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١. Ralph Lauren’s Pink Pony Turns 25
Ralph Lauren marks 25 years of its Pink Pony initiative with a youthful black-and-pink 2025 capsule and global give-back moments. From October 2, the collection lands in select stores (Dubai Mall, Mall of the Emirates, Yas Mall), with 100% of the price of the Pink Pony Twill Ball Cap and Cable-Knit Hoodie—and at least 25% of all other pieces—supporting cancer charities (Pink Caravan in Dubai). Expect pink-lit flagships, Ralph’s Coffee October specials, and activations tied to Wimbledon/US Open/Australian Open—plus a Dubai Charity Walk (Oct 24) and wellness classes at Paus Club (Oct 23–30)—all under the “Live Well. Be Well.” banner.
٢. Shahad Ameen’s Hijra Heads to the Oscars
Saudi director Shahad Ameen’s Hijra has been chosen by the Saudi Film Commission as the Kingdom’s entry for Best International Feature at the 98th Academy Awards, taking place in Los Angeles in March 2026. Premiering in August at the Venice International Film Festival, the film follows a grandmother, Khairiya Nazmi, and her granddaughter, Lamar Feddan, on a journey across northern Saudi Arabia to find a missing teenage girl.
٣. Stella McCartney to Close Riyadh Fashion Week
Stella McCartney will close Riyadh Fashion Week on October 21 at 6 PM at KAFD—her first-ever show in the Middle East—bringing a special edit of recent collections and iconic archives that spotlight her 95% conscious, 100% cruelty-free vision. Expect material innovations like mycelium-based YATAY M, forest-friendly viscose, deadstock and recycled fabrics, and vegan embellishments, underscoring Riyadh’s rise as a global stage for purposeful fashion.
٤. Divas at Sursock: From Oum Koulthoum to Dalida
Sursock Museum brings the Institut du monde arabe’s hit exhibition, “Divas, From Oum Koulthoum to Dalida,” to Beirut on October 17 (8–10 PM). Expect a cinematic journey through Arab icons—Oum Koulthoum, Warda Al-Jazairia, Asmahan, Fayrouz, Laila Mourad, Samia Gamal, Souad Hosny, Sabah, and a young Dalida—celebrating their art and the cultural shifts they sparked. More opening details to come.
٥. Dolce&Gabbana × ADMAF Design Award 2025: Entries Open
The Dolce&Gabbana x Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation Design Award is back, inviting current and recent graduates to apply between August 25 and October 31, 2025 with a mood board, inspiration, and technical sketch on one of five themes: Flowers, Lace, Patchwork, Hand-Painted, or Embroidery. Finalists announced November 14, 2025 will join an exclusive D&G workshop, and the winning look will debut on the opening night of Abu Dhabi Festival 2026, be showcased at the D&G Abu Dhabi boutique, and come with a six-month Dolce&Gabbana internship in Fall 2027—a major platform for the UAE’s emerging fashion talent.
٦. Offffff The Record: Shen’s genre-hopping game for music heads
DJ/curator Shen launches Offffff The Record (OTR), a music conversation card set turned community platform. Vol. 1 packs 120 questions across three levels (casuals, heads, artists), packaged like a three-cassette box co-designed by Carl Naguib and Ryan Abrams. More than a game, OTR spans an event series, street interviews, and a bi-monthly radio show on Community Service Radio—after kicking off with Elijah’s Canadian tour, Do West Fest, and upcoming nights at Paradise Grapevine and Cafeteria. Worldwide shipping now; copies at Rhythm Space and Standard Time (Toronto).
٧. Fondation Cartier debuts new Palais-Royal home
Fondation Cartier opens a new site at 2 Place du Palais-Royal—a Haussmannian 1855 building whose interiors have been completely reimagined by Jean Nouvel into flexible, light-modulating platforms. To inaugurate the space, the show “Exposition Générale” maps 40 years of the Fondation’s collection—nearly 600 works by 100+ artists—running October 25, 2025 to August 23, 2026.
٨. Yasmin Al Mulla Anchors Boucheron’s Abu Dhabi Relaunch
Boucheron reopens in a larger boutique at The Galleria, Abu Dhabi, on October 16, 2025, and the spotlight is on a commissioned artwork by Emirati artist Yasmin Al Mulla. Her piece blends the UAE’s dunes and waves with Boucheron’s Grosgrain code from the Quatre collection—bridging local culture and Parisian heritage in a clean, modern gesture. The refreshed space nods to Place Vendôme and showcases house icons like Quatre and Serpent Bohème, but Al Mulla’s installation is the standout moment.
٩. Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show Returns to NYC
The world’s most-watched runway is back: on October 15, 2025, the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show lit up New York City with a star cast—Gigi and Bella Hadid, Adriana Lima, Candice Swanepoel, Behati Prinsloo, Alessandra Ambrosio, Ashley Graham, Irina Shayk, Imaan Hammam, Liu Wen, Angel Reese, and more—plus live performances from Missy Elliott, KAROL G, Madison Beer, and TWICE. Fashion, music, and pop culture collided in one glossy spectacle, streamed globally on Amazon Prime Video and Victoria’s Secret’s MENA platforms.
١٠. Clinique La Prairie brings stem cell therapy to Dubai
Longevity Hub by Clinique La Prairie at One&Only One Za’abeel is introducing exclusive, fully autologous stem cell protocols—the first of their kind for the region. The treatments isolate, expand, and reinfuse a client’s own adipose-derived cells (100–200 million) to support systemic regeneration, with complementary skin and scalp applications and the option to bank younger cells for future use. The journey runs from medical assessment and a minimally invasive extraction to lab expansion (6–8 weeks), IV infusion with targeted reinjections, and a 12-month follow-up—plus an optional Montreux-to-Dubai Revitalisation + Stem Cells program.
١١. Axel Arigato Lands in Dubai: First UAE Flagship + Local .AE Site
Axel Arigato has officially arrived in the UAE with a debut boutique at Mall of the Emirates—an immersive space by Creative Director Jens Werner that translates the brand’s bold minimalism into organic lines, desert-toned finishes, and signature hits of yellow. Launching in tandem, axelarigato.ae brings the label’s first localized e-store to the Middle East, streamlining access for regional shoppers. Together, the physical flagship and new digital home signal a confident push into the Gulf—and a growing community of style and culture fans to match.
١٢. Hermès Bids Adieu to a Legend: Véronique Nichanian’s Final Men’s Collection
Hermès will present the final collection by Véronique Nichanian—its visionary Artistic Director of the Men’s Universe—on Saturday, 24 January 2026, during Paris Fashion Week AW26/27. Since 1988, Nichanian has defined a timeless, quietly radical menswear language at Hermès, uniting technical finesse, poetic restraint, and impeccable craftsmanship. Her swan song promises a refined salute to nearly four decades of elegant silhouettes and authentic allure—closing an era that forever shaped how men dress.
١٣. Image & Memory: Tunisia at the Heart of MENART FAIR’s Project Room
Eight voices from Tunisia’s contemporary scene—curated by Victoria Jonathan in collaboration with France’s Seine-Maritime department—unpack how images carry history and memory. Inspired by the proverb “Drop by drop, water hollows stone,” the exhibition favors intimate narratives and the shadow-zones of collective memory, weaving fragments, archives, and oral traditions into layered works. Spanning photography, textiles, embroidery, glass painting, performance, and mosaic, the artists challenge colonial and patriarchal frames, revive craft know-how, and stage a sensorial, material archaeology where the personal meets the political.
