P ro du ce d in Inte rn atio nal M ed ia P ro du ctio n Z one P ro du ce

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Elegance is an attitude
Welcome to the third issue of DAMAC Properties’
quarterly lifestyle magazine: your guide to the finest
things in life.
This issue centres on the beauty of collaboration,
and the fantastic results that can come from
working together. To celebrate the launch of DAMAC
Properties’ ground-breaking partnership with
Paramount Pictures (turn to page 78 for the full story)
we look to Los Angeles, the home of movie making,
for this year’s hottest travel inspiration. We also find
out what happens when one of the biggest names in
fashion joins forces with a luxury car manufacturer –
and why the world can’t get enough of the results.
In another visionary collaboration, DAMAC
Properties presents its blueprint for the next
generation of Dubai city life: Akoya by DAMAC.
This futuristic community of villas, mansions and
apartments will have Trump International Golf
Course, Dubai, at its heart – so it’s fitting that
this issue we also look to the most spectacular
championship courses around the world. Welcome
to the most magnificent greens on earth.
As the summer months begin, some of the
world’s most beautiful women are embarking on the
journey of their lives: the quest to be crowned Miss
Universe. To celebrate, we look back at 60 years of
the contest – the results are stunning, we’re sure
you’ll agree.
We hope you enjoy the issue, and wish you a
restful and reflective summer season.
Jeddah
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Tahliah Street
Tel: + 966 2 284 5445
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Simon Baker
Lebanon
Suite No. 1012, Beirut Souks
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beirut@damacgroup.com
Jordan
Al Abdali Project
Damac Tower
Jordan 11181
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Egypt
Cairo (Head office)
68 El Merghany Street
Heliopolis
Tel: +20 241 49474
egypt@damacgroup.com
Iraq
A Jadreyah District 911
Street 26, Office 11/2
Baghdad
Tel: +964 1 77 64 102
baghdad@damacgroup.com
Qatar
Office No. 04
Al Qassar Tower
West Bay Area
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doha@damacgroup.com
The Longines Master Collection
www.longines.com
The DAMAC magazine team
damacmagazine@damacgroup.com
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effort has been made to ensure
the information published is
accurate, HOT Media Publishing
and DAMAC Properties do not
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errors in this magazine.
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Contents
/10
/54
Home
54 / Divine by Design
DAMAC meets Carla Fendi, and the
creative force behind FENDI Casa
58 / Let There be Light
The lighting company with futuristic
ambitions for traditional Venetian glass
Features
4 / Picture Perfect
61 / Artistic Ambitions
The history of Miss Universe in pictures
– the world’s most beautiful contest
Discover how to display your private
art collection to the greatest effect
10 / Fashion Statement
Why the Maserati GranCabrio Fendi
epitomises fine Italian culture
Property
14 / Behind the Silver Screen
66 / DAMAC Properties
Delivers a Life of Luxury
DAMAC reveals the stories behind
Paramount Pictures’ legendary titles
The story behind DAMAC Properties’
relentless pursuit of perfection
20 / Living Legend
Head to glamorous Los Angeles for an
up-close glimpse of the movie world
68 / AKOYA by DAMAC
The city’s hottest neighbourhood, and
the world-class golf course at its heart
26 / Magnificent Seven...
Golf Courses
/90
Globe-trotting golfers will love these
dramatic, far-flung courses
32 / Family Values
Meet Thierry Stern, the fourth
generation at the helm of Patek Philippe
38 / King of Couture
An exclusive glimpse of the incredible
DAMAC Towers by Paramount
86 / The High Life
How DAMAC Properties’ is set to
redefine luxury as we know it
90 / The New ‘New Dubai’
How Rami Al Ali is taking Middle Eastern
style to Europe – to critical acclaim
On the move? Discover the new
generation of property hot spots
41 / New Faces
DAMAC unveils the new collections of
luxury timepieces by the fashion elite
/32
78 / A Star is Born
44 / The World ’s Finest
Spa Therapies
The luxurious treatments that every
discerning traveller should indulge in
Cover /
Donald J. Trump
(Corbis)
Editor /
Hazel Plush
Contributors /
Chris Anderson
Leah Oatway
Creative Direction
& Design /
Adam Sneade
Vanessa Arnaud
Published by /
HOT Media FZ LLC
for DAMAC Properties
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05
1960
1952
1971
The first Miss Universe competition
takes place, in Long Beach, California,
USA. 30 contestants took part in the
competition, and 18-year-old Armi
Kuusela of Finland was crowned the
first ever Miss Universe.
1960
The contest gets a new home – in
Miami Beach, Florida. This was only the
competition’s ninth year, but the USA
boasted its second victorious beauty:
18-year-old Linda Bement, who was
awarded the crown, sceptre, trophy
and sash by Miss Universe 1959, Akiko
Kojima of Japan.
1971
Georgina Rizk, from Lebanon, becomes
the first woman from the Middle East to
win the competition. The former model
is now a judge for the Miss Lebanon
contests, and is married to Lebanese
singer Walid Toufic.
1972
The first contest to be held overseas.
Puerto Rico hosted the 20th Miss
Universe competition, as the USA
organisers chose to reflect the
international reach of the event. Kerry
Anne Wells earned Australia’s first Miss
Universe crown, and went on to lead
a successful career as a news anchor
and fashion commentator.
1952
1977
Janelle Commissiong, of Trinidad
and Tobago, becomes the first black
woman to win the Miss Universe
title. The pageant, which attracted
an estimated 200 million television
viewers worldwide, was held in the
Dominican Republic to promote tourism
to the island.
Picture
Perfect
In cities all over the world
right now, the most beautiful
women are competing to
represent their home country
in the Miss Universe pageant,
the finale of which takes place
at the end of the year. Since
1952, the most attractive and
accomplished entrants have
dazzled the world as they
fight for the crown – but only
one woman per year can
reign supreme. Here, DAMAC
reveals the compelling
stories from the world’s most
picturesque frontline...
1972
1977
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1981
1981
Irene Saez of Venezuela is crowned
Miss Universe. The 19-year-old model
spent a year touring the world as
Miss Universe, before embarking
on a degree in political science
and becoming mayor of Chacao, a
municipality of Caracas. Later, she
competed in the Venezuela presidential
elections (but was defeated by Carlos
Andrés Pérez of Democratic Action),
and became the Governor of Nueva
Esparta.
1996
Donald Trump acquires the Miss
Universe pageant, marking a new era
for the event. Alicia Machado, the
fourth Venezuelan to win the contest, is
crowned – and embarks on a career as
an actress, presenter and singer.
1999
Botswana enters the pageant for the
first time, and wins – much to the
surprise of newly-crowned Mpule
Kwelagobe. A record 84 contestants
competed in the contest, and Miriam
Quiambao of The Philippines came a
close runner up.
1996
2011
For the first time ever, viewers can
vote for their favourite quarter-finalist
contestant online. Shamcey Supsup
from The Philippines (pictured centre)
was chosen by the public, although the
top spot was claimed by 25-year-old
Leila Lopes of Angola.
1999
2011
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09
2012
USA’s Olivia Culpo is crowned Miss
Universe. The 21-year-old was the first
American winner since Brook Lee in
1997. Culpo won Miss Rhode Island
USA 2012 in her first ever pageant,
and won the Miss USA title just a few
months after. She received the award
from the previous year’s winner, Leila
Lopes, and pledged to spend her year
as Miss Universe “travel[ling] the world
championing for her cause alliances,
namely HIV/AIDS prevention”.
2012
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Fashion
statement
What do you get when you cross a luxury vehicle
manufacturer with a high-end fashion designer?
The answer is the Maserati GranCabrio Fendi,
one of the most desirable cars around
Words: Chr is A nder son
ood and football aside, two of
the biggest defining elements of modern Italian
culture are undoubtedly fashion and cars. Ask
anyone where the fastest, most desirable vehicles
or the finest clothing lines come from, and this
particular European country is often the sure-fire
response. So what happens when these two worlds
collide? And how would a sleek, Italian sports car
look if a prominent homegrown fashion house
were to apply its own cosmetic touches? The result
must surely be the best of the best, where great
technology meets cutting edge design – and in the
limited edition Maserati GranCabrio Fendi, that’s
exactly what we find.
There are a lot of similarities between the
Maserati and Fendi brands, which is why a
collaboration between them makes perfect sense.
Both have a great heritage, with their origins dating
back almost 100 years, and the two began as
family businesses. They are brand names that many
would recognise today as being among the finest in
their respective fields, and each has at times been
associated with some of the leading names from the
worlds of cars or fashion. There are surely grounds
for understanding here, which is why a partnership
works so well.
Maserati is the eldest of the two companies,
established in 1914 in Bologna by five brothers –
Alfieri, Bindo, Carlo, Ettore and Ernesto – who shared
a passion for building race cars, as well as their
Maserati surname. Initially they built cars for another
company, but when production was suspended
in 1926 they decided to work on something for
themselves. It was clearly the right decision, as one
of their first independent creations, driven by Alfieri,
won the Targa Florio race that same year.
If the Maserati name was to continue entering
races, it would need an emblem, and for that the
founders turned to their other brother Mario, an artist
– he picked the trident from the statue of Neptune in
the centre of Bologna, mixing it with the red and blue
of the city’s banner, to create a logo still synonymous
with the marque.
It was a year before Maserati’s racing debut, in
1925, that the husband-and-wife team of Edoardo
and Adele Fendi opened a small leather and fur shop
in Rome. A new middle class had started to emerge
at the end of the First World War, and there was a
demand for quality bags and accessories. Fendi
immediately became a leader in this field, and began
to open more boutiques in the city, expanding beyond
it during the 1930s and ’40s.
The success of Maserati was also gathering
pace, with continued racing success. One of the most
memorable achievements for the brand came in
1939 and 1940, when a Maserati 8CTF had back-toback wins in the Indianapolis 500, making it the only
Italian manufacturer ever to achieve this. In 1940,
the brand also relocated to Modena, where it has
remained to this day, under the leadership of its new
owners, the Adolfo Orsi family.
The outbreak of the Second World War meant
production for both companies was put on hold, with
Maserati even switching from building cars to making
components for the Italian war effort. Yet both had
built up enough momentum to see them through
once things had settled down. Keeping it a family
affair, Adele and Edoardo welcomed the first of their
daughters to the company, Paola, in 1946, at age
15, with her four sisters signing up in the years that
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> Images: Supplied
12
followed, as soon as they finished school. Maserati,
meanwhile, was working on its new A6 series, to take
on the likes of Ferrari and Alfa Romeo on the track.
Throughout the 1950s, the Maserati name
was a regular on the podium, mostly thanks to
famous Argentinian driver Juan-Manuel Fango.
However, in 1957, the decision was made for the
company to take a break from racing, and instead
use its knowledge in road car production. Its racing
experience was immediately evident, with lightweight
aluminium shells, V8 engines and sporty looks all
playing a part in the initial models released.
Fendi too had started to try something
different, with Adele’s daughters pushing new
ranges and ideas. Their desire to experiment led
them to seek out the services of a young up and
coming designer who had become well known
in Paris – Karl Lagerfeld. He began working for
the company in 1965, concentrating mainly on
its fur products, introducing modern shapes and
techniques, changing what was once perceived as
something stiff and heavy into designs that were
light, fashionable and ready to wear. Lagerfeld also
‘The car’s threelayered body
colour, named Grigio
Fiamma Fendi,
appears to turn gold’
designed the company’s signature ‘double F’ logo,
still used today.
