the world’s most sought-after models, Shehab feels honored. “I love how Bella is her own person,” she says. “Not only is she beautiful, but beautifully places pieces together and creates her style with confidence, no matter what she wears. She is a major influence in today’s world—both, in being a top model in fashion, and also in choosing to shed light on the importance of what’s going on in the world.”
It is evident that a strong passion for individualistic style and faith in the transformative power of fashion has led Shehab to this moment. “Wearing the perfect piece of clothing can completely shift your mood. When a woman is confident it’s almost like a superpower,” she says. “So now, I’m on this journey. Excited to see where it takes me, as I have a big love for fashion.”
Read Next: Bella Hadid Celebrated Her 26th Birthday with a Kunafa Cake By This Palestinian Woman-Owned Bakery

Zendaya. Photo: Getty
What’s old is new again—just look at the red carpets this awards season. Hunter Schafer, Zendaya, Cate Blanchett, and more used the red carpet as an opportunity to showcase vintage fashion at the BAFTAs, NAACP Image Awards, Oscars, and more. Many of the gowns and ensembles were from the recent past by designers like Versace, Jean Paul Gaultier, Dior, and more. One particularly popular era: 1995-2005 (which, coincidentally, encompasses some of the years Gen-Zers were born.)
And the looks feel remarkably of the moment. Take, for example, Olivia Rodrigo. The pop star, with the help of stylist Danielle Goldberg, wore horse-printed Chloé pants from Stella McCartney’s tenure at the brand on the red carpet. With a flared leg and low-slung waist, the pants, incredibly, hit multiple quadrants on the trendiness chart. While vintage Versace—namely the 90s— has been worn to events by Zendaya, Dua Lipa, and Bella Hadid. It’s fashion so good, it demands to be worn twice.
Vintage taps into the ever-growing desire for sustainability within fashion. Why make an entirely new dress when there are plenty of great ones waiting to be reworn? And the looks do not have to feel overly rooted in the past either. Popular archival shops such as Tab Vintage, Pechuga Vintage, and Shrimpton Couture have emerged as reliable go-to’s for remarkably curated and of-the-moment vintage fashion for celebrities and fashion enthusiasts.
And then there is Cate Blanchett, who has not only reworn looks from previous red carpets but also reworked garments into entirely new creations. An Alexander McQueen gown becomes a fitted top; repurposed lace from the Armani workshops is used for a new gown. Blanchett showcases that vintage fashion can be utilized in multiple and myriad ways.

Below, check out some of the best vintage fashion moments from this past awards season.
Cate Blanchett rewears her 2015 Oscars Margiela dress to the 2023 BAFTAs. Photo: Getty
Olivia Rodrigo in Chloé Spring 2001 at Billboard Women in Music 2023. Photo: Getty
Winnie Harlow in Armani Haute Couture Spring 2005 at the Academy Awards. Photo: Getty
Kendall Jenner in Jean Paul Gaultier Spring 2008 Couture at the Vanity Fair Oscars Party. Photo: Getty
Bella Hadid in 1987 Versace at Cannes Film Festival. Photo: Getty
Jurnee Smollett in 1996 Nina Ricci Haute Couture at the Vanity Fair Oscars Party. Photo: Getty
Gabrielle Union in 1989 Versace at the 54th NAACP Image Awards. Photo: Getty
Vanessa Hudgens in vintage Chanel at the Academy Awards. Photo: Getty
Laura Dern in Armani Privé Spring 2006 at the Vanity Fair Oscars Party. Photo: Getty
Laverne Cox in vintage John Galliano at the Golden Globes Awards. Photo: Getty
Rooney Mara in vintage Alexander McQueen at the Academy Awards. Photo: Getty
Jenna Ortega in Versace Fall 1994 at the Screen Actors Guild Awards. Photo: Getty
Zendaya in Versace Spring 2002 at the 54th NAACP Image Awards. Photo: Getty
Megan Stalter in Vivienne Westwood Spring 2004 at the Scren Actors Guild Awards. Photo: Getty
Rooney Mara in Givenchy Spring 1997 at the Film Independent Spirit Awards. Photo: Getty
Originally published in Vogue.com
Read Next: Jenna Ortega, Michelle Yeoh, and More: The Best SAG Awards Red Carpet 2023 Looks

Bella Hadid in Swarovski jewelry. Photo: Courtesy Swarovski
You’ve seen them sparkling in the windows, you’ve seen them dazzling up your favorite stars—Swarovski is in its strongest era yet with a whole new look, but with the same festive flavor it has always been loved for around the globe. The brand, which was once reserved for classic jewelry pieces and beautifully crafted home decor favorites, now boasts a range of baubles that toe the line between elegant and edgy. Multicolored crystals come together for a playful effect in the Chroma collection, the iconic Swan gets a new-age revamp with gold crowns and pop hues, and cheeky little sculptures of pineapples and exotic birds find their way into collectible jewelry pieces. Among the many names who can’t get enough of Swarovski these days are some of the coolest women in the world—Doja Cat doused herself in scarlet Swarovski rocks at Schiaparelli’s Paris Couture Week show, Bella Hadid has joined her name to the brand’s as  brand ambassador, and Michelle Obama is a fan of the crystal house’s Matrix Vittore earrings.

