The region’s pulse — fresh news delivered to your screen!
١. Salone del Mobile.Milano Heads to Riyadh
The world’s leading design fair debuts in Saudi Arabia this month with Red in Progress — a first-of-its-kind B2B event connecting 38 top Italian design brands (including Poliform, Flos, and Cassina) with Saudi architects and creatives. Hosted at the King Abdullah Financial District from November 26–28, the event blends high design with business networking through a smart matchmaking platform. Designed by Lissoni & Partners, the Business Lounge offers a stylish hub for collaboration and exchange.
٢. Gentle Monster Unveils “THE HUNT” — A Fever Dream for Fall 2025
Gentle Monster introduces its Fall 2025 collection through “THE HUNT”, a one-minute film directed by Nadia Lee Cohen and starring Hunter Schafer. In this surreal suburban thriller, reality fractures into vivid horror-inspired visions, echoing the brand’s signature tension between fantasy and precision.
The collection expands Gentle Monster’s aesthetic with lighter, more refined silhouettes — slimmed frames, metallic finishes, and a delicate interplay of structure and color that redefine modern sophistication. Completing the launch, an interactive game invites users to step inside the brand’s ever-evolving world of cinematic design and digital exploration.
٣. Massimo Dutti Explores Craft and Culture with “FRAMED HERITAGE” at Dubai Design Week
For Dubai Design Week 2025, Massimo Dutti unveils FRAMED HERITAGE, an immersive installation co-created with Emirati artist Omar Al Gurg. Held at Jossa, Alserkal Avenue, the project reflects on leather as both craft and language, exploring how material and meaning intertwine through contemporary design. Open to the public on November 7–8, the installation marks a new dialogue between heritage and modernity in Massimo Dutti’s creative vision.
٤. Dua Lipa Launches DUA™ Skincare with Augustinus Bader
Dua Lipa steps into the beauty world with DUA™, a skincare line powered by TFC5™, the latest technology from Augustinus Bader. Designed as a clean, minimalist routine, the three-step collection : Balancing Cream Cleanser, Supercharged Glow Complex, and Renewal Cream — focuses on long-term skin health, hydration, and radiance. Bridging science and performance, the launch reflects Dua’s vision for effortless, intelligent beauty: “It’s everything I need, wherever I am.”
٥. Olivier Rousteing Exits Balmain After 14 Years
Olivier Rousteing has officially stepped down as Creative Director of Balmain after steering the house since 2011. Appointed at just 25, he transformed the Parisian maison into a social-media era luxury powerhouse, known for celebrity-led spectacles, inclusive casting, and bold digital-first runway stories. The Qatar-owned brand confirmed the departure on November 5 2025 and says a new creative direction will be announced in due course.
٦. REFY Lands in the Middle East with Sephora
British beauty brand REFY, founded by Jess Hunt and Jenna Meek, expands into the Middle East with Sephora, marking a major step in its global journey. Known for its clean, skin-first approach and viral best-sellers like Brow Sculptand Lip Sculpt, REFY brings its minimalist aesthetic and multifunctional products to the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Qatar online from November 1 and in-store from December 1. A partnership built on innovation and inclusivity, this launch connects REFY’s devoted community with Sephora’s regional beauty network.
٧. Egypt Opens the Grand Egyptian Museum After Two-Decade Build
Egypt has officially inaugurated the Grand Egyptian Museum near the Pyramids of Giza, marking the completion of a USD 1 billion, 20-year journey. The sprawling new institution houses tens of thousands of artefacts — including the entire collection of Tutankhamun’s treasures — and signals a major cultural milestone for the country’s heritage and tourism ambitions.
٨. QatarDebate Tackles Digital Media’s Double Edge at the Paris Peace Forum
At the Paris Peace Forum 2025, QatarDebate led a key panel titled “Mediator or Firestarter? The Dual Role of Digital Media in Conflict Resolution,” exploring how online platforms can both bridge divides and fuel polarization. Moderated by Ahmad Al-Naimi, QatarDebate’s Chief Envoy, the session gathered global experts including Sawsan Chebli to discuss misinformation, censorship, and the power of digital storytelling in conflict zones. The event reaffirmed QatarDebate’s mission to use dialogue and critical thinking as tools for global peacebuilding and youth engagement.
٩. Valentino Enters the Dreamscape with “Nocturne”
For its Cruise 2026 campaign, Valentino unveils “Nocturne” : a moody meditation on the threshold between night and consciousness. Directed by Renell Medrano under the creative vision of Alessandro Michele, the film unfolds inside a dimly lit hotel where solitude, intimacy, and beauty coexist to the sound of Chopin’s Nocturne in E Flat. Starring Dakota Johnson, Dev Hynes, and Tate McRae, Nocturne transforms sleep into a shared ritual, a poetic ode to stillness, connection, and Valentino’s new nocturnal elegance:
١٠ Buccellati Debuts at Downtown Design Dubai 2025
At Downtown Design Dubai 2025, Italian maison Buccellati unveiled an immersive exhibit in collaboration with Lebanese design duo david/nicolas. Inspired by the sculptural fluidity of seashells, the installation reimagines Buccellati’s silverware and high jewelry within two interlocking circular “shell” rooms — part gallery, part dreamscape. Blending heritage with contemporary design, the presentation celebrates the brand’s dialogue with the Middle East’s evolving creative landscape.