Maserati found its own French link around this
time, when it was purchased by Citroën in 1968.
This resulted in new models, built in far greater
numbers than before. There was also a lot of
crossover between the two brands, with Maseratis
using Citroën hydraulics, and Citroëns using
Maserati engines and expertise. In 1975, both of
the companies were bought by former Argentinian
racing driver Alejandro de Tomaso, who became its
managing director.
After the launch of a second ready-to-wear line
in 1977, Fendi was fast becoming recognised around
the globe. This led to a rapid expansion, with the
likes of menswear, denim, gifts, accessories and
sunglasses being launched during the 1980s. The
company continued to work with Lagerfeld, and
celebrated its lengthy collaboration with an exhibition
at the National Gallery of Modern Art in Rome – the
first relating to fashion to be held in a major Italian
museum – while Paola Fendi was honoured by the
country’s president in recognition of her 40 years
with the brand.
Maserati spent the 1980s swapping mid-engined
sports cars for front-engine rear drive coupes,
which cost less to produce but had aggressive
performance. This changed in 1993 when the
company was purchased by Fiat, who began making
substantial investments in the name. It then split
its ownership with Ferrari in 1997, which was also
a part of the Fiat Group, building a new factory and
positioning Maserati as its luxury division. Ferrari
took full control in 1999, releasing the Quattroporte,
pushing the brand internationally, and in 2003
returning it to racing. Similarly, 1999 saw Prada
purchase a stake in Fendi with LVMH.
Just as Maserati benefitted from Ferrari’s
influence, so too did Fendi thrive through its
association with Lagerfeld, and today the designer
remains its artistic director. The family heritage
is still evident too, with Silvia Venturini Fendi, a
member of its third generation, serving as head of
accessories. The two Italian companies share a long
and celebrated history, and the Frankfurt Motor Show
in September 2011 became an important milestone
for them both.
It was here that saw the first unveiling of
the Maserati GranCabrio Fendi – a take on the
convertible version of Maserati’s successful
GranTurismo model, launched several years earlier,
after the brand split from Ferrari and was partnered
by Fiat with Alfa Romeo, featuring a design by Silvia
Venturini Fendi herself. As if the car brand wasn’t
exclusive enough already, with just the Quattroporte,
the GranTurismo and the regular four-seater soft-top
GranCabrio available, along came a model influenced
by one of Italy’s most famous fashion dynasties.
Which leads to the question: what is exactly on
offer? Many were wowed by the car’s three-layered
body colour, named Grigio Fiamma Fendi, on its first
outing, which is a special dark grey that appears to
turn gold when looked at from certain angles. Then
there is the Pergamena Fendi wood trim that lines
the dashboard, the doors and the gearknob, all in a
striking Fendi yellow. This colour theme continues to
the brake callipers seen poking through the 20 inch
alloy wheels, and in the embroidered Maserati logo
featured on the headrests.
Of course, with Fendi so well known for its
leather products, this has not been neglected either.
Cuoio Romano, the type featured in its Selleria
luggage line, can be found on the instrument cluster
covers, the gearlever and the profile of the floormats,
with the Fendi ‘double F’ logo designed by Karl
Lagerfeld all those years ago stitched into the seats,
and also featured on the wheel caps. The final touch
is a silver oval plaque on the dashboard, featuring
a special logo design by Silvia Venturini Fendi and a
number – signifying which of the 50 made you are
looking at. Limited edition luggage and accessories
are also included.
Beneath the bonnet, you’ll find the 4.7-litre V8
engine, offering 450bhp and a top speed of 285
kmph. But is this a car you would want to drive
fast? It would surely be tempting to drive slowly, so
passers-by can admire the leather and designer
touches. Perhaps for a leisurely drive to the mall,
this is the perfect proposition, to get you in the mood
for shopping – or maybe to a restaurant or football
match to enjoy those other essential pillars of Italy’s
culture. It could be argued that art is the only Italian
passion not yet mentioned, but in a way the car
already ticks that box.
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Behind the
silver screen
Lar a Croft:
Tomb R aider
Believe it or not, Demi Moore and
Catherine Zeta Jones were considered
for the Lara Croft lead – but for
Director Simon West, only one actress
could bring the role to life: “Angelina
[Jolie] was always my only choice, not
even my first choice,” he said. “It really
was a one-horse race. If she didn’t
do it, I can’t think who else would
have been suitable.” As it happened,
Jolie stepped up to the mark, even
choosing to perform her own stunts
for the action-adventure film which
was inspired by the Tomb Raider video
games. In an interview, Jolie revealed
that she did her own ‘bungee ballet’
stunts but injured her ankle on a
chandelier so badly that the scene had
to be postponed until she recovered. In
the action sequences, fans of the video
games will recognise the signature
moves of the experienced player,
for example drawing weapons midsomersault, swallow dives into water,
and back-flips.
There’s no business like show business, and Paramount Pictures is arguably
the biggest name in Hollywood. DAMAC takes a glimpse into the making of its
most influential pictures
Break fast
at Tiffany’s
This 1961 adaptation of Truman
Capote’s colourful novella tells the
story of troubled fictional socialite Holly
Golightly. Despite original plans to cast
Marilyn Monroe in the central role,
Audrey Hepburn was chosen – securing
her as the face of a generation.
Its influence on popular culture is
well-documented, as the film sparked
everything from a Broadway musical
(in 1966, with Mary Tyler Moore as
Golightly) to copycat sunglasses. In
2006, the Givenchy-designed ‘little
black dress’ that Hepburn wears in
the film was sold at Christie’s auction
house in London for $900,000.
The proceeds were donated to the
City of Joy charity for poor children
in India, in memory of the charity
work that Hepburn devoted her later
life to. “There are tears in my eyes,”
said Dominic Lapierre, founder of the
charity, on the day of the auction.
“I am absolutely dumbfounded to
believe that a piece of cloth which
belonged to such a magical actress
will now enable me to buy bricks and
cement to put the most destitute
children in the world into schools.”
Star Trek
J.J. Abram’s first foray into directing the Star Trek
franchise was shrouded in secrecy. The 2009 film,
produced under the fake working title Corporate
Headquarters, was shot on a remote location in
California and Utah – and even the cast members
were kept in the dark. Actor Karl Urban, who played
Leonard H. ‘Bones’ McCoy, revealed: “[There is a]
level of security and secrecy that we have all been
forced to adopt. I mean, it’s really kind of paranoid
crazy, but sort of justified. We’re not allowed to walk
around in public in our costumes and we have to
be herded around everywhere in these golf carts
that are completely concealed and covered in black
canvas. The security of it is immense. You feel your
freedom is a big challenge.” Simon Pegg (Captain
Montgomery ‘Scotty’ Scott) later said, “I read [the
script] with a security guard near me – it’s that
secretive.” Steven Spielberg was one of the few
non-production visitors who were allowed on set.
The director had reportedly convinced Abrams to
direct the movie, and advised him on the action
scenes during his visit. This year will see the release
of sequel, Star Trek Into Darkness. It is the twelfth
Star Trek film, and sees all of 2009’s main characters
reprise their roles – with Benedict Cumberbatch,
Peter Weller and Alice Eve also starring.
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There will
be Blood
This 2007 American drama film is
loosely based on the 1927 novel Oil!,
written by Upton Sinclair. The story is
set in Southern California’s oil boom
of the late 19th century and depicts
oilman Daniel Plainview on his ruthless
quest for riches. Daniel Day-Lewis stars
as Plainview, but director Paul Thomas
Anderson wanted an unknown Texan to
play his son. The filmmakers contacted
a local school for prospective talent,
and the principal suggested 11 yearold Dillon Freasier – but the casting
almost didn’t happen, said Day-Lewis
in an interview: “[His mother] thought
she better check out this bunch of
people taking care of her son. So she
got Gangs of New York. Absolutely
appalled! She thought she was
releasing her dear child to this monster.
And so there was a flurry of phone calls
and somebody sent a copy of The Age
of Innocence.”
True Grit
This Coen Brothers film, shot on location in New Mexico and Texas, received a
wave of critical acclaim upon its release and became the first film by the directorproducer duo to gross over $100 million in the USA. It is based on the original
1969 film which starred John Wayne, and which tells the story of young woman
who tracks down her father’s murderer. The 2010 film was the first western to
be nominated for the Best Picture Academy Award in 19 years, and Jeff Bridges
(who played Rooster Cogburn) was nominated Best Actor for his performance.
In 1969, John Wayne was nominated for – and received – the Best Actor award,
the only time he ever won an Oscar.
The Godfather
To Catch a Thief
This 1955 romantic thriller features Cary Grant as a reformed cat burglar who must catch a new thief who is targeting the French Riviera, with Grace Kelly as his
love interest. Those with a sharp eye will spot director Alfred Hitchcock nine minutes into the film, sitting next to John Robie (played by Grant) on the bus. This
was Kelly’s final film for Hitchcock: she became Princess Grace of Monaco in 1956, foregoing her acting career. Her outfits in the film were designed by renowned
costume designer Edith Head and range from the bizarre (a wild gold lamé gown with a sausage curls wig) to the iconic (a blue chiffon evening dress inspired by
Dior’s ‘New Look’ of the late 1940s).
This runaway hit about the ageing
head of a mafia dynasty was the
first high-profile success of director
Francis Ford Coppola. The San
Francisco-based Italian-American
originally passed on the project,
but was reportedly encouraged by
his peers – George Lucas among
them – to take up the director’s role
in order to haul his film company
American Zoetrop out of financial
difficulties. Francis wasn’t the only
Coppola involved the film, however:
his composer father Carmine Coppola
wrote music for the film and appeared
as a piano player, while his sister played
Connie Corleone and his baby daughter
played her newborn son. On his working
relationship with scriptwriter and fellow
Italian-American, Coppola was ebullient,
saying: “Puzo was an absolutely
wonderful man. To sum him up, when
I put a line in the script describing how
to make sauce and wrote, ‘First you
brown some garlic,’ he scratched that
out and wrote, ‘First you fry some garlic.
Gangsters don’t brown.’”
18
19
Titanic
At the time of its release, this epic tale
of love and loss onboard the great ship
Titanic was the most expensive film
ever made. Despite an initial outcry at
James Cameron’s lavish production
costs – a cool $200 million – the film
went on to become the top-grossing
release of all time, a title which it
held for 12 years. One of the most
lavish outlays was the set of the ship’s
exterior, constructed close to a beach
in Baja California, Mexico. For the
climax of the film, the crew only had
one chance to capture the dramatic
destruction of the grand staircase,
as it is consumed by seawater. The
set had been constructed according
to the ship’s original plans, and was
completely destroyed by the flood.