One of the main names behind the brand today is Alexis Nasard, Swarovski’s very first external CEO—who also happens to be a noteworthy personality of Lebanese origins. In the midst of a whirlwind trip to the UAE, the powerhouse, who has over 30 years of experience in the industry and counts himself as the first leader from outside the Swarovski family to hold this role in the brand’s 127-year-history, sits down with Vogue Arabia to deconstruct the method behind the madness, and what we can expect from Swarovski’s shining future.
Bracelet, Swarovski Chroma collection
Vogue Arabia: First off, Welcome to Dubai. How does it feel like to be back here?Alexis Nasard: There is a very special vibe in Dubai. There’s a vibe of success, a vibe of progress and increasingly, it’s becoming a platform for fashion, for trends, for luxury and an important part of our strategy at Swarovski.
Earrings, Swarovski Matrix Vittore collection
VA: You are the first CEO of Swarovski who’s not actually from the family, how did that come about?AN: In November 2021, the shareholders decided to professionalize the governance of the company. That started by creating a board of directors, majority of which is composed of non-family members and non-shareholders, so independent directors. And today we have a board of directors where five out of eight are independent directors and the shareholders/family members are three out of eight. For the first time, you have an independent chairwoman and that board also decided to appoint an external professional CEO in my person, and that’s how it came about. I think it’s a very good setup because it strikes the right balance between the family, that brings the legitimacy to the company, that brings heritage, that brings history and the family values – which are quiet foundational for the creation of our company. And we keep that whilst we talk that up with professional management that has been trained in different schools around the world to lead the company.
If you want to look at the results in 2022, we posted the strongest growth in seven years. We grew by 10%, if we exclude Great China, we grew 18% which is well above the jewelry market, and we grew in various parts of our business: in our retail business, in our component business, we grew online, we grew offline. Our strategic market in the US grew by 20%, which is really remarkable. It’s too early to cry victory, but the early signs of the implied strategies are definitely promising.
Earrings, Swarovski Iconic Swan collection
As a man of Lebanese origin, it’s a very proud moment for the region to see someone like you taking care of a brand that’s loved globally. Was entering this industry always a dream, or did it happen almost like a surprise in life?I always loved brands, and I always loved designers, and I always liked fashion. I have been in the branded business for all my career, and I have always liked art, modern art design. I personally paint in my spare time, within the renounces of my control. I am quite involved in the collections, so for me the industry is a fairly natural fit, because it is about all the things that I love to do, and I have passion for.
Ring, Swarovski Hyperbola collection
It’s evident that Swarovski has made a major shift in its aesthetic in the past few years. Can you tell us a little bit about the role you played in giving it this new flavor?Every time society goes through a dramatic or tragic phase, like world wars, or civil wars, or lately the pandemic, there is always a wave of joie de vivre, as we say in French. People realize that life is unpredictable, and they want to live it to the max. So they spend more, or go out more, or they want to self-indulge more, and this is why we have shifted our collection to something a little bit more bold, a little bit more colorful, to represent that joie de vivre as we call it, and that is something Swarovski has been always good at… reading, understanding and sensing what is moving society and cultural trends and reflecting that. Not only in our product collections, but also in our store concepts, you know with the new famous outlook, as well as our new marketing campaign with Bella Hadid, which is very much a reflection of the brand positioning which is all about joyful extravagance.
Earrings, Swarovski Gema collection
Can you tell us more about the process of selection? Why did you choose Bella Hadid and what were the reactions Swarovski received for it? As part of our desire to continue the “luxurization” of the brand—which includes the collection, the retail experience, the communication, the customer service—we felt that occasionally collaborating with a celebrity can be a good win-win for evolving the image of the brand. We love Bella. She’s beautiful, she has a discrete elegant beauty, she represents a very modern rendition of elegance and she has a massive following. She was rated as the No.1 model in the US. And we felt that she and Swarovski were a good fit, and business results are a true testament to it. Now, does that mean we will only communicate with the celebrities in the future? Not necessarily. But we will do it once in a while when we have a celebrity that really reflects the values of the brand.
In the end, what is luxury about? Where are the profound ingredients of luxury? Thinking about price only is a very simplistic way to think about luxury. There are deeper things behind it. You have heritage, you have creativity, luxury brands invent new codes. You have craftsmanship. These are all ingredients Swarovski has. So we can translate that into product solutions and execution that inspires the customer, gives her joy, self-expression and self-indulgence, which is really an essential part of the luxury experience. And we are able to do it, because we have a very unique capability of creating what I called a ‘beautiful complications’. We like to use the word ‘complication’ in segmenting our collection in high-mid-low complications. The analogy with watchmaking is actually quite easy and tempting, because a complication in watches is the ultimate example of sophistication and craftsmanship. And that’s something we do and we are one of the very few brands in Austria, made in Europe. We are kind of proud of that heritage!
Ring, Swarovski Idyllia collection
Do you think that the new era of Swarovski is also aiming at a different buyer? Are you looking closer at Gen Z?The answer is yes and no. By the way, Gen Z and millennials represents 67% of our consumer base, so we are relatively young skewed, and that has increased lately. But to be clear, we are not one of those brands who are always chasing youth and Gen Z. As you know, purchasing power increases with age in many parts of the world. So we want to make sure we have a healthy stream of recruiting amongst the youth to keep the brand current and relevant, but we are also happy to cater to the need of our current consumers because, as you know, the price to serve an existing customer is lower than recruiting a new one. We have a very balanced way in architecturing our consumer bills.
With everything that you’ve worked on with Swarovski so far, what would you say as the biggest challenge?The most challenging thing, when you lead a new organization on a transformation agenda is pacing the amount of change. If you go too fast, you will lose the organization on the way. If you go too slowly, business results don’t come. So it’s a constant. As I said earlier the job, of a CEO is a constant balancing act and for me at this juncture of the development of such an old company with very established value, is always tracking the right balance in pacing that change.
Necklace, Swarovski Volta collection
What do you think you would say is your proudest accomplishments so far for Swarovski?A CEO can never say he has a personal accomplishment because a CEO never works alone. Any accomplishments we had is with my colleagues of the executive community and the 18,000 Swarovski employees we have. I would say we brought results quickly. It may sound boring to you, you would prefer to talk about the millennials, but at the end of the day we are running a company, we are not running a museum and we need a beautiful brand, a brand of dreams, but we also need business of dreams and I think our challenge as an executive community is to make both happen.
Earrings, Swarovski Lucent collection
What inspiration do you think you can take from the Middle Eastern Swarovski buyer? And how did they inspire you to keep growing?I think as brand builder, relying on loyalty is a dangerous thing. I think the branding game is a permanent seduction. You cannot take any consumer for granted. None of them. Even if somebody has been with us for years, we have to permanently seduce her. And we seduce her with all the tools that we have. To respond to your question directly, the Middle Eastern consumer is a bit more extravagant than average. So generally when we see an uptake in certain collection in the Middle East, that inspires us to think or to believe that some collections actually have legs and potential for the future. Here is a fun customer that actually is a little bit more of a risk taker than average, which is a fun experience for us.
Earrings, Swarovski Dulcis collection
Do you have any plans for the future specifically for the Middle East? Any special collections that we can keep an eye out for, any new spaces, stores, experiences, that you would like to tell me about?Generally the platform is global, because we are a global brand, but we occasionally do launch capsules which are event relevant, culturally relevant, collaboration relevant, like the Ramadan capsule, which features all these green dancing stones. We might also do more of those in the future. We will also be refurbishing our store, and we are going to come with a local influencer that we are going to be using in a lot of our communication in the next few weeks. Can’t tell you who that is! That’s still our little secret.

