MUSE: Rawan bin Hussain talks social media stardom

Rawan bin Hussein
Updated 20 September 2018
Follow

MUSE: Rawan bin Hussain talks social media stardom

  • Rawan Bin Hussain is one of the largest influencers in the region
  • Aside from launching a lipstick line, the Kuwaiti blogger studies law in London

DUBAI: The Kuwaiti influencer, who has 3 million Instagram followers, talks about studying law, learning to fly and why gender biases are ‘so 1800s’

Being a fashion blogger is not the opposite of being a lawyer – they don’t conflict. I didn’t leave law behind. I’m still studying it. I could have moved to Dubai and made millions a month like other bloggers, but I’m not. I’m living in London making nothing a month because education comes first for me.
To show that lawyers don’t only fight for justice in court, but also in real life by giving back to the community, I launched a law association in Kuwait for female law students, law graduates and lawyers. If you have knowledge in the field of law, I want your experience and we can work together to do charity work and attend workshops.
I’ve always loved traveling around the world, so why not have my own license and my own airplane jetting around the world?
I don’t mind taking risks because I think people who don’t take risks are cowards. Life is fun, life is full of experiences, full of lessons. If you don’t fail and if you don’t learn from your mistakes, you won’t achieve anything in life. It doesn’t come on a plate of gold. You have to work for it.



View this post on Instagram


Happy to be here! @noorandzee

A post shared by Rawan Bin Hussain (@rawan) on

A lot of people think that when you are a beauty icon, you are an empty head, empty-minded. We are not. A lot of bloggers are good mothers to their children, they are engineers, doctors, lawyers. They have a career, they just choose to do blogging, which is what they love, and I respect it because you should do what you love and love what you do.
We need to stop stereotyping, criticizing, judging based on the way she looks, the way she dresses, the way she appeals to others. I cannot please everybody as, most of all, I need to please myself.
I regret being too transparent sometimes. I am too spontaneous. I say my opinion in a very casual way – maybe I don’t think about the circumstances or the consequences. But if you don’t make mistakes, you don’t learn a lesson.  
We shouldn’t look as men as competition or a dangerous threat. We can work together to make this world a better place.
As a woman, I want to say look at me, I’m here. I can be a lawyer, a pilot, a public figure, an entrepreneur. I am capable of doing so many things. Men need to see that and respect that and not underestimate us because we are females. Judgment based on gender is so 1800s.


Dubai Fashion Week set to return this autumn

Updated 20 May 2025
Follow

Dubai Fashion Week set to return this autumn

DUBAI: Dubai Fashion Week (DFW) is set to make its return this autumn with its series of Spring/Summer 2026 shows, running from Sept. 1 to 6 at its longtime home in Dubai Design District (d3).

As the first event on the international fashion calendar — ahead of New York, London, Milan, and Paris —DFW’s upcoming edition builds on the momentum of February’s Autumn/Winter 2025/26 showcase, which drew widespread attention with headline-grabbing appearances by international models and a grand finale by iconic Indian designer Manish Malhotra.

The season also spotlighted emerging regional voices, such as Les Benjamins, a correspondent member of the Arab Fashion Council, alongside global names like Paolo Sebastian.


Saudi Fashion Awards set for May 22 in Riyadh

Updated 19 May 2025
Follow

Saudi Fashion Awards set for May 22 in Riyadh

DUBAI: The Saudi Fashion Commission is set to host the second edition of the Saudi Fashion Awards on May 22 in Riyadh.

The ceremony will celebrate the “visionaries, creatives, and entrepreneurs shaping Saudi Arabia’s rapidly growing influence in the international fashion and beauty industries,” according to a released statement. 

Key awards this year include the Fashion Stylist of the Year  prize; the Fashion Photographer of the Year prize, presented in collaboration with Hia Magazine; the Menswear Brand of the Year trophy; the Womenswear Brand of the Year prize; the Jewelry Brand of the Year award; and the Elite Model Honorary Award for Model of the Year.

The judging panel includes Hollywood stylist Law Roach; Amanda Smith, CEO of Fairchild Media Group and WWD; Burak Çakmak, CEO of the Saudi Fashion Commission; Xavier Romatet, Dean of Institut Français de la Mode ; Mohammed Aldabbageh, KSA Managing Director of Chalhoub Group; and Mai Badr, Editor-in-Chief of Hia Magazine. 

“Riyadh is proudly emerging as the capital of fashion, beauty, and the future of the creative industries in the region. Its transformation from promise to global presence on red carpets, runways, and retail spaces reflects the ingenuity and dedication of a new generation of trailblazers redefining regional and international fashion standards,” Çakmak said in a released statement.


Rawdah Mohamed walks the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival

Updated 18 May 2025
Follow

Rawdah Mohamed walks the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival

DUBAI: Somali Norwegian model Rawdah Mohamed walked the red carpet at the 78th Cannes Film Festival in France on Saturday night.

The model showed off a blush pink-toned look, complete with a drop waist, on the red carpet ahead of the premiere of “Die, My Love.”

The model showed off a blush pink-toned look, complete with a drop waist, on the red carpet ahead of the premiere of “Die, My Love.” (Getty Images)

The film is an adaptation of the 2017 novel of the same name by Ariana Harwicz about a new mother who develops postpartum depression and enters psychosis. “Die, My Love,” starring Oscar-winner Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson, earned a six-minute standing ovation from the audience at Cannes.

Directed by acclaimed Scottish filmmaker Lynne Ramsay, the film has been hailed by critics, with Deadline calling it a “brutal but beautiful portrait of a woman on the edge.”