This attention to detail is atypical of
Director James Cameron’s working
style. Recalling the set of the ship’s
exterior, Billy Zane – who played Cal
Hockley, Rose’s fiancé – said: “It was
awe-inspiring. They’d built an entire
city to make a film! When I showed up
there were three tower cranes spinning
against the skyline and thousands of
employees milling about. It was like
the glory days of the studios: Cecil
B. DeMille, MGM. And getting off the
freight elevator at the upper deck,
you felt the heft of the bannisters, the
metal railings, the weight of the doors
and you thought, ‘This is tangible,
this is solid.’ It was like being there on
the Titanic. It was a truly immersive
experience. Nothing could have
prepared you for the sheer logistics
of it.”
Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol
In 2011, over 450 production crew and actors descended on Dubai for the filming of the fourth Mission: Impossible movie. Combined with a team of 600 locallysourced extras, the scale of the operation was huge – as was the team’s ambition. The film’s most iconic scene, in which Ethan Hawke (Tom Cruise) scales Burj
Khalifa, attracted the attention of the international press: not only would Cruise perform his own stunts on the world’s tallest tower, but he would also sit atop its
830-metre peak. Later, Effects producer Tom C Pietzman revealed that Cruise’s daredevil antics took the team by surprise: “We were going to build this set, have
Ethan climb it, and then digitally extend all the shots to show the rest of the building. Then we sat down with Tom and, of course, he wanted to climb the building.
That put a new spin on things.” The footage caused a sensation across the globe, and the film became the most popular Mission: Impossible film, as well as
Cruise’s highest-grossing movie to date.
20
21
Living
legend
With a cast of million-dollar faces and a backdrop of world-famous scenery, Los Angeles knows how
to put on a show. Harriet Walker takes a trip to discover the original – and best – city of dreams
os Angeles may not be
a fashion city from the
same mould as Paris or
Milan, but it has at its
heart a stylish sensibility
inseparable from the
industry that it has grown
up around.
To the north-west of
LA’s downtown district
lies the spiritual heart
of the international film
industry. ‘Hollywoodland’,
as it was first named by
developers (the suffix
fell out of use in 1949
after the area had become more populated; the sign was originally
erected as an advertisement in 1923), has, after all, taught us how
to look, how to live, how to dress and how to dream. Even now that
the movie industry has dispersed west and north of Hollywood into
Burbank, Santa Clarita and Westside, the district is still used as a
figure of speech that embodies the epitome of glamour.
It was obvious as soon as I arrived: hallmarks of the silver
screen and those who help to create its illusions are all over the
city and the neighbouring Beverly Hills – basically, a city in its
own right but tacked on to LA like Robin is to Batman. From the
Walk of Fame to the gleaming windows of the des-res duplexes
on Mulholland Drive and the omnipresent Hollywood sign itself,
darting in and out of one’s eyeline among the hills.
Of course, to the armchair tourist’s eye, LA is filmic in the
same way that all of the US appears lifted straight from celluloid.
Whether it’s steam billowing from manhole covers on a Manhattan
sidewalk, red dust churning in the empty Midwest or the palm treelined Rodeo Drive, American geography is one great backdrop to so
many of us.
But it is in Los Angeles that most of those paradigms were
created. Simply seeing the streets signs was enough for me to enter
a movieland reverie, but taking a tour round any of the studio cities
at Burbank (the creative industries hub that is slightly north-east of
Hollywood itself) allows you a further peek behind the curtain.
At Paramount Pictures, giant studio warehouses pepper
the lots – here the one in which silent film Wings was filmed in
1927, there where Breakfast at Tiffany’s was shot – each one a
microcosm of imagination, painstakingly re-created to within an
inch of reality behind industrial cladding. Golf buggies rolled past
teeming with extras, including mortar-boarded teenagers from
the finale of Glee; gaffers shouted instructions to each other; and
catering staff rolled out temporary barbecues for hungry mouths.
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> Clockwise, from left: Paramount Pictures studio gates; Signs show
the way to Beverly Hills and Sunset Strip; Martin Scorsese directing 3D
feature film Hugo; Walt Disney Concert Hall, designed by Frank Gehry.
> Opening pages: The iconic Hollywood sign. This page, clockwise from top left: Al fresco dining at Mondrian Los Angeles: The Cohen brothers filming the Oscar-nominated
True Grit; At Mondrian Los Angeles, each individually-designed guestroom features views over Sunset Strip; The Hollywood Walk of Fame.
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> Text: Harriet Walker / The Independent / The Interview People. Images: Getty Images; Corbis / Arabian Eye; Paramount Pictures; Shutterstock; Supplied
At Warner Brothers, downtown New York streets abut a smalltown market square and a suburban street. There are subway
stations to nowhere, doors that do not open, skylines less stable
than even the most ambitious starlet’s career.
All of this was in sight of Alfred Hitchcock’s old office, the side
gate through which Katharine Hepburn used to cycle, the main
entrance – a monolithic arched gateway – where unemployed
labourers, dancers, acrobats and wannabes waited to hear the
roles available on any given day, and, finally, the car park flooded for
Cecil B DeMille’s The Ten Commandments, in which Moses parted
the Red Sea. In LA, a car park is never just a car park. There is an
element of metatheatre to the city that isn’t easy to shake off.
The etiquette when one does stumble across a star – which
happens often here – is more complex. In Hollywood, the actors
whose house you have just driven past at 2mph in order to get a
squizz through their kitchen window are just ordinary people. So
when they’re out and about, people tend not to react, whether it’s
Lindsay Lohan getting her nails done in the Sunset Plaza or Johnny
Depp browsing in the intellectual hipster hangout Book Soup on
West Sunset. In fact, almost every restaurant or bar owner in LA
will have his or her anecdotes to tell you about the famous faces
they have once met or served, but they tell them like low-key
neighbourhood gossip.
Next door to Hollywood proper is the mini-city of West
Hollywood (or WeHo), LA’s epicentre of fashion and fun. It’s young
and varied, bohemian and brash. Punctuated with on-the-beatentrack music venues, it’s also the site of some of the city’s coolest
new spots. The Soho House group has opened an outpost here,
while a cluster of new hotels on Sunset Boulevard includes the
luxurious and hip Mondrian, favoured by pop stars and models, as
well as The Standard – a trendy New York import that took over the
premises of a former retirement home and now hosts bright young
things and fashion designers. All have stunning hillside views over
the city and are within walking distance (but who walks in LA?) from
the infamous Chateau Marmont – backdrop to works by F Scott
Fitzgerald, Jay McInerney and Sofia Coppola, and to the deaths of
John Belushi and the photographer Helmut Newton.
On the same stretch is West Hollywood’s most iconic hotel, the
Sunset Tower. The Art Deco building was rescued from disrepair in
the late Eighties and remains one of the city’s finest architectural
examples. Since its opening in 1931, it has played host to Howard
Hughes, Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe and Errol Flynn. These days,
poolside lounge The Terrace is as respectable as you could wish –
and was Scarlett Johansson’s first port of call, during my visit, after
a busy day inaugurating her Walk of Fame star.
Down the hill from Sunset Tower lies LA’s latest fashion hot
spot, the avant-garde boutique Opening Ceremony. It’s worth a
look with its seven rooms of up-and-coming designers – some so
niche that this is the only place their clothes are stocked. Because
of that, it’s a fertile hunting ground for personal stylists, as well as
forward-thinking actresses such as Kristen Stewart and Cameron
Diaz, and will reward as much time as you’re prepared to spend
there flicking through rails and browsing the separate (but just as
well-stocked) shoe department.
Los Angeles has much to offer the nosy: with its singular
feeling of inclusivity as A-listers mix with civilians on a daily basis,
it’s like a theme park, a whirlwind trip through the lives of the
famous. You’re not so much pretending it’s yours as trying it on for
size. In that way, holidaying here is a bit like borrowing the dress of
your dreams for an awards ceremony. It’s pure Cinderella territory –
although instead of a glass slipper, you’re more likely to be wearing
one of Dorothy’s ruby-red court shoes.
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> Top: TCL Chinese Theatre (formerly Grauman’s Chinese Theatre), on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Above: The palm-fringed avenues of Rodeo Drive, the exclusive Los Angeles shopping strip.
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please contact your local Audi dealer.
26
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magnificent
Golf courses
west coast glory, USA
Pride of place on the California
coastline, the magnificent Trump
National Golf Club Los Angeles is the
top west coast spot for a truly breathtaking round. Every hole features
incredible views, and – as the most
expensive golf greens ever built in
the world – a top-notch experience is
guaranteed. The course is a spectacle
in itself: throughout the 18 holes you’ll
find lakes and waterfalls galore – as
well as the likes of Michael Douglas,
who has hosted his Pro-Celebrity and
Friends Golf Tournament here.
Where to tee off in
style this summer...
north island
spectacle, new
zealand
Greens don’t get much greener
than this. On the wild east coast of
the nature-rich North Island, the
magnificent Cape Kidnappers greens
marries excellent golfing with the
freshest of air. Designed by legendary
golf architect Tom Doak, the par 71
course measures 6,510 square metres
and boasts a helipad for those flying in
for the day, to soak up the countryside
and coastline views.
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island par adise,
mauritius
This five-star resort is renowned as one
of the most sumptuous boltholes in
Mauritius, and its golf course is equally
legendary. The extensive championship
greens can only be reached from the
main resort by boat, as it is spread over
its very own island: Ile aux Cerfs, or
‘Deer Island’. After the magnificent boat
ride, you’ll be greeted by an 18-hole,
par 72 links – challenging enough to
keep advanced players entertained, yet
playable and enjoyable for recreational
golfers. After a day’s play, head to
Langer’s Bar & Grill for authentic
Mauritian refreshments.
gorgeous greens, USA
Built atop lava outcroppings, this
picturesque course in Lana’i, Hawaii
looks just the place for a rugged round.
The Challenge at Manele course lives
up to its name, featuring three clifftop
holes (for which the Pacific Ocean is
a natural water hazard) and a five-tee
concept over spectacular gorges and
ravines. Part of the Four Seasons
Lana’i at Manele Bay resort, the course
is designed by Jack Nicklaus, and is
one of the region’s most testing golf
locations. Visit during winter months,
and you’ll spot whales visiting the
island’s natural coves – making this
the perfect spot for keen golfers and
nature lovers alike.
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regal resort,
south africa
No other destination does colonial
grandeur quite as spectacularly as
South Africa – and its golf courses
are renowned for their stately grace.
The finest is Fancourt, an expansive
championship resort on the Garden
Route, a lush stretch of coastline to
the east of Cape Town. Book into the
19th-century Manor House, which
boasts views of the three courses from
many of its suites, and enjoy peerless
pampering at the lavish Fancourt
Spa. The greens, designed by Gary
Player, attracts some of the biggest
names in golf – not surprising, given
the backdrop of rugged parkland,
mountains and exotic gardens.
Scottish splendour, UK
Drawing on Donald J. Trump’s very own
Scottish roots, the newly-opened Trump
International Golf Links, Scotland is the
latest addition to the country’s stunning
courses – and has recently been named
the greatest new golf course. Designed by
Dr. Martin Hawtree, the course has a par
of 72 and 18 challenging holes that thread
their way through the dunes, and golfers
can play to a soundtrack of crashing
waves and vibrant birdsong. After a day on
the greens, take a break in the brasseriestyle golf house restaurant, where you’ll
find dishes featuring locally-sourced
ingredients, and a hearty Scottish welcome.