Photo: Instagram.com/aminamuaddi
Earlier this week, the Neiman Marcus Group announced that Amina Muaddi and Jonathan Anderson would be the recipients of the newest Neiman Marcus Awards. While Muaddi will be awarded for innovation in the field of fashion, Anderson is being honored for creative impact in the industry. The two will be joining Brunello Cucinelli, recipient of the 2023 Neiman Marcus Award for Distinguished Service in the Field of Fashion.
“We are committed to Revolutionize Luxury Experiences, and our Creative Impact and Innovation honorees do just that through their unique brand expressions,” said Geoffroy van Raemdonck, chief executive officer of Neiman Marcus, in an official release.
Photo: Instagram.com/scotttrindle
Muaddi launched her eponymous brand in 2017 and quickly rose to fame. Since then, she has earned a reputation for creating the most coveted statement shoes and accessories. The Jordanian-Romanian designer counts Rihanna as one of her earliest celebrity clients and has now become a go-to for other fashion icons such as Bella and Gigi Hadid, and even Lady Gaga.
Anderson who is the creative director at Loewe, is nothing less than a visionary. Often credited with being responsible for Loewe’s success over the past decade it is no surprise that his unique sense of design has earned him this accolade. As stated by Lana Todorovich, chief merchandising officer, in the release “his thought-provoking fashion is a force that transcends across both men’s and women’s categories with a courageous ability to deliver the unexpected and keep customers on their toes.”
Todorovich recognized that “It is rare in our industry for a young brand to find such immediate success” before going on to praise Muaddi not just for her “distinctive aesthetic” but also for her sense of business. Neiman Marcus started working with the designer soon after her first collection was launched and seems to be looking forward to deepening that relationship. 
Both Anderson and Muaddi will be receiving their awards in an industry celebration during Paris Fashion Week that will count amongst its guests everyone from global business leaders to creative forces in the fashion world. However, the partnership between Neiman Marcus and the awardees will not end there as the company will be supporting them in merchandising and marketing. Fans of the designers can also expect a collaboration with exclusive experiences for Neiman Marcus customers.
Read Next: Amina Muaddi, Karlie Kloss, and More: All The Stars On The Front Row At Paris Couture Week SS 2023

