Fashion Contrast

There are many marks in urban fashion that have made it what it is – street style clothing that reflects on the wearer’s personality. The art of urban fashion is flooded with icons and colourful characters that have lead the way, and as far as blending art with entertainment and clothing, the urban clothing market continues to set trends with forward thinking fashion that makes real statements.

Beyond the likes of Jay-Z, Beyonce and P-Diddy who own their own fashion labels, there are many historic and iconic marks that have lead the urban fashion scene into where it is now. Urban fashion, street wear, skate clothing and surf wear was started far from the celebrity world of Los Angeles, however those celebrities have done extremely well by jumping on the fashion band wagon and increasing their own brands. That said, some of the founders of urban, street, skate and surf fashion have become celebrities in their own right, and have turned the world of fashion on its head. Urban fashion is fun, its exciting, its iconic and its inspirational.

We thought noting what makes urban fashion special, and highlighting today’s fashion icons would be rather interesting. Although we know its not just the people that wear urban trends that are essential to its success, its important to know where it began and you can read about that in our other pieces. But, as well as where it all started many of our readers like to know a little more about urban wear and where its inspiration comes from.

Just how art and fashion has been combined and how it was inspired by the pioneers of the urban styles available today is fascinating. People in the urban community do inspire the designers of the leading catwalks and fashion showcased on the red carpet.

Just visiting your nearest shopping centre will give you an insight into just how the hip-hop world influences today’s fashion. Much of what can be viewed on the high street has been inspired by celebrities and fashionistas all over the world.

Take American rappers like Kanye West, P Diddy and Jay Z and the models, singers and dancers that adorn their arms. Much of what you see in the shops is modelled on their wardrobes and you will probably reflect some of their personal style in your own clothing collections.

Signature styles are statement styles that make us what we what to present. By using fashion, you can make exude the personality that you want to. In terms of today’s fashion styles, the icons that wear them each have very individual signature styles. We can take ideas from icons and use them cleverly in our personal wardrobe collections. In terms of the clothing that is seen across urban fashion lines, it has taken us through decades of the entertainment and arts world and is set to continue taking inspiration from 21st century fashion icons across the world. It’s great to see trends evolving and returning after decades because they are, and were, so able to present ideal signature styling – no matter whether you like to wear formal or relaxed trends.

Urban fashion stems from important icons in the worlds history and movements in the fashion industry in years gone by. Whether it’s a little black dress, a glossy white pair of skate shoes or a bling bit of apparel you are looking at, no doubt it has taken inspiration from real people, fashionistas, icons.

In fact, call them what you want – we know that by blending art, entertainment and fashion seamlessly – the urban fashion community has created timeless style that can be customised as time passes by. So long as there are followers of street fashion, there will be urban, street and skate styles to enjoy.

Louisa loves the urban, street and fashion industry and regularly writes content surrounding these subjects. She also works for Clubnet Search Marketing as a professional copywriter.

Abu Dhabi is a shopper’s dream, with plenty of excellent malls featuring a wide variety of popular shops.

When you head to Abu Dhabi, UAE, make sure to leave extra room in your suitcases because the shopping in this city is so much fun that you will find lots of great souvenirs to bring home!

Shopping is a popular pastime in the city and the choices of shops are endless, from chic modern shopping malls to traditional-style souks with local handicrafts. Whether you want to treat yourself to a designer outfit or haggle for a bargain on a watch in the marketplace, a brand new home entertainment system or an antique Arabian bracelet, you have come to the right place.

Prices in Abu Dhabi are usually quite affordable, especially for products such as textiles, carpets and gold, and compared to other cities abroad. If you have good negotiating skills, you can get even cheaper prices from the merchants at some of the souks and bazaars. However, bargaining is only acceptable with the merchants in the markets or the independent shops and antique dealers so don’t try to haggle the price down at Marks and Spencers or Dunkin Donuts!

Shopping Malls

There are several excellent shopping malls within the city, where you will find popular chain stores and designer fashion outlets. Here are some of the most popular locations:

• Abui Dhabi Mall – this three story shopping centre is located next to the Beach Rotana Hotel, in the Tourist Club Area.
• The Marina Mall – Located in the Water Breaker Area right next to the stunning Emirates Palace, this shopping centre contains a Carrefour hypermarket, musical fountain, and even thunder and rain inside the building!
• Al Wahda Mall – This brand new modern mall was only opened back in 2007, and it has many high end designer shops as well as an extensive food court and an enormous LuLu Hypermarket in the basement.

Al Meena

If you want to experience the hustle and bustle of a traditional Arabic souk, head down to the Al Meena area of the city. This is where many traditional souks can be found, and it is a great place for shopping for local produce at reasonable prices. You will find beautiful carpets, antiques, spices, jewelry, and so much more. This is the place to practice your haggling skills, so don’t be shy. The first price that the vendor offers you will usually be twice as much as it should be, so you can be firm but polite and suggest a lower price. If they refuse to budge, simply say no and walk away and you will be surprised how many times they will accept your lower offer to keep your interest.

With it now being able to opt to fly to Abu Dhabi as an choice when taking flights to the UAE, there is no barrier to enjoying the shopping in the city that is an adventure in itself, so get out there and enjoy all of the beautiful shops and boutiques that the city has to offer!

the worlds of fashion and high finance rarely overlap. This however is one incident where they did, and the results are nothing if not surprising.

As a designer Louise Goldin has caught a lot of eyes as her career has developed. Not least of these were those of the panel of judges for the coveted Coutts Fashion Forward Award. To mark the receipt of this Goldin was commissioned to make a very special dress – entirely out of paper.

The symbolism of making a dress from paper in this context is powerful. On the one hand the material, paper, reflects the work of the sponsor. Wealth management is paper shuffling, and for the most part the material stuff of this craft is paper, it is gilts and bonds. And then we come to the creative aspect.

Paper as a medium is where all designers start – perhaps the primitive childish joy in making paper clothes for dolls, creating beauty from the basest elements. There is a certain atavistic passion that this evokes, along with a celebration of all that goes with it.

Coutts and Co. are a private bank specialising in such activities as capital investment.