lifestyle and culture

February’s – ‘The Love Issue’ – Download Now
Hanan Mazouzi Sobati, the founder of Arabian Gazelles, sat down with Emirates Woman to talk life in the fast lane, following your passions and breaking down barriers in the GCC.
Can you talk us through your career?
I majored in marketing and went on to work in the fine jewellery industry, securing a gemology degree in the process. This helped me assess and anticipate the needs and preferences of a niche market for luxury products and services.
What brought about your love for cars? 

I have loved fast cars since I was young. Growing up watching Formula One, while playing with my brother’s car toys.
What inspired you to set up the Arabian Gazelles?
One of the main reasons was my growing frustration with the automotive industry and how women were overlooked in this male-dominated sector. It seemed that people just accepted it but no one did anything about it. So I decided to start the platform and find out if there were other women with the same passion who were ready to join me in building this community. We have now grown to over 100 members from more than 25 nationalities.

What do you love about what you do?
Breaking stereotypes and banishing misconceptions while forming strong bonds of friendship with like-minded, driven women.
You’re a woman of many firsts in your career. What is it like being a woman in this region to pave the way for others?
I like to see it as a collective work of empowered women who drive for change and pave the way for others to look for their passion and fuel it. Puns intended!
What are your hopes for women in the future in this region? 
I believe in the capacity of every woman’s boldness, passion and strength. In every aspect of life, a woman’s autonomy, freedom and opportunities are shaped by the degree to which her nation’s laws uphold gender equality. We are lucky to live in a country which has made significant strides in gender equality. The UAE believes in a woman’s role in society as a leader, decision-maker and a key partner in the development process.
You’re definitely a role model to many. What do you love about being a role model?
I believe each one of us should see their future self as a role model. When you are your own hero, you are writing your own story and living each day building it for yourself while inspiring others to follow suit.

What have been three hurdles you have experienced in your career?
When I started Arabian Gazelles three years ago, the obstacles I needed to navigate were manifold, ranging from issues related to my credibility as a woman entering a man’s world; being unable to secure sponsorship for a female-only car club; the need to always prove myself to be accepted in a territory that has traditionally been held and ruled by men for men. However, all hurdles thrown at us make us more creative and resilient and in the end, we prevail!
What have been three major milestones in your career?
Getting published in Forbes magazine; being recognised as ‘a game-changer in the Arab world’ by OSN and NBC; and being nominated for ‘Emirates Woman of the Year’.
This is ‘The Love Issue’ – what does love mean to you and how do you plan to instil love into your life throughout 2021?
It is undeniable that it means different things for different people. But for me, love is everything that gives meaning to our existence in this world. We feel and live better when we love, our world and our existence finds its achievement in love.
February’s – ‘The Love Issue’ – Download Now
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February’s – ‘The Love Issue’ – Download Now
Founder of Wood Culture, Joseph George  discusses a bespoke approach to furniture and pushing your boundaries
What do your first 30 mins of the day look like, your morning routine?
We just opened a new branch in India, so due to the time difference, my mornings usually involve answering a lot of messages from our team based there. I also try to go for a run before the working day starts. Finally, I attempt to plan for all the things I should start doing in 2021 but sometimes I procrastinate.
What is at the heart of Wood Culture’s DNA as a brand?

Wood Culture is an amalgamation of the arts and crafts I’ve encountered over decades of travelling off the beaten path. We strive on being recognized as a boutique-sized workshop emphasising on custom and bespoke products.  
You come from a family in the wood business. What ignited the idea to branch into furniture design?
My father has just crossed 50 years as a timber merchant. Having worked in the same business, I was based in various parts of the world like Romania and Malaysia, importing timber from other sources which basically summed up the components of furniture production. We started off Wood Culture as a little side project whereby we produced furniture from offcuts of wood and the positive response led me to go all in.
What has been the biggest hurdle since launching and how did you overcome it?

Definitely the Pandemic has been one of the most unique and difficult hurdles faced in recent times. Thankfully, our early investment in an e-commerce website was timed well to launch around the lock-down period last year. We are a young brand and a relative newcomer to the Industry. I do not come from a design background so every day is a challenge in reinventing yourself and staying ahead of the competition.