Bella Hadid. Photo: Instagram.com/bellahadid
Usually it’s the latest It bag or a buzz-worthy shoe causing a frenzy on the fashion scene. This season, the Bottega Veneta drop earrings are the must-have item on everybody’s shopping list.
“We have received well over 100 requests for these earrings,” Gabriel Waller, global personal shopper for celebrities like Hailey Bieber and Khloé Kardashian (aka: the queen of finding in-demand, hard-to-source fashions), tells Vogue. “Although that is not unusual for one particular piece (for example: the Hermès Chypre or the Chanel quilted loafers reach far beyond that), it is the timeframe in which we received those requests.” Turns out the eager demands for the newly dropped jewels poured in quickly within an impressive 48-hour window.
What sparked the sudden interest? Well, Dua Lipa got a head start on the trend wearing the earrings early August. Then, Kendall Jenner made heads turn in a supersize gold pair at the U.S. Open on September 11. On the very same day, her little sister Kylie posed for a selfie on Instagram in the silver version.
Dua Lipa. Photo: Instagram.com/dualipa
Since then, the Jenners have been seen wearing Bottega Veneta’s drop earrings over and over again. After all, the bulbous silhouette feels a bit more timeless than any actual trend. Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Bella Hadid are also trendsetters who might have influenced a few eager shoppers to immediately hit add to cart.
But those stars aren’t the only reason why these teardrop gems are so special. “They are a runway piece,” Waller goes on to explain. “So I believe they would have caught the attention of quite a lot of people when they were first spotted there.” Back in February, the beloved earrings made their debut appearance on the runway in Matthieu Blazy’s very first collection for the fashion house.

Below, take a closer look at how some of your favorite stars have been sporting the on-trend jewelry piece.
Rosie Huntington Whiteley. Photo: Instagram.com/rosiehw
Kylie Jenner. Photo: Instagram.com/kyliejenner
Kendall Jenner. Photo: Instagram.com/kendalljenner
Originally published in Vogue.com

Winners, judges and presenters including Charaf Tajer, Imran Amed, Michele Lamy, Artsi Ifrach, Sheikha Al-Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Saif Mahdhi, Akbar Al Baker, Gherardo Felloni, Fashion Trust Arabia Co-Founder and Co-Chair Tania Fares, Lorraine Schwartz, Giancarlo Giammetti, Huda Kattan, Jodie Turner-Smith, Eilaf Osman and Fatma Mostafa attend the Fashion Trust Arabia Prize 2022 Awards Ceremony at The National Museum of Qatar on October 26, 2022 in Doha, Qatar. Photo: Getty
Last night, all eyes were on Doha, Qatar, where the iconic National Museum of Qatar lit up for the 2022 edition of the Fashion Trust Arabia Awards Ceremony. Held under the patronage of HH Sheikha Moza Bint Nasser as honorary chair, and co-chairs HE Sheikha Al Mayassa Bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and Tania Fares, FTA has become one of the region’s most celebrated events in the realm of fashion, and this year’s ceremony was bigger, brighter, and more exciting than any other in its history. Find out more about it below.

Bella Hadid, Huda Kattan, Janet Jackson, and many more attended the event

The FTA awards brought together not just a slew of celebrities from the region, but also some much-loved international faces. There to congratulate the newest era of talented designers were the likes of Bella Hadid, Paula Abdul, Janet Jackson, Naomi Campbell, Ed Westwick, Olivia Culpo and Poppy Delevingne. While Hadid walked into the venue with father Mohamed Hadid dressed in head-to-toe Alaïa, Jackson made a strong statement last night in a flawlessly tailored tuxedo, and Campbell look resplendent in a sparkling pastel gown. Also in attendance were favorites of the region including Yasmine Sabri, Balqees, Karen Wazen, Tara Emad, Dana Hourani, Dima Sheikhly, Salma Abu Deif, Elyanna, and power duo Huda and Mona Kattan—the former of which also took home the prize for Entrepreneur of the Year. Singer FKA Twigs also made a very special appearance via Miu Miu, treating guests to a heartfelt musical performance.
All the fashion heavyweights spotted at the 2022 FTA ceremony

What’s a celebration without some of the best in the business sitting front row? Last night’s awards ceremony was graced with more than just a few iconic fashion personalities, from Valentino’s Pier Paolo Piccioli, to Balmain’s Olivier Rousteing, Vogue Arabia editor-in-chief Manuel Arnaut, Imran Amed of Business of Fashion, Vogue Japan editor-at-large Anna Dello Russo, Vogue global contributing fashion editor-at-large Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, and Michèle Lamy. Also in attendance were models Ikram Abdi,  Neelam Gill, and Karolina Kurkova.
Meet the Fashion Trust Arabia 2022 winners