For an even more authentic experience,
head to MacLeod House & Lodge, where
guests can bed down in lavish suites, each
with its own intriguing history.
caribbean treasure,
Saint Vincent
& the grenadines
Teetering on the edge of the
Caribbean Sea, The Grenadines
Estate Golf Club on Canouan Island
boasts greens you’ll never forget.
The 18-hole Championship course is
made challenging by the undulating
landscape, and is cooled by northeasterly trade winds – the perfect
antidote to the Caribbean heat. Course
designer Jim Fazio has made the most
of dramatic ocean and mountain views;
each hole offers panoramic views
of both, and non-golfers will love to
relax in the spectacular clubhouse.
With discreet staff and a landscape
dominated by lush forest, it’ll feel like
you’ve got the links to yourself...
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Family values
It may be Geneva’s final
family-owned luxury
watchmaker, but Patek
Philippe is no small-fry
business. Thierry Stern, the
fourth in line to lead the
marque, shares the secret of
balancing personal integrity
with global success
Words: h a zel plush
t’s not
all about accuracy when it comes
to mechanical watches, it’s
about beauty,” Thierry Stern says
conspiratorially, “but we strive
to combine the two. There are
no gimmicks on a Patek Philippe
timepiece: we want to do everything
properly – out of respect for the client
and the brand.”
When I meet the CEO of one of the
world’s most revered luxury brands,
it’s just a few hours before the lavish
re-launch of its boutique in The Dubai
Mall. “This is a momentious day,” says
Stern. “The Middle East is the centre
of the luxury world, and Dubai is at its
heart – it’s where everything happens.”
While we chat, the shop front is
constructed around us, and I watch
as the company’s marketing slogan
is hoisted auspiciously above Stern’s
head: ‘You never actually own a Patek
Philippe; you merely look after it for
the next generation’, it reads. It’s
an undeniably powerful message,
but Patek Philippe’s family values
go far deeper than their ad talk. In
fact, the marque is unique in its
grassroots approach: it’s the final
luxury watchmaker in Geneva’s Vallée
de Joux under independent family-run
ownership, and current CEO Thierry
Stern is the fourth generation at the
company’s helm.
“The idea of collectability is not a
marketing strategy,” Stern says with a
smile, following my gaze. “It’s not about
the value of the watch – it’s about its
history. I have my grandfather’s watch
– I know the feel of it, the scratches –
it’s a very emotive experience.”
Today is all about the new
generation of Patek Philippe watches,
of course, but as the timepieces
receive a final polish before the doors
open, it’s impossible to ignore the
historical legacy that permeates the
brand. When Charles Stern acquired
the watchmaking company in 1932,
his aim was to create a sturdy family
business: almost a century later, that
vision holds true.
“Not a single watch is produced
without my family having worked on it,”
says Stern. “I am not an engineer, but
I know a lot about watches – as we all
do. We have a lot of discussion about
the future of the collections – and all of
the ideas come from us.”
The family’s involvement extends
from the initial design to the finishing
touches: approving the tone of all of the
minute repeaters is one of Stern’s and
his father’s favourite jobs, he admits
with a grin.
Philippe Stern succeeded his own
father Henri in 1977, and passed the
baton to Thierry in 2010 after putting
his son through a rigorous training
programme. “My father wanted to
impart the value of the brand, the
techniques that make Patek what it
is. He wanted me to understand the
passion of the family, to work with the
craftsmen, yet also understand the
commercial, financial side.”
After learning the ropes in
administration, Stern travelled the
world meeting retailers and clients:
“I got to know everybody,” he says.
“That’s the difference between Patek
and many other brands: human
relationships are important to us. I
have known many of the staff for a long
time, and their trust and knowledge is
the key to our success.”
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35
Stern also cut his teeth in the
brand’s watchmaking school, and
the creative side of the job remains
a passion to this day. “I love making
and designing pieces; in this industry,
it’s so important to know your product
thoroughly, and having an input into
design ensures that the pieces are
created from the heart.”
But with such a vast family legacy
at stake, does Stern feel the pressure
of his forefather’s success on his
shoulders? “Of course!” he exclaims.
“When I started, it was very heavy,
but after a few years I got used to the
pressure. You grow your knowledge
every year, and make better decisions.”
It’s a sentiment that other business
owners will share: “You learn how to
manage pressure, to make it work to
your advantage, but it never goes away.”
The responsibility is no doubt
heightened by the fact that the Sterns
aren’t the only family whose fortunes
are entwined in Patek Philippe. “When
my father took over, we had whole
families working in the workshops in
‘The idea of collectability is not about the
value of the watch – it’s about the history’
Geneva, but now you can find them
in the retailers, in the commercial
offices too. When quartz came in the
1980s, we had a gap in generations
– young people didn’t want to train as
watchmakers because they said there
was no future in it. Now, things have
changed: we do have whole families
working for us, but dotted around the
departments. It is good, because it
widens peoples’ options; it is important
for me. It gives the business a very
‘human’ element.”
Today, Stern’s ‘extended family’
totals an impressive 2,000 employees
– so have corporate sensibilities had to
override the personal touch? “In some
areas, yes – of course. When you have
a global reach, you sometimes need to
make difficult decisions, but we always
try to maintain a balanced outlook.
Family values are incredibly important,
but when my father started he had
maybe 150 people working for him,
so our outlook has had to change.”
Has it been a tough transition? “At
times, because sometimes we are
much more sensitive than people from
corporate backgrounds – the business
isn’t just a commercial interest for us,
it’s in our blood. With 2,000 people it’s
not easy to know everybody like I used
to. I don’t like that.”
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> Previous page: Men’s 5204P-001 Grand Complication, in platinum. This page, clockwise from top left: Pioneering watchmakers at the Patek Philippe workshop in the
early 19th century; Father and son, Philippe and Thierry Stern; The Patek Philippe Museum in Geneva, where historial timepieces sit alongside contemporary classics.
37
> Images: Supplied
36
So what does the CEO of one of the
world’s most treasured watchmakers
wear on his own wrist? “It’s a test
piece, the Reference 5208,” he
says, rolling up his sleeve. With
701 components, and a plethora
of the industry’s most complicated
complications (a minute repeater,
perpetual calendar, and monopusher
chronograph to name but three), it’s
clear that the boss has a collector’s
taste. “Pieces like this are very hard to
realise – this one took eight years to
make. It’s not just about the skill, but
about the time it takes to make the
piece. That’s why they are so rare.”
As he nods his assent to the
Nautilus and Calatrava window
displays, I can’t help but wonder if
Stern would ever bow to the pressure
to increase the brand’s production
numbers: at present, the number of
pieces produced annually stands at a
modest 50,000 – a substantial figure
when compared with other luxury
watchmakers, but small fry against the
world’s most sought-after marques.
“Never,” he says with a frown. “It all
comes down to the pursuit of beauty
and accuracy: if we are to move closer
to perfection, we can’t start churning
out pieces. We want to keep our family
values, and work on honing the quality:
this is a quest that has always been at
the heart of what we do.”
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King of Couture
here is a positive
energy in Dubai now, and people are making smarter
investments than before. There is new life here.
The borders between the eastern and western
worlds have disappeared. Through the internet
and travel you can experience anything – you are
exposed to trends and tastes from all over the
world. Everything about the Rami Al Ali brand is very
international, so when we go to Paris we can still
cater to the clientele there: the vision is shared.
There is often a western silhouette in my
designs, with some Middle Eastern spices. The
Arabic elements in my designs come naturally to me.
Everything derives from a visual bank: I grew up in
Syria, and I love the Middle East. I am inspired by so
many elements of our culture, and I find elegance in
so many aspects of local heritage. That influence can
be seen in my work whether I like it or not. You work
from your memories – a shape, a graphic, a colour.
This season, everyone is looking to the
technicalities, to the structure of the gown. That is
the trend now, whether you’re Parisian, American or
Middle Eastern. The structure is very architectural,
which can make designing more difficult, but it drives
you to be more creative, to make something you’ve
never made before. I welcome the challenge; it is the
best motivation.
When you are tested, you leave your comfort
zone, and you are inspired to make interesting
creations. Next year we may look to texture, to
adornments. That’s what’s beautiful about fashion,
wherever you are in the world: it keeps changing with
the season. There is always a new phase. There is a
global appetite for new designs.
This year was our second showcase at Paris
Haute Couture Fashion Week. It is both an exciting
and terrifying experience. To appear with the old
couture houses and to show something from the
Middle East next to what they have made, it can be
intimidating. But then, it becomes motivating – every
time we go to the shows, it is a new experience.
The va va voom of the whole experience, waiting to
see the reaction to your creations, the reviews… it’s
Paris! It’s the greatest place to show couture.
My clients in the Middle East have seen a lot,
and they travel a lot. They have seen the best: you
need to show them the best of the best. It is always
inspiring to work with these women; you are driven
to create, and you see things from so many different
angles. You learn more about yourself, and about the
creative process.
The fashion industry in Dubai is much more
forward-thinking now than it was 15 years ago.
When I started designing, the style here was very
particular. Soon after, though, the international
names came, along with the internet, boutiques and
department stores. We are not following any more;
we have our own style.”
> Images: Supplied
From the Paris Haute Couture Fashion
Week to Hollywood’s Golden Globes,
the designs of Dubai-based Rami Al Ali
have graced catwalks and red carpets
the world over. Here, he reveals why
the fashion elite can’t keep their eyes
off the Middle East...
> Designs from Rami Al Ali’s spring/summer 2013
couture collection, which debuted at Paris Haute
Couture Fashion Week
90
41
New
Faces
versace
Thea
From the Greek key motif on its face
to the Medusa studs on its strap, this
dazzling timepiece encompasses
all of Versace’s most iconic heritage
elements. The Thea line offers eight
models, either in steel or rose gold, and
this cerulean design is enriched with
50 blue sapphires and four diamonds.
A fine lizard skin strap matches the
gemstones, achieving a vibrant,
eclectic style that is brimming with
Versace personality.
At the 2013 Baselworld horology showcase,
some of the world’s finest luxury marques
launched their latest designs. DAMAC picks
the cream of the crop...
Harry Winston
Histoire de Tourbillon 4
With a limited edition of just 20 pieces,
the Histoire de Tourbillon 4 is one
of the most sought-after Baselworld
releases. The mechanical, manualwinding, tri-axial tourbillon is a triumph
of intricate engineering: beneath the
signature Harry Winston Zalium case,
a hand-crafted opus of complications
awaits, with a 50-hour power reserve
and a gravity-defying oscilating
tourbillon. Every movement is
decorated with painstaking
engraving, and the dial
boasts 18 carat
white gold
trims.
salvatore
ferr agamo
Minuetto
Created for ladies who love simple,
understated luxury, the Minuetto
features a rose gold case with a
delicate white mother of pearl face.
Salvatore Ferragamo’s gancino motif
is depicted with 32 diamonds, and
the Swiss-made RONDA 762 calibre
powers the sabre-like hands. According
to personal preference, the strap can
be designed as a steel or two-tone
bracelet, or – for a chic Italian-style
finish – a polished saffiano leather
strap, the perfect foil for the ornate
rose gold face.