You travel to source wood and for inspiration. Where has been the most interesting for you to date?
Definitely my trip to Panama 2 years ago. It is one of the few parts of the world where one can source logs that have been lying underwater since the canal was excavated about 80 years ago. Apart from being surrounded by the beautiful landscape of Central America, the whole process of obtaining these logs involves air, road and a final push on a very questionably maintained fishing boat.
 What’s your favourite piece to date and why?
Close to when we started, we were commissioned to create a few custom one-off furniture items for one of the local Palace majlis. Back then, we were one of the few workshops in UAE doing resin work but the scale of the job was definitely beyond our capacity. I guess every single piece of furniture we made for that job is a favourite, as apart from the end result, it just showed our resolve to find a solution for new concepts along the way and really made us push beyond our boundaries.
How do you think last year affected the growth in popularity of people investing into their homes?
To be honest, we did not exist in our current form two years ago so there isn’t much data to compare to but despite all the challenges we went past even our most conservative forecasts. On a more Industry scale, I believe it has been a positive uptick in all areas encompassing furniture and home décor. We also see more demand for bespoke furniture as well as an increase in vendors providing the same service.
The price point is accessible – was this a key factor from the outset?
Yes, yes and yes. I did not study design or any related field. I was someone who traded in the raw material and moved up the value chain. My expertise is and will always be sourcing the raw materials cheaper than the competition and this reflects in my pricing. We stay away from the ‘luxury’ tagline. We want our furniture to be affordable regardless of where you’re based. Everyone deserves to be able to showcase a well-designed and executed piece of furniture in their respective homes.

Do you have any mentors or guides and how does this help navigate the right path?
I take what I can gather from those with more experience than me in various aspects of life. I don’t think there is a pre-determined right or wrong path but only the path that makes you truly happy. Find what brings this happiness to your own life and eventually this feeling feeds into all other aspects of your life.
Where do you produce the pieces and how challenging was the process to refine this process?
We have our own workshop in Jebel Ali where all our production is done. Over the past 6-8 months, we have also started production in countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam and Brazil. So currently, the split between local and overseas production is 60-40. Production, no matter what the industry, is a very complicated process. We are a young company so still fine-tuning various aspects of the business where we fall below par.
 As a young brand, what is your approach to scaling the business?
Scaling up doesn’t just mean an increase in everything but sometimes getting rid of systems that are not working. As a young brand, we sometimes make more mistakes than gains on a particular day but these are priceless lessons on improving and growing as a brand. The more ambitious the goals are, the higher the risk of everything going upside down but I personally thrive on these situations. For me, the combination of all this leads to scaling the business.
Which designs have been most popular to date and was this as you predicted?
We started during the time when the demand for resin was driving the market and this still stands strong. Of late, we see a similar demand for rattan and wicker and we have been one of the first vendors to have a larger collection to accommodate this. In both cases, we were early adopters of the local trends and in our case, this has definitely paid off. New trends will come and Wood Culture will deliver as always.
 You have clients the globe over – do you see any buying patterns based on regions or countries?
Buying patterns within the GCC remain largely the same. We receive a more diverse enquiry catalogue from our European customers. The only similarity between all the regions is the demand for these items going up.
How do you approach client engagement and retention?
We let our quality do the talking. We deal with numerous interior designers who have always come back for their next project. We actively showcase our work on our website as well as social media platforms.
How has social media affected building Woodculture?
We are a brand that has completely gained traction due to word of mouth tracking. To date, we have avoided paid campaigns although we love doing collaborations with individuals who approach us for their personal projects. Social media definitely is our preferred channel for sales and marketing.
Which Instagram accounts do you follow for inspiration?
@watersandacland, @overgaard_dyrman and @ibukubali
What advice would you give to your younger self, starting out? 
Don’t waste time asking everyone for advice. Trust your instincts, no one can reconstruct the vision in your head except yourself. Things will not be smooth, things will go upside down but always know your purpose and goal. Everything will fall in place along the way.
If you had not launched the brand, which other role would you choose career-wise?
Owning a beach bar or restaurant, meeting travellers from across the world and for a moment each day, living their lives through their tales.
This issue is ‘The Love Issue’ – what is love to you?
As long as love exists, the world will continue to move forward for the better. It’s our love for people, the things we do, the places we visit, food we eat and a lot more that keeps enabling us forward in the right direction. Love will distract us. Love will engage us. Love will spoil us. But, in the end, this beautiful planet deserves nothing less.
February’s – ‘The Love Issue’ – Download Now
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Camping – or “glamping” – in the UAE is about to get a whole lot more luxurious.
A new luxury getaway is set to open in Sharjah and it’s to be known as the ‘Moon Retreat’, located in the midst of Mleiha.