Along with incredible red carpet looks, last night also saw some incredible talent taking home much-deserved awards. Morocco’s Aartsi Ifrach took home the award for Best Eevening wear, Siham and Sarah of Saudi Arabia won the award for Best Ready-to-Wear, and Fatma Mostafa of Egypt took home the award for Best Jewelry. Eilaf Osman celebrated her Sudanese roots as she was awarded the Best Accessories title, and Kazna Asker shared the stage with Paula Abdul and Youssra while accepting the Franca Sozzani Debut Talent award. As for the winner in the Guest Country category, the win went to Burc Akyol of Turkey. Huda Kattan had her big moment winning Entrepreneur of the Year, while Valentino Garavani, who sadly could not attend in person, won this year’s Lifetime Achievement award.
Who was at the Miu Miu Club after-party?
The star-studded evening came to a close at Doha’s B Lounge, which transformed into the Miu Miu Club last night. There to celebrate the evening were some of the best dressed names in the region, many of whom made sure to change up their look and attend in their favorite Miu Miu ensembles. While Karen Wazen, Olivia Culpo, Ikram Abdi and Popppy Delevingne played with embellishment, Salma Abu Deif, Tina Leung, and Chriselle Lim opted for soothing hues. Check out some of the best looks and moments from the evening below.

Yousef Akbar and Fashion Trust Arabia Co-Founder and Co-Chair Tania Fares. Photo: Getty
Ikram Abdi Omar. Photo: Getty
Dana Hourani. Photo: Getty
Dima Al Sheikhly Photo: Getty
Abdel El Tayeb Photo: Getty
Noor Tagouri. Photo: Getty
Nathalie Fanj. Photo: Getty
Imran Amed. Photo: Getty
Chriselle Lim. Photo: Getty
Anna Dello Russo. Photo: Getty
Tina Leung. Photo: Getty
Elyanna. Photo: Getty
Olivier Rousteing. Photo: Getty
Abdulla Al Abdulla. Photo: Getty
Binbella. Photo: Getty
Salma Abu Deif. Photo: Getty
Gaia Repossi. Photo: Getty
Olivia Culpo. Photo: Getty
Michele Lamy. Photo: Getty
Mohammed Al Turki. Photo: Getty
Hadban twins. Photo: Getty
Haneen Al Saify. Photo: Getty
Poppy Delevingne. Photo: Getty
Karen Wazen. Photo: Getty
Karolina Kurkova. Photo: Getty