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Glashütte Original
Senator Panorama
Date Moon Phase
A sensitive redesign of its namesake, this cleancut model reflects Glashütte Original’s classic
style. On the dial, a lacquered silver-grain finish
is a sumptuous backdrop for deep black Roman
numerals, and blued-steel hands are reminiscent
of the blued screws favoured in fine watchmaking.
Behind the dial lies the calibre 100-04
with 55-hour power reserve, which
can be viewed through a
sapphire panel on the
reverse of
the piece.
boucheron
Epure
Inspired by Frédéric Boucheron’s
original sundial designs, this
gentleman’s timepiece features
only unadorned lines and the purest
materials. On a satin-finish dial,
simple hour markers are reminiscent
of the sun’s rays, and the classic
Boucheron blue sapphire cabochon
lies on the twelfth hour. Secured
with a hand-stitched leather strap,
the dial’s elegant exterior belies the
complications beneath: the intricate
GP 400 powers this hard-working
chronograph.
Hermès
Arceau Pocket Volutes
Combining gold marquetry with hand
engraving, only revered fashion house
Hermès could produce such a modern
take on a classic design. From the
volutes scrolling pattern that adorns
the casing to the grand feu enamelling
on the dial, everything about this piece
is entwined in watchmaking lore – and
you’ll find the powerful self-winding
H1928 movement beating at its heart.
longines
‘The elegant exterior of
Boucheron’s Epure belies the
complications beneath...’
Conquest Classic 41mm
The largest member of the Conquest Classic
family, this durable chronograph houses the
exclusive mechanical column-wheel calibre L688
beneath a rose gold dial. This weighty design is
perfect for gents that mean business: three inset
faces display a seconds counter, a 30-minute
counter and a 12-hour counter, as well as a
discrete date panel. Topped by a hand-crafted alligator
strap, this is a hard-wearing chronograph with real machismo.
corum
Ti-Bridge
Automatic
Dual Winder
The latest addition to the
Bridges collection, this striking
timepiece reflects the range’s
linear architecture. The dial design,
based on the original driving watches,
showcases the mechanisms through
its sapphire face, allowing the wearer
to witness centuries of watchmaking
expertise in motion. Production is
limited to a modest 25 pieces.
chanel
Mademoiselle Privé
The first piece of the Mademoiselle Privé collection, this ladies’ timepiece
is inspired by Coco Chanel’s cherished Coromandel screens – the
elegant Chinese room dividers engraved with traditional symbols
and intricate figures. The piece
features a hand-engraved 18 carat
gold dial, enamelled using the grand
feu technique in a delicate cherry
blossom design. Encircled by 51 snowset diamonds and mounted on a Black
Missipiensis alligator strap, this is a
stunning fusion of Swiss watchmaking
technique and Oriental grace.
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The world’s finest
spa therapies
Vacations don’t get more lavish than this: when rejuvenation is top of your travel agenda,
look no further than these signature spa treatments – relaxing results guaranteed…
Jade facial
Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong,
China
Hong Kong is known for its bright
lights and relentless pace, but up on
the 116th floor of the Ritz-Carlton not
even the hum of the city can penetrate
the spa’s restorative calm. Based
on acupressure and Chinese tuina
manipulative therapy, small jade rollers
are used to massage the facial muscles
– improving blood-flow, firming the
skin, and stimulating the area with tiny
‘microcurrents’ of naturally-occurring
electricity. The result? A bright, healthy
complexion and fewer lines and
wrinkles. At the end of the treatment,
sip Chinese tea in the spa’s elegant
relaxation lounge – the views of the city
beneath are astounding.
Ar abian rose
hammam
Jumeirah Zabeel Saray,
United Arab Emirates
Thai yoga massage
Four Seasons Chiang Mai, Thailand
The tranquil surrounds of this secluded
hotel offer the perfect backdrop for a
serene yoga retreat – surrounded by
lily ponds and rice paddies you’ll feel
cleansed by the view alone. In a private
session, a yoga master will introduce
guests to a tailor-made programme
of yogic massage, interactive poses,
breathing cycles and meditation – all
with the aim to achieve physical and
spiritual realignment. The perfect
escape from the rigours of everyday
life, yoga massage is renowned for its
rejuvenating properties – and what
better way to connect with the luscious
Thai landscape?
Few beauty rituals are as ingrained in
local culture as the Arabic hammam:
from social activity to opulent pasttime,
this time-honoured treatment deserves
its plaudits – and now the rest of the
world has caught on. For a fine example
of its rejuvenating qualities, head to
the Talise Ottoman Spa at Jumeirah
Zabeel Saray, whose elegant marble
and gold surrounds belie the rich
treatment in store. Choose an Arabian
rose hammam, and after a kese mitt
exfoliation and olive soap cleansing
in the steam-filled atrium, you’ll be
slathered in a purifying rose body mask
and receive a head massage while the
essential oils work their magic.
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Balinese massage
Viceroy Bali, Indonesia
Unique to this idyllic Indonesian province, Balinese massage takes its influence from traditional practices in
China, India and Southeast Asia. Focussing on the lymphatic system and energy flow, the treatment is known
for its relaxing qualities, loosening muscles with aromatherapy oils and deep tissue massage. At Viceroy
Bali’s Lembah Spa, guests can gaze out over the verdant Petanu River gorge from a private spa gazebo while
submitting to a masseuse’s manipulations: techniques range from the gentle ‘percussion’ tapping to the
more intense skin rolling and flicking, all of which is guaranteed to leave you placid and pummelled, in line
with the island’s laid-back pace.
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luxury has
an address
French
manicure
Les Sources de Caudalie,
France
It’s the ultimate in quick-fix beauty
treatments, but if you’re after the best
French manicure in the world, head to
Les Sources de Caudalie – a boutique
hotel on the edge of Bordeaux, with
acres of lush vineyards at its disposal.
Utilising the vines in a most unique way,
the adjoining Spa Vinotherapie makes
the most of this plentiful resource in its
signature manicure: after shaping, nails
are buffed with fresh halved grapes,
whose moisturising and whitening
effects are exceptional. Hands are
then nourished by the Vinosource
Moisturising Mask – the recipe for
which includes freshly-plucked grapes
from the hotel’s own crop. Surely the
most serene way to enjoy the fruits of
this spectacular region.
Reflexology
Mandarin Oriental
Tokyo, Japan
Based on pressure point massage
of the foot and lower leg, reflexology
focuses on the realignment of energy
throughout the body, and can be
tailored for energy-giving, restorative
and relaxing results. For a truly
spectacular experience, however,
recline at the Mandarin Oriental
Tokyo – the hotel’s skyscraping
spa boasts bird’s eye vistas of the
Japanese capital, and the treatment
beds are the best seats in the house.
The ‘oriental foot therapy’ session
is designed to restore energy flow
after a long day travelling, and is the
perfect introduction to Asia’s array of
pampering time-honoured treats.
balancing
diamonds
massage
Trump International
Hotel & Tower, Chicago
Where other than Chicago’s Trump
International Hotel & Tower would
you find this most dazzling of spa
treatments? Using oils infused with
the healing benefits of precious
diamonds and botanical essences,
this rejuvenating massage is a true
indulgence. Diamonds have been used
since ancient times to balance the
crown chakra – providing clarity,
inspiration and enlightenment, and this
treatment promises nourishing and
calming results. A suitably decadent
ritual, especially after a hard day’s
shopping or travelling – and one that’s
unique to The Spa at Trump.
World-class spa treatments in the
comfort of your own home is just one
highlight of life at DAMAC Maison.
A full-service hotel management
company introduced by DAMAC
Properties, DAMAC Maison is
to manage the highest luxury
component of 4,000 serviced
apartments across the Middle East –
providing comfort, reliability and the
utmost in personal service.
The DAMAC Maison team can
manage every aspect of your home
life, including:
• A highly-skilled concierge
service to answer every question,
make restaurant reservations,
arrange airline tickets, book private
yachts, jets or limousines, and
organise exclusive access to the top
attractions.
• Spa-quality pampering in
your private abode, by qualified
professionals. Enjoy everything from
hair and nail treatments to full-body
massages, without ever leaving your
address.
• Expert childcare services,
including a kids’ club and babysitting
amenities. All childcare staff are
fully qualified, and activities are
interactive, fun and educational.
• Top-quality private chefs to cater
in your own home – perfect for dinner
parties, informal get-togethers, or
just a romantic meal for two.
• Daily housekeeping services to
look after your property – so you
come home to a clean and fresh
apartment every evening. DAMAC
Maison looks after everything from
daily cleaning to the replenishment
of bathroom toiletries, so you need
never lift a finger.
• 24-hour in-room dining, with
international dishes galore. Perfect
for busy individuals, or families with
a myriad of tastes.
• A skilled personal shopping
service, to help you track down the
perfect interior design accents,
clothes and accessories.
• High-end finishes like no other,
giving your home a truly luxurious
edge. Every property is fitted with
high-quality appliances, accessories,
and thoughtful design touches that
will make home life a pleasure.
• A comprehensive rental service
that allows you to lease out your
DAMAC Maison apartment as you
wish. It’s totally flexible, so you can
adapt the service to meet your own
needs. And should you choose to let,
our team handles it all for you.
For more information, and details
of all DAMAC Maison managed
properties, visit damacmaison.com
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53
Home
Discover cutting-edge luxury lighting design, and learn how to display your art collection to the
greatest effect. Plus, DAMAC meets Carla Fendi, who reveals FENDI Casa’s striking signature style
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Divine
by design
‘Luxury living is a life of quality...
Quality means creativity’
Meet Carla Fendi
and her visionary
team at the helm
of FENDI Casa
Words: le a h oat way
hen it comes to natural style,
Carla Fendi has it in abundance. When we meet at
Dubai International Financial Centre’s Cuadro Art
Gallery, not even a painful back injury can diminish
her elegant signature style: today, she is effortlessly
chic in exciting monochrome contrasts and fashionforward accessories.
It’s not surprising, though: Ms Fendi is, after all,
a member of fashion royalty. The fourth of Edoardo
and Adele Fendi’s five children, she grew up in and
around the iconic fashion house, her role within it
growing as FENDI did.
As FENDI’s honorary president, she was in town
to officially announce FENDI Casa’s partnership
with DAMAC Properties. But while the fashion house
continues to command the world’s attention, Ms
Fendi, a warm Roman lady with kind eyes and a
gentle smile, is far less imposing.
She is, however, resolute on the attribute FENDI
Casa can bring to DAMAC Properties: “creativity”.
“FENDI and the UAE share a love of the past, of
tradition, and also of the avant-garde,” she said.
It is this shared passion that first attracted
FENDI Casa and DAMAC Properties to each other.
And theirs looks to be a long-lasting and mutually
beneficial relationship. The Middle East’s new power
couple are collaborating on two major projects,
due to be completed in 2016: DAMAC Esclusiva, a
150-metre high-rise tower overlooking Riyadh, in
Saudi Arabia, and exclusive private apartments in
DAMAC Residenze, located in Dubai Marina.
> Opposite page, from top: Interior design by FENDI Casa in Riyadh’s DAMAC Esclusiva; Soho
Chaise Longue by FENDI Casa. This page, from top: FENDI Casa’s Agadir Sofa; Statement pieces
from the FENDI Casa collection, available now from selected retailers in the GCC.