Developed by the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq), the eco-friendly destination will be the ideal place for a unique overnight stay for those who love the desert or who want to experience what “glamping” has to offer.
This luxury oasis is the latest addition to Shurooq’s Sharjah Collection, which already includes Mysk Al Faya Retreat (where Emirates Woman’s recent cover shoot took place) and Mysk Al Badayer Retreat.

Set to open in the first quarter of 2021, the completed Moon Retreat will house 10 single bed domes, two single-bed tents and four tents for families. It’s glamping at its finest with all of the tents and domes having everything you need for a relaxing getaway, including private pools which are available with the majority of the lodgings.
As for activities, guests can enjoy stargazing at night and during the day hikes through the incredible landscapes of Mleiha or visit the Mleiha Archaeological Centre.

In terms of food, there will be ready-to-grill meals available to pre-order which can be cooked up in the private lodgings with a barbeque or there’s also the option to use the communal barbeque area.
To enjoy this one-of-a-kind getaway in the UAE you’ll have to wait just a little longer as the retreat is only about 75 per cent complete right now. However, it’s set to open in Q1 of this year, so there’s not long to wait!
– For more on luxury lifestyle, news, fashion and beauty follow Emirates Woman on Facebook and Instagram
Images: Shurooq Instagram/WAM  More

February’s – ‘The Love Issue’ – Download Now
It takes grit, determination and hard work to follow your true passion in life. Yasmin Al Mulla, the Creative Director of YNM Dubai, reveals what exactly it takes to do just that.
Can you talk us through your career?
I studied both fashion and politics. Although these subjects may not seem to go hand-in-hand at the first sight, but I strongly believe they complement each other in a way.

I always make sure my designs reflect my culture in a modern way. I aspire to elevate our traditional pieces, yet retain a timelessness – to design garments to be worn 20 years from now.
What brought about your love for fashion?
Clothes have always been a way of expressing myself and this remains so today.
What inspired you to set up your own fashion label?

I am very driven to positively represent the UAE within the global fashion market. From a creative perspective — I to create strong products, to modernize our classic kaftans and to create homegrown ready-to-wear pieces that speak to today’s generation and to focus on high-standard craftsmanship and lasting quality.
From a business aspect — my goal was to follow an avant-garde method in making our debut six years ago which was through an e-commerce platform, focusing on strong products and high-quality tech simultaneously. This approach worked phenomenally, and our debut collection sold out in less than a week, and that was the start of our journey.

What do you love about what you do?
Expressing myself through designing gives me nothing but incredible joy.
What are your hopes for women in the future in this region?
This region brings nothing but magnificent opportunities on daily basis. So, I would love for every woman to follow her passion, believe in herself and take every opportunity to fulfill her dream.
As a woman paving the way in this region, you’ll be a role model to many. What do you love about being a role model?
Thank you! Being able to encourage and support women is my favourite part about the whole concept. We rise by lifting others!
What advice would you give to young women in this region?
You are living in a world where women are being supported in all aspects. Take every opportunity, study the market and incorporate your passion through your education and career. Always remember that there is a room for everyone.

What have been some hurdles you have experienced in your career?
I am a very positive person and never look at any hurdle negatively. Every obstacle is a free lesson, I always make sure to experience and live each stage, to observe, take my time and believe in myself in each situation.
What have been some major milestones in your career?
Every achievement is beautiful in itself. It’s the fruit of long nights, dedication and hardwork. I appreciate each accomplishment differently, and all of them are nothing but genuinely dear to my heart.
I treasure my collaborations, all of them — from Tiffany & Co., Christian Dior, Louis Vuitton and Christian Louboutin.
This is ‘The Love Issue’ – what does love mean to you and how do you plan to instil love into your life throughout 2021?
Love is life. Staying connected to my family, close friends, and what makes me happy is the ultimate form of love from my perspective.
February’s – ‘The Love Issue’ – Download Now
– For more on luxury lifestyle, news, fashion and beauty follow Emirates Woman on Facebook and Instagram
Images: Supplied  More