Photo: Getty
It won Paris Fashion Week. But is the spray-on dress Bella Hadid wore on Coperni’s runway sustainable? The short answer is no.
Manel Torres, who created the spray-on material and the company behind it, Fabrican, in 2003, says it can be washed and re-worn, or put back in the can and resprayed later. Yet, while it may be reusable, spraying fabric from a can likely uses more energy and chemicals and produces more waste compared to virtually any other fabric used to make a garment. And, while it looked cool in real-time on the runway, it’s hard to imagine anyone spraying on their clothing at home (the fumes from Fabrican filled Coperni’s venue, which alone could deter customers) let alone repackaging and reusing it.
“They’re taking aerosol, which is the least efficient, most problematic delivery device, and bringing it into an industry where it didn’t exist,” says Martin Mulvihill, a chemist and founding partner at investment firm Safer Made. Even though the cans are metal, aerosol cans are typically not recyclable: the pressurization makes them too risky for most recycling centres to accept. And Mulvihill says that Fabrican appears to have prioritized sustainability in developing its technology and avoids some of the most concerning chemicals used in many aerosol products, but that matters little in the context of fashion.
Since its runway debut in Paris, fashion has talked about the technology more as an innovation than a sustainability accomplishment. Torres concedes that home use is not practical — you’d need someone on hand to spray your back, for instance — and that he sees its use more applicable in industrial settings, which would leave it up to the industry to create infrastructure for collection and refill, a feat it is still far from accomplishing for even the most common fibres like polyester and cotton. He also says it gives fashion another material to work with, rather than to replace any particular fabric it already uses.
Fabrican wasn’t used in Paris to sell an overt sustainability message, but to create a moment, although Coperni co-founder and creative director Sebastién Meyer hinted at the potential of the innovation in an interview with Vogue Business ahead of the show: “It’s our duty as designers to try new things and show a possible future. We’re not going to make money on this, but it’s a beautiful moment — an experience that creates emotion,” he said at the time. (Coperni did not respond to requests for comment for this story.)
Nevertheless, fashion has made many advances in sustainable materials since Fabrican was developed close to two decades ago. These range from technological innovations such as textile recycling and low-water dyeing systems, to shifts in attitude among both consumers and companies. When Fabrican was first released in 2003, few fashion companies were talking about sustainability at all; today, it’s rare for a fashion company to not have a sustainability strategy published on its website.
What the dress ultimately represents is a missed opportunity. During a fashion month that was largely devoid of loud, in-your-face calls for — or demonstrations of — sustainability on the runway, the spray-on dress took up more space in conversations about not only material innovation, but also about fashion’s priorities overall, than any of the actual alternative materials and other sustainability initiatives that many luxury brands are experimenting with. Despite major brands having significant sustainability strategies or climate goals in place, the issue doesn’t usually appear on the runway — leaving some to question how urgent a priority it is for the industry.
“It is fascinating to see how the Coperni spray-on dress crossed the borders of the fashion press and managed to become a global, albeit brief, phenomenon. Catwalks seldom achieve this,” says sustainability-focused influencer Doina Ciobanu. “What it does is remind those working on [sustainability] that the products that have a groundbreaking but attractive story to tell will perform the best. From a communication perspective, this presents an interesting opportunity to learn how to engage with the mainstream audience.”
Calls are growing, from the UN and some advocates and influencers, for fashion to use its influence to promote sustainability as a priority and not just a practice in their supply chain. The Paris Fashion Week dress served as a reminder that for the most part, the industry isn’t really embracing that potential — one consequence of which, according to analysts, is to perpetuate the disconnect between customers saying sustainability is a priority and not necessarily demonstrating that in their purchases because, in part, brands are not helping to make it the desirable choice in the moment.
“Fashion, and luxury fashion even more so, is associated from a consumer standpoint with dreams, creativity, innovation and beauty. Until these concepts are part of the sustainable proposition, it will be challenging for consumers to feel engaged and show honest interest in sustainability,” says Maximiliano Nicolelli, managing partner and founder of Milan-based Hydra Consultancy. “It is important for brands to ensure that all consumer touchpoints — store, products, campaigns, digital, etc. — deliver enough relevance and excitement [relating to their sustainability practices] in order to connect to consumers in a meaningful way.”
For all the progress the industry has made, what’s still missing is an understanding that true sustainability has to be part and parcel of fashion’s overall existence. Samata Pattinson, CEO of Red Carpet Green Dress, says it boils down to one question for brands: “Why are you doing this thing called sustainability?” she says. “Are you doing it because you recognise that fashion craves innovation and excitement, or because you realise sustainability is crucial for the survival of our industry [and] our planet? Because both are right.”
The most important work — reducing emissions, for example — is not going to generate the same headlines as a dress being sprayed on an almost-naked Bella Hadid, so it’s fashion’s responsibility to find a way to make it appealing and exciting.
“It is frustrating that environmental achievement doesn’t attract the same level of engagement and attention. But the fault for that, if there is any, doesn’t lie with Coperni. Rather, it would lay with brands who have failed to message their ecological and sustainability credentials in a way that resonates — and, even more so, with those who have blunted the impact of sustainable achievements by abusing the term,” says Ciobanu. “Sustainability-related content should still have, at its core, what a fashion lover is there for in the first place — fashion.”
Originally published in Voguebusiness.com

Photo: Getty
Bella Hadid made a memorable appearance at the 16th annual Golden Heart Awards celebration organized in collaboration with Michael Kors in New York City on Monday, October 17. On the red carpet, The model appeared in a silhouette that could have been designed by Adrian, the 1950’s costume designer who created the very definition of Hollywood glamour. Check it out below.

Bella Hadid was all about the glamorous life in her Michael Kors dress
Photo: Getty
Bella Hadid rekindled the magic of Old Hollywood for her night out. For the event, she was accompanied by partner Marc Kalman, and her mother Yolanda Hadid. Bella wore a golden Michael Kors dress from the spring/summer 2023 collection. The glamorous evening dress came with a plunging neckline that grazed over her hips, giving her the perfect dose of sensuality while still remaining true to the elegance of the ’50s. The dress was obviously eye-catching, and the model paired it with golden Dsquared2 sandals and subtle earrings.
As for her beauty look for the night out, Bella Hadid kept things sleek with a neat side-parted bun and gold-tinted makeup that complemented her dress. A hint of bronzer on the cheeks and a creme caramel lip color completed her look. If you’re planning a special soireé this winter, a sparkling dress like hers may just be the perfect outfit for the occasion.
Originally published in Vogue.fr