For DAMAC Properties, the decision to team
up with the Italian fashion house is an inspired
move: since launching in the UAE in 2001, FENDI
Casa’s elegant palette, creative flair and Roman
craftsmanship have made it the interior design house
of choice among UAE nationals and expatriates alike.
For FENDI Casa, the partnership is an obvious
next step in the blossoming relationship it is enjoying
with this region.
“Arabia has such a modernity – just look at
Dubai,” Ms Fendi enthused. “And it is so fast:
it’s always fast running, fast growing, and this is
very important because this is reflected in FENDI
designs.”
These state-of-the-art DAMAC projects, will
not merely be kitted out in FENDI Casa; the entire
interior will be conceived by the fashion house. With
the Riyadh property more geared towards young
and affluent Saudis and the Dubai abode targeting
expatriates, the design approach will differ (think
blue hues for the Dubai waterfront properties and a
more golden, Arabesque approach for Riyadh), but
Fendi’s modernity and sense of luxury will remain a
constant.
“Luxury living is a life of quality,” Ms Fendi said.
“Quality means creativity.”
In the case of FENDI, this quality comes from the
artisanal skills that underlie everything its fashion
and interior lines produce.
Its story began in 1925, when the first handbag
shop and fur workshop was opened in Via del
Plebiscito, Rome. Now listed as one of the top 10
luxury brands worldwide, it has elevated unique
Italian design to dizzying heights.
In 1989, it became one of the first fashion
houses to launch an interior design line – something
it did in collaboration with Club House Italia, an
Italian firm established in the 1970s by design
maestro Alberto Vignatelli.
“The vision when we started FENDI Casa was to
take the elegance of the brand all around the world,”
Vignatelli tells me. “But the difference between our
vision and the vision of our competitors is that we try
to save, in each country, their costume and heritage.
We try to marry together the two cultures. In these
DAMAC Properties projects, for example, the interiors
are laden with elements of the Arab world.”
Part of FENDI Casa’s international appeal,
Vigantelli believes, is its flexible approach and
the personal touch it affords to each property or
residence it dresses – no matter how big or small.
“We can furnish one loft in New York or one
country house in Beijing,” he said. “We have the right
products, the right material, the right shape. FENDI
Casa is the only company in the world, I think, that
can furnish 30 villas, each one different from the
other – otherwise, you furnish a hotel.”
Vignatelli describes the FENDI Casa style as
“silent elegance”; its highly skilled architectural team
working closely with FENDI’s fashion collections
to ensure a synergy between the two. Its very first
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> Residents of DAMAC Residenze can expect FENDI
Casa-designed interiors, as shown, which will fuse the
brand’s signature pieces with local influences.
collection featured cushions made from the signature
FENDI Zucca fabric, but today the collection is vast,
incorporating everything from Murano glass vases
through to tables and sofas. Nods to the high fashion
line remain, however. The Selleria pipe-stitching used
by Roman saddlers and recovered by Silvia Venturini
Fendi (you’ll find it on FENDI’s Selleria bags), for
example, can be found on some FENDI Casa sofas
– there’s a silver label with a serial number for each
piece that features the artisans’ work. And there is
a team of staff dedicated to researching the world’s
finest and most luxurious materials.
“We use piano lacquering on some of our
products,” Alessandra Battistini, a FENDI Casa
architect, told me. “It creates a beautiful finish and
becomes more precious with time.” Battistini spends
her days designing beautiful interiors for the world’s
most exotic and exclusive destinations – such as the
new DAMAC Properties projects.
Ultimately, she explained, FENDI Casa’s
approach is not simply about inserting individual
pieces into an interior, but about creating an
ambience. “The atmosphere of a FENDI Casa home is
warm, rich – sometimes dramatic... Arab customers
like something that makes them say ‘Wow’.”
With FENDI’s approach to detail and DAMAC
Properties’ commitment to providing unrivalled
five-star service to its residents, their union is
unlikely to disappoint.
‘The atmosphere of a FENDI Casa
home is warm, rich... dramatic’
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‘With every project, we can
create a real work of art’
Let there be
light
With a client list that includes Burj Al Arab and
London’s Claridges hotel, Baroncelli is a byword
for intricate hand-made chandeliers and lamps.
Here, Creative Director Giovanni Corrado shares
the secrets of creating such dazzling works of art
enetian glass, the purest of all glasses, has
been produced on the island of Murano since the
18th century; it is as ingrained in the local culture
as gondolas and carnival. But that’s not to say it’s
archaic – in fact, today you’ll find this traditional
treasure in some of the world’s most luxurious
addresses. Visitors to Dubai’s Burj Al Arab, London’s
Claridge’s hotel and Sandy Lane in Barbados will find
it suspended in magnificent chandeliers and intricate
forms – all at the hand of the Baroncelli family.
In the early 1990s, Italian-born Rinda Baroncelli
arrived in Murano with the aim of taking hand-blown
Venetian glass to the global stage: where others saw
an old-fashioned art form, Baroncelli recognised the
world’s appetite for the luxury it evoked. Her vision
captured the artistic purity of the medium, and
combined it with the forward-thinking design and
ambition that embodied the decade.
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> All chandeliers and light
fittings pictured are designed
and created by Baroncelli.
Today, the Baroncelli vision lives on, with Rinda’s
son Giovanni Corrado at its helm as Creative Director
– and although large-scale hotelier projects are a
focus for the brand (it completed works for Dubai’s
Meydan Beach Club last year and is currently working
on the palatial Waldorf Astoria Ras Al Khaimah),
bespoke residential commissions have earned it a
place at the top of every interior designer’s wishlist.
Its most high-profile private engagement to date is
London’s One, Cornwall Terrace – valued at £100
million, the most expensive house in the UK capital
– but Dubai remains one of Corrado’s favourite
markets. “It’s a vibrant, exciting place,” he says from
Baroncelli’s Italy headquarters. “Clients in the Middle
East are so forward-looking: with every project, we
have the opportunity to create a real work of art.
People have always incorporated careful design into
their floors, their wall finishings, artwork, rugs… but
in the last decade people have been focusing on the
feeling of the place – and one of the best ways to do
that is with lighting.”
With their insatiable appetite for bespoke
pieces, what should Middle Eastern clients look for
in personalised lighting? “The first thing to consider
is the level of light required,” says Corrado. “We work
with this, and then we create a design that really
hits the spot. Sometimes a client comes to us with
a motif or element that they love – like a leaf, for
example – and they ask us to make it work for the
space: to resize it, rescale it, whatever is needed.
Or, we can create something quite different, but
which still retains the essence of what they liked in
the beginning. It’s a fluid creative process.”
Corrado takes the finished designs to the
Murano craftsmen in Venice, who then begin work
on the project. It takes years to train as a master of
glassblowing – the youngest craftsmen tend to be in
their forties – and the pace of perfection runs slow.
“The production process can take around 12 weeks,”
says Corrado. “None of our work is industrial: it’s
entirely hand-made, so some pieces take longer than
others. Colours and metal finishings, for example, will
always require more time.”
For Corrado and his team, nothing is more
satisfying than fusing centuries-old techniques with
contemporary forms – and the more outlandish the
design brief the better. “You have to be relevant,” he
says. “Yes we come from this very ancient tradition
but that will only get you so far – you have to be doing
design that people want today.” The result? A truly
modern classic.
‘It takes years to train as
a master glass craftsman’
Artistic
Ambitions
Investing in artwork is a personal
journey, but how to marry
individual taste with commercial
gains? And when your home
is your gallery, how can you
maximise the impact of your
investment? Hisham Samawi,
private collector and co-founder
of the Middle East’s Ayyam
Galleries, shares his expertise
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1. Stick to
what you love
6. Invest in
great lighting
Always follow your heart and buy
pieces you that you feel passionate
about, as opposed to subscribing
to market trends. Trust your gut and
don’t be at the mercy of your interior
designer: you are the person living
with the piece and seeing it every
day, after all.
The process of buying a piece of
art is often a long and intimate
journey, so it is essential that the
work is displayed in the best way
possible. One of the most important
factors to consider when hanging
a painting is how it is lit. Dedicated
lighting directed on to the piece can
dramatically improve its appearance
and attract the eye.
2. Do your
homework
7. Mix and match
your look
It’s important to be aware of what
you’re buying, so be sure to do your
research. Use the knowledge that
galleries are willing to share; among
the advantages of buying from a
reputable dealer or gallery is that
they are happy to answer questions
and help contextualise the artwork,
making sure you find the right piece.
The best art collections contain
a variety of media and styles,
allowing each piece of work to
maintain its uniqueness. This
eclectic approach also allows for
interesting relationships to form
between individual works. For
example, figurative and abstract
works can complement and interact
with one another, as can paintings,
photography and sculpture.
3. K eep it
consistent
I prefer not to frame the wallmounted art in my collection where
possible, as I feel it gives the art a
contemporary feel. But really it’s
completely dependent on the work
itself; sometimes a frame can have
a very positive effect on the work’s
impact. When framing, always
maintain a consistency in the way the
collection is presented throughout
your home.
4. create space
A good way to increase the hanging
space in your home is by pulling your
couches away from the wall. Many
people believe that by having sofas
pushed back against walls, you are
increasing your living space, but at
the same time you’re also decreasing
the amount of valuable space for
hanging paintings.
5. Be ambitious
Don’t be afraid to go big.
Nothing is more impressive in
a home than a large painting.
8. Don’t be a
wallflower
Don’t be afraid to make
a statement: buy art that
dominates the room
Never be afraid to make a statement:
buy art that dominates the room and
forms a centrepiece, rather than
pieces that simply blend in with the
décor of the room.
9. Mak e an
impact
Always remember that less is more.
Investing in fewer but larger paintings
will have a much more powerful
impact than a collection of lots of
smaller pieces.
10. Set the scene
Keep the interior décor simple and
let the art give the room character.
Clutter, busy wall paper, curtains
and carpets can often detract from
artwork. Using clean, neutral colours
within an interior allows the art to
take centre stage.
90
65
Property
Discover the vision for DAMAC Towers by Paramount, the latest launch to dazzle the Middle East.
Plus, we look to Dubai’s The Signature – the first of DAMAC Maison’s luxury serviced properties
Own
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66
DAMAC
Properties
Delivers a Life
of Luxury
to build on its powerful performance to date. “We
have the vision and momentum to provide solid
investment opportunities for our customers,” he
says. With this drive, DAMAC Properties is building
the next generation of Middle East luxury living –
truly a space worth watching.
> DAMAC Properties was established in 2002,
as a private residential, leisure and commercial
developer in Dubai and the Middle East. In the past
decade, DAMAC Properties has expanded rapidly
into North Africa, Jordan, Lebanon, Qatar, Iraq and
Saudi Arabia. DAMAC Properties has completed
8,893 units to date spanning over 9,070,264 sq. ft.
it also has a further 19,063 units at various stages
of progress across the Middle East and North Africa
region spanning over 23,816,070 sq. ft. out of which
5,193 units will be completed in 2013.
> Image: Corbis
or almost a decade, the real
estate portfolio of DAMAC Properties has been at
the forefront of the Middle East’s luxury residential
market. With an enduring passion for design and
quality, the company has built an unequalled
reputation for creating some of the most iconic
and desirable properties in locations from Dubai to
Beirut, Abu Dhabi to Jeddah, and Doha to Amman.
