In a shift, the council replaced the usual categories of fashion icon and brand of the year with a new format designed to honor 20 designers for making positive changes in the industry.
The likes of Chanel and Burberry garnered a nod for their efforts to produce personal protective equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic, while campaigner Aurora James was recognized for her initiative, 15 Percent Pledge, which urges retailers to commit 15 percent of their shelf space to black-owned businesses.
Meanwhile. Stella McCartney and Anya Hindmarch received awards for their sustainable approach to fashion.
Global pop group Now United shoots new music video in Abu Dhabi
Updated 20 min 16 sec ago
Arab News
DUBAI: Global pop group Now United has filmed its music video for “Lean on Me” at Abu Dhabi’s five-star Emirates Palace hotel.
The video starts with a sweeping view of the hotel, before showing band members performing choreographed dance moves in its plush corridors and outside terrace.
The band, made up of 16 members from as many countries, has spent the past few months in the UAE, following the search to find its newest member from the Middle East.
Nour Ardakani, a 19-year-old singer from Lebanon, became the band’s 16th — and first Arab — member.
She was handpicked by Simon Fuller, who founded The Spice Girls and created the “American Idol” TV show.
Since Ardakani’s arrival, the group has been busy recording new music and shooting videos in various locations around the UAE.
The video for its track “Habibi,” released in November to officially welcome Ardakani into the band, was shot partly in Dubai’s historic Al-Fahidi district, and in her native Lebanon.
This is not the first time that an artist or group has turned to the Arab world for inspiring cityscapes.
Cardi B’s breakout single as a rapper, “Bodak Yellow,” was filmed in the UAE. The video, set in Dubai, topped the US Billboard Hot 100 chart for three consecutive weeks, and received nominations for best rap performance and best rap song at the Grammys.
In 2018, US-Moroccan rapper French Montana went back to his roots for his “Famous” music video, shot in the Moroccan city of Chefchaouen, where he grew up.
British recording artist M.I.A also shot her 2012 music video for “Bad Girls” in Morocco. The video, filmed in the city of Ouarzazate, won the VMA for best cinematography and best direction, and was nominated for a Grammy.