Pre-loved pieces emerge front and center on the red carpet, as stars bask in the unique spotlight of old-world glamour.
Marilyn Monroe in the bespoke Jean Louis dress Kim Kardashian would controversially borrow for the 2022 Met Gala
The 444 million-and-counting multi-platform viewers of this year’s Met Gala gave a collective gasp when Kim Kardashian arrived on the red carpet in Marilyn Monroe’s Jean Louis crystal embroidered dress.
Originally worn by the blonde bombshell herself in 1962 at Madison Square Garden when she famously serenaded President Kennedy with a very sultry rendition of Happy Birthday, Monroe had been sewn into the bespoke piece that night to achieve a seamless fit. Purchased by pop culture archivists Ripley’s Believe It or Not! for US$4.8 million in 2016 — making it the most expensive dress in the world — this very fabric of history is usually kept in a temperature and light-controlled vault in their Orlando museum and gallery. All of which contributed to making Kardashian’s modern ‘Mr President’ moment such a polarizing affair for the Internet, with many questioning why the delicate dress, made from sheer and flesh-colored marquisette fabric and set with 2,500 rhinestones, had been taken out of the archives. Dubai-based Joe Challita, couturier and fashion history enthusiast weighed in, stating, “Kim Kardashian acquiring Marilyn’s dress for the Met Gala, in my opinion, was not a move for sustainability but a move to acquire its iconic status. That dress had its moment through Marilyn. It has already been in the limelight, and it is still etched in our memories today.” Increasingly, vintage dresses are appearing more and more on the red carpet, but the motives behind the trend appear less grounded in sustainability than an opportunity to achieve an away-from-the-pack look that’s very modernity is entrenched in the past.
A vintage Dior dress Bella Hadid paid homage to at the Prince’s Trust Gala 2022
Dani Levi, Kardashian’s fashion stylist, expresses that her reasons for sourcing vintage are related to creative freedom, declaring, “A circular fashion system allows for more possibilities to express what I want to say without being bounded. I don’t want to be limited by what designers or trend forecasters think is relevant this season. I feel we stylists are artists and should be more original by letting our personal vibes, environment, and likes play a part in our aesthetic and work. Archive fashion gives us endless ideas.” Kardashian has been donning vintage since 2016, from Thierry Mugler to Vivienne Westwood, each piece delivering new iconic moments in fashion, creating conversations around the importance of historical couture.
Zendaya wears vintage Balmain at this year’s NAACP Image Awards
The idea that vintage frees women from the constraints of trends is also expressed by Bella Hadid. The Palestinian-Dutch model made an old-glamor statement on the red carpet when she wore a 1950s Dior gown to the Prince’s Trust Gala in New York, in April. It did not end there. The Cannes Festival red carpet saw her wearing not one, but two Versace gowns plucked from the maison’s archives — confirming her position as a vanguard for the vintage trend. Law Roach styled Hadid’s striking looks and is a huge supporter of vintage couture. He recently commented on actress Zendaya’s Bob Mackie moment, “Vintage and archival dressing isn’t a trend for me, it’s what led me to this career and will always be my first option when possible.”
In the region, fashion purveyor Sheikha Dana Al Khalifa is vocal in her praise for vintage couture and jewelry, revealing, “Cherie Balch of Shrimpton Couture taught me a lot about vintage dressing, and I have bought a number of pieces from her in the past.” Balch is a vintage expert to the stars and has dressed the likes of Rhianna and Adut Akech in yesteryear’s Moschino and Christian Lacroix. “I think everything in fashion is cyclical, it could never be old if it was never new. Nothing really new is being created, everyone is looking back to create their designs. Women’s current fashion climate is setting the trends on the market for fast fashion to emulate and it is costing our environment. In the Middle East, women feel they are less-than if they wear vintage; you are seen as someone who can’t afford what is new and considered ‘in.’ Through the red carpet, a shift in this opinion is starting to be seen.” Al Khalifa confirms that heritage accessories, however, are much loved. “Vintage jewelry is a big deal in the Middle East. When anyone asks me what I am wearing, I always reply that it’s my mother’s from the Eighties. I love the fact that these pieces have a story.”
Audrey Hepburn wears the Tiffany Diamond in 1961, which Lady Gaga, in Alexander McQueen, wore to collect her 2019 Oscar for Best Original Song
Looking back on the trade of garments, during the Renaissance, it was common for servants to sell their masters’ old clothing to peasants in nearby villages. Fast forward to today, when did vintage fashion become trendworthy? In an article written for Smithsonian Magazine by Professor Jennifer Le Zotte, and in her book Goodwill to Grunge, the author marks the moment second-hand buying went from “suspicious to significant.” In the Fifties, when freethinkers took to the trend of wearing thrifted garments, it became desirable. An affront to capitalism, these groups were opting out of the bourgeoisie fashion scene, with the view that if you adopted the trend, you were special, unique, and different. The style adage goes that fashion recycles every 20 years, and stars are looking back, to appear forward-thinking. A lot like the grass roots of vintage, one can see a relation to how celebrities categorize themselves today when wearing exclusive, one-of-a-kind pieces. It is something of a rebellion against commercialized fashion and acts as a further differentiator for women seeking to separate themselves from the crowded huddle of designer trends.
Originally published in the July/August 2022 issue of Vogue Arabia
Read Next: How To Shop for Vintage Fashion in Dubai Like a Pro: 5 Tips From a Connoisseur