It’s a reputation of which the company’s
Managing Director, Ziad El Chaar, is rightfully proud.
“Take each and any project that we have in the
context of its area and location, and you will find in
that project a very distinct design, with luxurious
quality and a level of amenities over and above
projects in any other masterplan,” he says.
The pace of DAMAC Properties’ expansion has
been extraordinary. It has completed no fewer than
37 buildings to date – a total of 7,817 units in all –
and has a further 66 buildings at various stages of
development across the Middle East. This year will
see the opening of The Signature in Dubai which
will enhance DAMAC Properties’ reputation as the
creator of luxury dwellings.
Always at the forefront of visionary concepts,
DAMAC Properties has recently announced an
exclusive partnership with Paramount Hotels &
Resorts, the official licensee of Paramount Pictures,
in the heart of Dubai’s glittering Burj Area. Taking
inspiration from the Hollywood icon’s 101 years of
award-winning creativity, the US$1 billion DAMAC
Towers by Paramount comprises a four-tower
serviced residential and hotel complex featuring
wellness centres, themed dining, swimming pools,
entertainment facilities and branded merchandise.
Due for completion at the end of this year,
DAMAC Properties’ first serviced apartment project,
The Signature, is also set to wow citizens of the city.
It has been designed by high-flying German
architects Koschany+Zimmer, and will stand at
50 floors on completion. The first addition to the
DAMAC Maison serviced apartment portfolio,
The Signature will feature a luxurious spa, fine dining
restaurants, chauffeured limousines, a dedicated
concierge service and yacht and jet charters.
Residents will enjoy a range of indulgent private
amenities, too, including spa treatments at home,
24-hour room service, and internationally-renowned
personal chefs.
Alongside ground-breaking architecture and
bespoke personal services for residents, DAMAC
Properties is famed for its exclusive Middle East
partnership with the crème de la crème of the
interior design world. At present, its projects include
two exclusive UAE and Saudi Arabia developments in
collaboration with FENDI Casa, and existing designs
with Versace Home. This enables DAMAC Properties
to offer its customers exquisite interiors that are
unmatched in the market, and a sumptuous life of
luxury that its residents know and love.
As the company continues to innovate and bring
new concepts to the market, El Chaar is determined
67
> Dubai Marina, the home of DAMAC Residenze (currently under contruction), is one of the city’s most desirable real estate locations.
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akoya by damac
DAMAC Properties is set to create Dubai’s most luxurious
community – like nothing the Middle East has ever seen before...
> The golf condos in Akoya by
DAMAC will offer unrivalled
views of Trump International
Golf Course, Dubai
70
DAMAC Properties has announced plans to develop
Trump International Golf Club, Dubai – a world-class
PGA Championship Golf Course – which will be part of
a 28 million square feet master development that will
be the ultimate new Dubai neighbourhood.
Named Akoya by DAMAC, the development
will feature premium branded mansions, villas,
townhouses and luxurious apartment units. Residents
will have exclusive access to a range of high-quality
amenities – among them, international schools,
boutique hotels, globally-recognised retail brands,
leisure and entertainment offerings, part of the golf
club and a state-of-the-art sports complex – of which
the 18-hole Trump International Golf Club, Dubai, will
he Trump name is synonymous
be the crowning glory.
with the utmost in elegance and indulgence. With
“Dubai is a premier global destination point,”
plush golf courses, residences, hotel resorts and spas
said Donald J. Trump, Chairman and President of
all over the world, Donald J. Trump has pioneered the
The Trump Organization, in an exclusive interview.
modern luxury landscape, and set the benchmark for
“There’s no place else like it. We have looked forward
the high life – just as DAMAC Properties has done in
the Middle East. Now, in a perfect collaboration, Trump to developing there for some time. The time is right.”
71
The business mogul is equally confident that he
has found the right partner in DAMAC Properties:
“[They] have the right credentials—I know they will
deliver superb service.”
Hussein Sajwani, Chairman of DAMAC Properties,
agrees. “We aim to make Akoya by DAMAC the most
desirable living environment in Dubai for aspirational
professionals who recognise ultimate luxury,” he
said. “The development will bring a blend of high-end,
five-star living, with unrivalled facilities and create a
haven for families looking to make Dubai their home.”
Akoya by DAMAC, which takes its name from
one of the most precious pearls in the world, will
create a thriving environment for those living and
working in Dubai, as well as those holidaying there.
The development will be the largest project in the
DAMAC Properties portfolio, further confirming the
stabilisation of the Dubai real estate market.
“We plan to make Akoya by DAMAC the Beverly
Hills of Dubai,” said Ziad El Chaar, Managing Director
> Opposite page: Lavish interior design will be presented in the Akoya by DAMAC villas. Top: Trump-branded and managed clubhouse and fine dining at Trump International
Golf Club, Dubai. Above: Four tennis courts will form part of the facilities at Trump International Golf Club, Dubai. Next page: The striking exterior of an Akoya by DAMAC villa.
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‘It will be a premium development...
and each villa will have a unique design’
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75
of DAMAC Properties, at the recent launch of the
project. “It will be a fully-integrated community with
all of the services its residents need – all at the right
level of exclusivity. It will be a premium development,
with premium designers – and each villa will have a
unique design.”
Work has already begun on Trump International
Golf Club, Dubai, and the greens will be ready for
play in 2014. As the first Trump golf course in Asia,
it will feature a 30,000 square foot state-of-the-art
club house and a luxurious Trump Spa and wellness
centre, which will be managed by Trump.
Trump believes the desert location, though
challenging, will prove the course’s shining glory. “It
will be a challenge that I’m going to enjoy,” he said.
“Developing the links course in Scotland – Trump
International Golf Links Scotland – also presented
challenges, such as enormous sand dunes that we
wanted to protect as well as enhance. The desert will
Opposite page: Each villa and mansion in Akoya by DAMAC will feature lavish interior design and furnishings. This page: The design of each residence will reflect the
exclusive lifestyle of its inhabitants, for example this stylish open-plan living and dining area. Next pages: The futuristic luxury of an Akoya by DAMAC mansion.
76
provide different challenges that we are prepared
to meet and we will no doubt exceed expectations –
that is our norm.”
Years of impressive projects and phenomenal
success have not dampened Trump’s enthusiasm for
his latest venture. “We are thrilled to be expanding
our portfolio of award-winning courses into Dubai
with DAMAC Properties,” he said. “Dubai is an
incredible city that truly understands the meaning
of luxury. Trump International Golf Club, Dubai will
exceed all expectations – there will be nothing like
it in the region and beyond.” El Chaar feels likewise.
“We have been developing luxury real estate for the
past 11 years,” he said. “And to push the boundaries
of luxury you need to collaborate with other brands –
just like big-name fashion designers work with other
designers. Now, we are doing that in real estate. Only
a developer with the capability and specialisation of
DAMAC Properties can collaborate with a brand such
as The Trump Organization.”
The expansive club house, which will be the
largest of its kind in Dubai, will sit proudly over
the 9th and 18th greens, with luxurious changing
rooms, pro shop, spectacular amenities and
exceptional service. The double-ended driving range,
chipping facility and putting greens will emulate the
undulations of the course to accurately reflect the
challenge which awaits on the full 18 holes. The
development will also include the high-tech Golf
Academy for beginners, as well as four internationalstandard tennis courts.
“As with all of the courses we develop and
manage, Trump International Golf Club, Dubai is
being built to the highest standards of excellence
and will become known as one of the world’s
finest courses,” said Ivanka Trump, Executive Vice
President of Development and Acquisitions at The
Trump Organization. “The combination of DAMAC
Properties’ local knowledge and expertise in the
luxury market and our unrivalled experience with
owning and operating a collection of the world’s
finest courses will result in a challenging course with
stunning landscaping and superior quality.”
In a recent study by KPMG, the UAE was declared
the 6th most popular destination in the world for
golf tourism, ahead of more established locations
such as the USA, England and South Africa. With the
launch of Trump International Golf Course and Akoya
by DAMAC, this ranking is set to rise – putting the
emirates at the forefront of luxury leisure travel and
living, and securing the place of these two visionary
companies at the very top of their game.
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‘Only a developer with the capability of DAMAC Properties
can collaborate with a brand like The Trump Organization’
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A
star
is
bor n
A vision of Hollywood glamour,
ground-breaking design and
impeccable standards of service:
why the recently-launched
DAMAC Towers by Paramount
is the one to watch
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rom Breakfast at Tiffany’s to
Titanic, Paramount Pictures is synonymous with
creativity and innovation – and now, after over a
century at the pinnacle of Hollywood’s movie scene,
it has arrived in the Middle East to form its very own
dazzling double act.
In an exclusive partnership with DAMAC
Properties, the region’s leading luxury private
developer, Paramount Hotels & Resorts has unveiled
‘DAMAC Towers by Paramount’ – a US$1 billion fivestar hotel and serviced apartment development in
the heart of Dubai’s Burj Area.
Speaking at the launch of the project, DAMAC
Properties Managing Director Ziad El Chaar shared
the vision: “The history, glamour and tradition of the
movies indirectly transcend every element of the
design and ethos of this aspirational project. We
will employ the same, tried and tested production
process, pioneered by Paramount Pictures at the
studio, to direct, design and detail a world-class
experience. The Paramount brand stands for more
than exceptional film and entertainment: it’s an
inviting lifestyle.”
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> Opening pages: DAMAC Towers by Paramount will offer peerless views of Burj Khalifa. These pages, clockwise
from top left: Hollywood styling in the hotel lobby; The vibrant leisure area; High-end California-inspired dining.
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‘The Paramount brand stands for more than exceptional
film and entertainment: it’s an inviting lifestyle’
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> Images: Supplied
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‘The history, glamour and tradition of the
movies transcend every element of the project’
> Previous pages: The suave and sophisticated cigar lounge in DAMAC Towers by Paramount.
These pages, clockwise from left: Iconic moments from Paramount Pictures’ Mission Impossible IIII
and Titanic; The world-famous studio gates; Scenes from classics The Godfather and The Italian Job.
DAMAC Towers by Paramount will comprise of
a 540-key Paramount Hotels & Residences tower,
plus more than 1,000 DAMAC Maison serviced
apartments in three separate towers, all co-branded
with Paramount Hotels & Resorts. Guests and
residents will enjoy enviable views of Burj Khalifa and
easy access to The Dubai Mall.
“We are thrilled to be partnering with DAMAC
Properties on this mega project,” explained Thomas
van Vliet, Chief Executive Officer, Paramount Hotels
& Resorts. “DAMAC Towers by Paramount will include
a series of dynamic and sensory experiences that
live up to our mantra of producing hospitality that
is unmistakable, unforgettable and consequentially
unmissable. The hotels, resorts and residences will
be developed using the creative process honed over
Paramount’s 100-year history.”
The hotel and one-, two- and three-bedroom
serviced residences in the ‘mixed-use tower’ will
be managed by Paramount Hotels & Resorts,
whereas the one-, two- and three-bedroom serviced
residences and penthouses in the other three towers
will be managed by DAMAC Maison, the hospitality
division of DAMAC Properties. A multi level plaza
offering restaurants, wellness and fitness centres,
kids’ club and shops, will link the four towers.
