Fashion icons to speak at Condé Nast meet in Oman

Muscat: Top tycoons from the global fashion industry, including Huda Kattan and Elie Saab, will speak at the upcoming Condé Nast conference in Muscat.
To be held on April 5 and 6 at Shangri La’s Barr Al Jissah Resort and Spa, the conference is hosting a range of global fashion moguls, fashionistas and high profile bloggers and writers who will review the theme, ‘Mindful Luxury’.
Huda Kattan is the creator of ‘Huda Beauty’, one of the fastest-growing beauty brands in the world, which has seen monthly sales grow by up to 1,000 per cent.
With a background as a Hollywood-trained makeup artist, clients have included Eva Longoria and Nicole Richie. Kattan launched her YouTube channel and blog in 2010. Her Instagram account has more than 18 million followers.
Kattan continues to create groundbreaking products with devoted followers, and her products are found in some of the world’s leading retailers, including Sephora, Cultbeauty, and Harrods. Born in the United States, she currently resides in Dubai. She is recognised as a trailblazer and one of the most internationally significant influencers of beauty.
Beauty phenomenon
“Huda Kattan is a global beauty phenomenon – and the Dubai-based empress of glamour, with over 18 million followers on Instagram, is joining the Condé Nast International Luxury Conference in Oman. From personal passion to beauty blogger, and now an exceptional influencer, Huda is a modern woman who has understood the power of digital beauty,” said Suzy Menkes, International Vogue editor and curator of the conference.
Lebanese-born Elie Saab is a self-taught fashion talent. His interest in dressmaking started at the young age of nine, when he started designing dresses for his sisters. Soon, he was selling his designs to the women in his neighbourhood, while only a teenager. He opened his first couture atelier in Beirut in 1982, having already mastered the art of dressmaking. Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan chose to be dressed in an Elie Saab haute couture for her coronation in 1999.
Elie Saab presented his first Haute Couture collection in 2000 in Paris, and was later awarded by the President of the Lebanese Republic, as a tribute to his work and creative contributions.
Saab partnered with the Lebanese American University of Beirut and London College of Fashion in 2012 to launch a four year Bachelor’s degree program in fashion design and related studies. The first class will graduate in 2017. Each student is granted a six month internship in Saab’s studio.
“Elie Saab is the couturier of Lebanese origin who has built a global empire encompassing his Paris hub and Beirut ateliers. With new stores opening internationally, I am so excited he will be joining me at the Condé Nast International Luxury Conference in Muscat.
“We will discuss the poetry and artistry of his work, the sources of his inspiration, and how he has built a brand that spans ready-to-wear, couture, accessories and fragrances,” Menkes added.
The conference will also feature Omani fashion designer Amal Al Raisi, Founder and Creative Director, in conversation with Menkes and Deena Aljuhani Abdulaziz, Editor in Chief,
Vogue Arabia.
Al Raisi is the only female fashion designer from Oman chosen to speak at the conference. She will discuss her label, sources of her inspiration and how she plans to build her brand globally.
“I am thrilled and honored to be speaking at the Condé Nast International Luxury Conference. It’s very humbling to be chosen by Suzy Menkes to speak at the conference and to share the stage with so many talented and influential people from the industry. I’m also incredibly proud to be representing Oman and the fashion industry in the region at such an esteemed event,” said Al Raisi.
Some of the other speakers include Sayyid Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi, Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Oman, Hollywood director James Lima, and Jimmy Choo CEO Pierre Denis, Co-Guardian of Mouawad Group Pascal Mouawad.
Subjects to be discussed at the 2017 luxury conference will include new markets for the luxury industry and targeting bright spots of wealth and growth; reigniting consumer desire; luxury for the “post-luxury” world; and the evolution of global trade routes.
Place Vendôme Qatar and Oman Air are co-lead partners for the Luxury Conference, along with host partner Omran.