reBASE
Everyone wants a piece of Bella Hadid. Now, thanks to a new NFT (non-fungible token) platform called CY-B3LLA, they’ll be able to grab one, albeit in a modern, somewhat strange way. In collaboration with reBASE, a social metaverse site, Hadid is releasing a massive range—11,111 unique works, to be exact—of shoppable online art pieces based on her own image. These NFTs are digital assets, essentially cybernetic souvenirs or collectibles. It’s also more than just having the JPEG saved on your desktop: You receive a digital record (essentially a serial number or certificate of authenticity) that proves that you and only you purchased this specific asset. Hadid asked 10 different creatives to make art out of 3D scans of her own body, including portraits where she’s done up like an animated cyborg queen. She’s had a waiting list open for weeks, with over half a million people signing up online, and finally, now that CY-B3LLA is dropping, they’ll be able to get their own slice of supermodel right in their own inbox.
Hadid first had a kernel of the idea thanks to a lifelong interest in gaming. Growing up, her younger brother Anwar loved World of Warcraft, but Hadid herself was always attracted to the poppy universe of Mario. “My alias when I was 18, when I started traveling for work, was Princess Peach,” she says with glee over Zoom. When the world locked down due to COVID, her fascination with online life went into overdrive. “Over quarantine, my dream was to be a full gamer girl and play other people,” she says. “When the NFT craze came, I was genuinely curious about what that community looked like. It went from gaming—me wanting to create this cool avatar and be in that universe and connect with people—to this.”
reBASE
Naturally, Hadid was excited by the aesthetic possibilities of creating art out of her own image. She submitted to a 3D scan that the artists would then be able to use to create the NFTs. “There were probably 200 cameras surrounding me and I stood in the middle and changed my shape so it got all these different parts of my body, different versions of my facial expressions, fingers, toes. We wanted it to be very realistic,” she says. But beyond the look and feel of the NFTs, she built this new platform to have a community aspect. Though some of the details still sound hazy, purchasing one of Hadid’s NFTs will eventually grant you access to online and real life meet-and-greets with the model. “We’re gonna set up different events. Tokyo—I hope that’s one of our first launch spaces. It’d be an airdrop essentially: If you’re in Tokyo having coffee and all of a sudden I’m right next door to you, you’d get a ping,” she says. “Just going to different places I love and seeing the people who support me and giving them a real hug.”
Hadid certainly knows a thing or two about capturing audience attention online. She has already proven herself as World Wide Web gold. For a recent run of red carpet looks at Cannes Film Festival, for instance, she caused a small internet fashion brushfire by teaming up with stylist Law Roach for an incredible string of archival dresses, including pieces from Chanel, Tom Ford’s Gucci era, and a vintage black Versace dress from 1987 with an epic voluminous bow around the waist. “Who is the one person who could make me feel confident enough to go for my dream of doing all these archival moments? That for me is Law [Roach]. Him and I have very similar minds when it comes to fashion. I told him I wanted it to be classic old festival looks,” she says. “Donatella was nice enough to open up Gianni’s whole archive for us, which is unheard of, and I was so honored. She really had in mind exactly what she wanted for me.”
Regarding CY-B3LLA, Hadid understands that there’s some well-deserved mistrust out there about the celebrity-NFT-industrial complex. “Where that skepticism comes from is the people who just want to have a money grab,” she says. “To me, it’s so much bigger than that. I want it to be a collective. It’s not a one-stop shop—this is a real passion. I want to be used as a vessel for communication and respect and love. ”
Hadid, who has discussed her struggles with anxiety in the past, feels like these yet-uncharted metaverse spaces have potential to be healthier and happier than the online world we are all currently living in. “The whole Instagram and Twitter world, it’s out for me—I just can’t look at notifications anymore,” she says. “Once we start to be so aware of what every single person thinks of us, you start to lose track of what you need and what you want. These horrible anxieties we all have—I feel like that’s what’s circulating on the internet.” There will be a dedicated group for CY-B3LLA-ites on the Discord chat app, and she imagines popping in a couple times a week just to chat with her friends and fans in a low-impact environment made up of like minded people. Eventually, as the metaverse develops into a more fully-realized space, she hopes to find even more ways for her people to inhabit, congregate, exchange ideas, and feel at home. “There’s a scary part of the internet but there’s a really beautiful part of the internet,” she says, “and that’s people being able to find a space where they can belong.”
All in all, she’s aware of how weird this NFT and metaverse talk can sound to people not yet on board with the burgeoning movement, but she’s ready to give herself over to it all the same, one token at a time. “It’s just a beautiful way that we can have a community. I don’t know if I feel like a community leader—it’s not just about connecting me to people, but about connecting people to other people,” she says. “I just want to be an instrument.”
Originally published in Vogue.co.uk
Read next: Gigi Hadid Brings Back Everyone’s Favorite Pink + Red Color Palette With a Couture Gown by Rising Designer Sohee Park