In Paramount Hotel & Residences, powerful
creative interior design will set the scene for movie
lovers: “Guests will be greeted by an interpretation
of the iconic Paramount Studios entrance,” said van
Vliet. “In the lobby, we will use lighting, multimedia
screens and moveable walls to create different
‘scenes’ throughout the day – it’s all part of the
innovative, imaginative work for which Paramount
Pictures is famous.”
Signatures of the Paramount Pictures brand,
including access to the studio’s movie library, a
screening room and film artwork will characterise
the development, and ‘Work and Play’ suites will
offer a vibrant and functional business environment.
Restaurants, fashioned on the Californian lifestyle
combined with the glamour of Hollywood, will cater to
both guests and residents, making the development
an entertainment destination in its own right.
The serviced hotel residences will feature fullyfitted kitchens and services that also include valet
parking, concierge, housekeeping, in-room beauty
treatments, a child minding service and kids club.
In addition, owners can elect to add their residence
to the ‘rental pool’ during periods spent away from
home, allowing for rental returns to be generated.
“We have been saying for a while that the
luxury serviced hotel apartments sector is set to
drive the resurgence in the Dubai property market,”
said El Chaar. “DAMAC Towers by Paramount is the
realisation of that prediction. The project will provide
a unique opportunity for both the end-user and the
investor.”
DAMAC Towers by Paramount will be the first of
Paramount Hotels & Resorts’ ventures into the hotel
and real estate industry. Work has already begun on
the project, and it is scheduled for completion by the
end of 2015.
> Further information is available at
damacproperties.com
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The
> Main image: Luxe
interiors and inspirational
views in The Signature.
Right, from left: Serene
style in the bedroom;
Light, classic design in The
Signature’s lobby area.
high
life
With the launch of DAMAC Maison, Dubai’s benchmark of luxury is set to reach new heights...
hought Dubai couldn’t get
any more opulent? Think again. Enter DAMAC
Maison: an elite portfolio of impeccably-designed,
lavishly-appointed serviced apartments managed
by the Middle East’s leading luxury developer. The
concept, recently unveiled by DAMAC Properties, will
include over 4,000 sumptuous properties, providing
residents with an array of five-star services including
personal chefs, shopping consultants and private
beauty treatments. Life in the city will never be the
same again.
“From daily fresh sheets and towels with
1,000-count cotton, through to arranging overseas
trips, booking exclusive experiences for the whole
family and luxurious spa services in your own
property, DAMAC Maison is ready to welcome
you home,” said Niall McLoughlin, Senior Vice
President of DAMAC Properties, at the launch of the
concept. With all properties in the portfolio offering
indulgences such as in-room spa therapies, 24-hour
room service, internationally-renowned chefs at
residents’ personal service, shopping consultants
and a team to arrange local and overseas travel
arrangements, this is luxury living at its finest.
“DAMAC Maison provides a lifestyle and level of
comfort aspired to by so many,” added McLoughlin.
“Everything will be taken care of to the most exacting
standards of professionalism and refinement with
our highly-qualified service team.”
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‘A level and standard of
comfort aspired to by so many’
The first DAMAC Maison development to open will
be The Signature, a 50-storey tower in the heart of
Dubai’s Burj Area – one of the most sought-after real
estate locations in the world. Overlooking The Dubai
Fountain and The Dubai Mall, it will set the standard
for the marque, and include a luxurious and peaceful
spa, high-end restaurants, stunning lobby areas with
meeting space, a kids’ club and babysitting service
with qualified staff. The development will feature
sleek architecture, with stunning views from each
residence, and is due to be completed in the second
half of this year.
It’s not just luxurious amenities and services that
make a DAMAC Maison property a sturdy investment,
however. After careful research into the lifestyles of
luxury serviced apartment owners and the habits
of Middle East residents, DAMAC Properties has
designed a rental scheme that will allow owners
to maximise their property’s assets while they are
away from home. The service will offer investors
an attractive return on their apartment during the
months that it is not inhabited, through a bespoke
rental pool programme managed by DAMAC Maison.
“The scheme makes it very simple for residents
to earn strong rental returns without the hassle
of sourcing short-term tenants,” said McLoughlin.
“DAMAC Maison will look after the whole process and
pass on the income generated.”
The inspired concept promises to blend
optimum investment potential with the opulence
for which DAMAC Properties is renowned – all on
the doorstep of Dubai’s most striking icons. Few
locations can match the city’s range of top-notch
property, outstanding services, and the savoir faire
of its cosmopolitan population – but now, DAMAC
Properties will raise Dubai’s luxury real estate
benchmark to another level entirely.
> Further information is available at
damacproperties.com
> Opposite page, clockwise from bottom: Sleek kitchen design – fit for a private chef; The Signature’s penthouse apartment features a master bedroom with private
swimming pool; Spa-inspired styling in the tower’s communal areas. This page: In The Signature, even the bathrooms boast beautiful views and exquisite fittings.
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The New ‘New Dubai’ –
Where will be the next big thing?
eports on
the Dubai property market often split the emirate
into a couple of categories: established prime
locations and areas without infrastructure. But all of
the thriving communities of today were once waiting
for road networks, shops and schools. So where will
the new ‘New Dubai’ be in a couple of years?
Dubai Marina was the New Dubai in 2007 when
Jumeirah Beach Residence was completed and many
of the Marina towers were finished. The Walk was
filling up with stores and cafés, with hotels setting up
along the beach front.
From late 2008, with the opening of the world’s
largest mall and then the world’s tallest tower in
2010, focus moved to the Burj Area; a metropolis
of high rise towers, fine dining restaurants, luxury
shopping outlets and peaceful, winding waterways.
Today, the search for the main areas currently
experiencing new development takes you inland,
to Jumeirah Village, International Media Production
Zone and Dubai World Central. Dubai continues to
move along the coast towards Abu Dhabi as the
population growth tops 10 percent – one of the
highest in world. Soon, the population of the GCC is
expected to hit 53.5 million, a 30 percent increase
on 2000 figures.
The Dubai property market is maturing. A healthy
balance of high-end luxury developments sit on the
banks of the Arabian Gulf, with the needs of the
middle classes being met with spacious apartments
filled with modern facilities for all of the family inland.
“Dubai is probably the most transient city
anywhere in the world,” said Niall McLoughlin, Senior
Vice President, DAMAC Properties. “As one location
starts to prosper, new areas become fashionable and
then they boom. For investors in the Dubai property
market the skill is recognising which area will be the
next big thing and investing early to realise the most
capital growth.”
The impact of the global financial crisis hit
Dubai’s property boom in late 2008, but prices have
quickly recovered with an increase experienced in
each quarter of 2012 to now see Dubai listed by
Global Property Guide as the strongest housing
market in the world.
“There is a cautious optimism across the sector
today,” added McLoughlin. “No one wants to see the
boom and bust of the speculators’ market we saw
in 2007. The industry is more mature now; people
are buying for the medium- to long-term which is why
the growth in pricing is stable and consistent. There
remains some great prices to be had, especially in
the new areas of Dubai.”
Properties in the likes of Jumeirah Village and
IMPZ can be snapped up for as much as 50 percent
below the square feet price of a similar apartment in
say the Burj Area or Dubai Marina, even though they
are fewer than 15 minutes’ drive away.
With the UAE ministry discussing the possibility
of a mortgage cap on expatriate buyers, at around 50
percent of the total value, residents are increasingly
looking to the value projects, like those along the
Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road, as a great way to
get a foot onto the Dubai property ladder.
“The quality of the projects is the same as those
in Marina or the Burj Area, the extensive facilities
and amenities are the same... The only difference is
the price,” concluded McLoughlin.
DAMAC Properties has a number of projects
in IMPZ and Jumeirah Village, including the three
completed buildings in Lago Vista. The airy and bright
apartments are conveniently located close enough
to the city but far enough out to also enjoy the peace
and tranquillity away from the city lights.
On the other side of Sheikh Mohammed
bin Zayed Road, Emirates Gardens, Emirates
Gardens 2 and Tuscan Residence all offer lowrise Mediterranean living in a peaceful and scenic
community environment. The luxury swimming pools
on the roofs of each building provide a stunning
setting to watch the sun set behind the desert.
A 10-minute drive down Emirates Road, Amber
Residence in the heart of Dubai World Central
provides luxury living close to one of the world’s
busiest ports and a new exhibition centre.
Dubai continues to change and grow as the city
thrives as a global trading hub between the east
and west. The ‘new’ areas of Dubai spring into life
with the growth of the population, building new
communities and new places to discover.
> Further information is available at
damacproperties.com
> From top: The skyline of the unmistakeable Burj Area, home of a number of planned DAMAC Properties’ residences, is punctuated by Burj Khalifa; The sky-scraping hubs
of JLT and Dubai Marina are among the city’s more established districts, although the low-rise Jumeirah Islands area – seen in the background – is quickly catching up.
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Awar ds & Accolades
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CABIN ALTITUDE: 6,000 ft/1,829 m at FL450
PASSENGERS: 12-19
SIGNATURE OVAL WINDOWS: 12
DAMAC Properties has won more than 30 awards across various industry categories. These awards include:
2012-2013 International Property Awards Arabia
Best Residential High-Rise Development Saudi
Arabia (Al Jawharah)
Best Developer Website Dubai
(damacproperties.com)
Best Interior Design Apartment
Saudi Arabia (DAMAC Residences)
2012 Big Project Award
Outstanding Development of the year
(Al Jawharah)
2012 MEED Quality Awards for Projects
Emirates Steel GCC Building Project Of The Year
(Ocean Heights)
2012 OPP Awards For Excellence
Best Developer Middle East
2011 International Property Award
Best International Mixed-use Development
(Park Towers)
2011 Big Project BGreen Award
Developer of the Year
2011 Bloomberg Property Award
Best Commercial High-rise (Park Towers)
Best Developer Website (damacproperties.com)
Best High-rise Architecture Arabia (Park Towers)
Best High-rise Architecture (Park Towers)
Best High-rise Architecture (Al Jawharah)
Best Mixed-use Development Arabia (Park Towers)
Best Mixed-use Development (Park Towers)
2010 Bloomberg Property Award
Best Developer Website
Best High-rise Architecture (DAMAC Tower)
Best High-rise Architecture (DAMAC Tower)
Best Interior Design (DAMAC Tower, Beirut)
2009 CNBC Property Award
Best Developer Website
Best PR Company
2008 CNBC Property Award
Best Developer Website
Best Development, Egypt
Best High-rise Architecture (Marina Bay)
Best Marina Development, Abu Dhabi (Marina Bay)
Best Property Marketing, Dubai
2007 CNBC Property Award
Best Developer Website
Best High-rise Development
(La Residence at The Lotus)
Best International High-rise Development
(La Residence at The Lotus)
2006 CNBC Property Award
Best Development Abu Dhabi (Oceanscape)
Best Developer Website
Best Single Unit Architecture (Ocean Heights 2)
2005 Bentley International Property Award
Best Architecture (Ocean Heights)
Best Developer Website
Best UAE Development (Maria Terrace)
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