Visibly teary eyed during the standing ovation, Ramsay addressed the crowd, saying: “Wow. I’m so overwhelmed. Thanks to these amazing actors. I’ve got to get it together — I’ll see you in a minute.”

Joining Lawrence and Pattinson in the cast are LaKeith Stanfield, Sissy Spacek, and Nick Nolte.

Mohamed watched the film one day after appearing on the red carpet for the “Eddington” on Friday.

On Friday, she wore a look by Chinese couture label Cheney Chan. The gown hailed from the label’s Fall/ Winter 2024 collection.

A self-taught fashion designer, Chan was born and raised in the Jiangsu province.

“Growing up, my parents always wanted me to be a pilot,” he previously shared with Vogue Singapore. “I had cleared all the flying tests effortlessly back in high school, but it was unfortunately not where my heart lay.” Eventually, he gained a fashion media degree at Peking University before starting his eponymous label in 2012.

The label has previously been flaunted by the likes if US singer Kelly Roland and actress Anya Taylor-Joy.

Mohamed finished off her look with a matching hijab and bejeweled brooch.

The rising star has attended the Cannes Film Festival before, in 2023 and 2024, and is fast making a name for herself as one to watch in the fashion industry.

She has worked with brands like Boss and H&M and walked the runway during Roberto Cavalli’s show in Dubai in 2024.


Amal Clooney stuns in black at Cannes Film Festival

Updated 17 May 2025
Follow

Amal Clooney stuns in black at Cannes Film Festival

DUBAI: Lebanese British human rights lawyer Amal Clooney made a head-turning appearance at the 78th Cannes Film Festival this week, wearing a black gown by British designer John Galliano.

Clooney attended the premiere of “Bono: Stories of Surrender” in a sleek, off-the-shoulder dress featuring a fitted bodice with subtle draping and a floor-length skirt with a gentle train. She completed the look with a black clutch and Cartier statement earrings, styling her hair in soft, voluminous waves.

On the red carpet, Clooney was joined by U2 guitarist the Edge and frontman Bono, the subject of “Bono: Stories of Surrender.”

Amal Clooney made a head-turning appearance at the 78th Cannes Film Festival. (Getty Images)

The black-and-white film, directed by Andrew Dominik, adapts Bono’s 2022 memoir “Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story” and his one-man stage show of the same name.

Set to some of U2’s most iconic tracks, Bono opens up about the tragedy that marked his childhood, with his mother Iris collapsing and dying at her own father’s funeral when the singer was 14.

His father, Brendan “Bob” Hewson, already a man of few words, retreated into shock, anger and depression.

Clooney was joined by U2 guitarist the Edge (L) and frontman Bono (R) on the red carpet. (Getty Images)

The film is also a love letter to the singer’s wife, Ali Hewson, who he met when they were both 15, the same fateful day U2 was formed in a Dublin school. The film streams on Apple TV+ from May 30.

Bono, who has spent decades fighting for more aid to Africa and to lift the debt burden from poor countries, told the audience at the premiere that the world is again being threatened by fascism as it was when the festival was set up in 1939.

“Mussolini and the little man with a moustache, and his mate Goebbels had taken over the Venice Film Festival, so this festival was set up to fight fascism,” the singer said.

“It took it until 1946 (for the festival to get going) but it stands for that freedom now.”

He said that Hollywood star Sean Penn — a vocal advocate for Ukraine — had “brought us some friends from the actual trenches, from the front line in Ukraine, and they’re here tonight.

“I just want to thank you because you’re keeping us free,” Bono added to loud cheers.


Princess Reema chooses Honayda design for Trump’s departure from Riyadh

Updated 15 May 2025
Follow

Princess Reema chooses Honayda design for Trump’s departure from Riyadh

DUBAI: As US President Donald Trump concluded his visit to Saudi Arabia and departed for Qatar, Princess Reema bint Bandar, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the United States, again wore a creation by Saudi designer Honayda Serafi.

For the occasion, Princess Reema chose a light pink ensemble consisting of a long, flowing dress paired with a structured overcoat. The overcoat featured a soft floral pattern, with delicate embroidery scattered across its surface. The look was completed with a matching light pink headscarf. 

The outfit followed her look from the day before, when she wore a bespoke royal blue abaya by Serafi during Trump’s official welcome in Riyadh. 

The floor-length abaya featured detailed gold embroidery. The symmetrical patterns extended across the bodice and sleeves, while smaller gold motifs were scattered throughout the lower part of the garment. The look was completed with a matching blue headscarf.

Honayda Serafi, founder of Honayda, posted a statement about Princess Reema’s appearance on Instagram, saying: “I am so pleased and deeply proud to see HRH Princess Reema bint Bandar, our remarkable Saudi Ambassador to the United States, standing as a symbol of strength, progress and leadership, as one of the first women to break barriers and champion women’s empowerment. 

“It is a special moment to see her shine as she welcomes President Trump on his historic visit to Riyadh, wearing a bespoke piece by Honayda for this significant occasion. I look forward to sharing more about the inspiration behind this design,” she added. 

Serafi is known for dressing prominent figures in the Middle East and the rest of the world. Celebrities who have worn her designs include Priyanka Chopra, Lupita Nyong’o and Princess Rajwa Al-Hussein of Jordan.  

She is a favorite of Saudi-born Princess Rajwa and dressed the royal for her henna night festivities in 2023 and for Jordanian King Abdullah II’s silver jubilee celebrations in Amman in 2024.

After leaving Riyadh, Trump is visiting Doha, Qatar, for meetings with Qatari leadership. After this stop, he is scheduled to travel to the UAE, where discussions will continue on economic cooperation, defense partnerships and regional security.