Symphony’s 2nd Anniversary Celebrations

On Sunday the 7th of October 2012 we will be celebrating our second anniversary. To mark the occasion, we are hosting an in-store red carpet exhibition of gowns worn by A Listers including Angelina Jolie, Diane Kruger and Eva Longoria at events such as the MET Gala Ball and the Golden Globes.

The exhibition will run in-store at Symphony, The Dubai Mall from October 8th – 15th 2012 and you are invited!

We would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you for all of your support over the last two years. We look forward to celebrating our designer’s finest gowns and Symphony’s second birthday with you!

For more details and to RSVP, please view the Facebook event page here.

Hawa by Balqees Ahmed Fathi

Watch: Christian Siriano’s Vampire-Inspired Video

To celebrate the new Autumn/Winter 2012 season, designer Christian Siriano created a new campaign video inspired by his vampire bat theme collection. We have the UAE-exclusive, take a look at the short film, which stars rising actress Nicole LaLiberte channeling her inner-vamp in the cavernous setting of The Vault at Pfaff’s in New York City.

“Sometimes the vampire thing can be very overdone,” the designer noted. “Nicole makes sense because she’s more androgynous and quirky and her movements are more interesting and not just a sexy vampire, which I did not want. She is the perfect muse. And her look is so beautiful—I knew she’d look so striking with white skin and fire hair, it’s visually stimulating.” And to help with the visuals, Siriano enlisted the help of artist Brad Walsh, who filmed and edited the video, scored the music, and shot the campaign. “He’s just very talented and being able to work with him during the day and then go home and talk about those things is great,” said the designer.

Christian Siriano’s Autumn/Winter 2012 collection is exclusive to Symphony in the UAE.

The Campaign: Autumn/Winter 2012 at Symphony, The Dubai Mall

A mixed media campaign for the new season with local talent Mariam Abbas, marking the first campaign of its kind in the region…

Many months ago, when brainstorming ideas and concepts the Autumn/Winter 2012 campaign we decided we wanted to do something different. Over the last two years we’ve wilted in the Dubai summer heat shooting on an Abra for our first campaign for AW10, we’ve shot at a secret desert location, hand-lit hundreds of candles, we’ve shot with falcons, and, of course, with Tommy Ton and Miroslava Duma – you name it, we’ve done it. So, for the new season, we decided we wanted to return to basics and collaborate with a regional talent on something artistic. This lead us to the works of Mariam Abbas – a talented Emirati artist who specialises in pointillism, a technique of creating images out of a long, painstaking process using hand drawn dots.

The result was a mixed media campaign concept – which is a first for the region and something we are very proud of. 

The stunning Autumn/Winter 2012 pieces from the likes of Alessandra Rich, Madiyah Al Sharqi, Sarah Baadarani, Zac Posen, Katie Ermilio and Vika Gazinskaya were shot on mannequins in a studio environment. These images were then digitally cut for Mariam to work her magic on. We imagined a Symphony mascot, the fantasy Symphony woman. She’s elegant, she’s educated, refined and chic – just like our clientele. Working closely with Mariam we built the campaign images around this concept and illustrated this season’s wares using Mariam’s pointillism technique, digital graphic design and fashion illustration. Ultimately the campaign feels very organic, a natural next step after last seasons wow dream team of Tommy Ton and Mira Duma. It’s been fantastic to work towards a regional campaign, which showcases local talent and pushes the boundaries in the region; we hope you love the results as much as we do!

ALESSANDRA RICH AW12 AT SYMPHONY

KATIE ERMILIO AW12 EXCLUSIVELY AT SYMPHONY

MADIYAH AL SHARQI AW12 AT SYMPHONY

SARAH BAADARANI AW12 AT SYMPHONY

VIKA GAZINSKAYA AW12 EXCLUSIVELY AT SYMPHONY

ZAC POSEN AW12 AT SYMPHONY

Symphony Autumn/Winter 2012 brought to you by: 
Illustration and Mixed Media Mariam Abbas | Studio Photography David Goff | Concept and Direction Salama Alabbar & Holly Williams | Shoot Assistant Jose Balitian. Featuring Alessandra Rich, Zac Posen, Madiyah Al Sharqi, Katie Ermilio and Sarah Baadarani AW12 at Symphony, The Dubai Mall, symphony.ae

Angels by The XX, Live at Bestival 2012

Music Monday returns with a bang via the angelic sounds of The XX, this track ‘Angels’ is from The XX’s hotly anticipated second album Co-Exist. Performed live at Bestival 2012 last week, The XX said they were “blown away” by the crowds singing along to their relatively new song. We think it is a stunning record. What do you think?

An Interview with Tonya Hawkes

DESIGNER Q&A

Tonya Leigh Hawkes grew up in Issaquah, Washington, just minutes away from the flourishing city of Seattle. Inspired by the surround beauty of its natural wetlands and mountains, horseback riding became her first love. She was immediately immersed into a world of craftsmanship. Drawn to the intricate details of the bridals, bits, lead ropes, halters and saddles that filed her tack room, she was able to cultivate an eye for quality leather goods at a very early age. Her second inspiration came from her mother, a fashion model who introduced her to the glamourous world of elegance, poise and grace. Tonya studied fashion at Seattle Central before continuing at Bellevue College and then over to the “Big Apple” to study illustration at NYC’s FIT. Her education afforded her a BA in technical design. In 1992 Tonya moved to NYC to pursue a career in fashion, joining Donna Karan and being named Senior Designer for DKNY handbags and small leather goods in 1994, later being promoted to Design Director in 1998. After a very comprehensive career at Donna Karan, Hawkes was offered the role of Creative Director at Furla in 2002 located in bologna, Italy. Two years later, Donna Karan was missing her star talent and wanted her back, so in 2004, Hawkes accepted the position of Creative Director/Vice President for DKNY handbags, shoes, small leather goods and accessories and moved back to NYC. Although she was honoured by the opporunity she missed her life in Italy and in 2005 decided to return to Italy and start her own design and development company and so Tonya Hawkes began!

We sat down with Symphony newbie Tonya Hawkes for an exclusive interview. Read on to discover why Tonya rates forest walks over spa days, how Donna Karan has changed her life as well as her designer to look out for and love of Korean artist Lee Yonbaek…

Symphony: What’s been the highlight of your career to date?

Tonya Hawkes: Working for Donna Karan for nine years, she gave me the most generous gift: freedom of expression! This encompassed unwavering belief in my talent, trust in my abilities and she gave me the platform to discover myself, fashion and many foreign cultures, in a way that has impacted every decision I have made ever since. Her reassuring embrace has given me stability, confidence, vision and hope.

Symphony: Where do you see Tonya Hawkes in ten years from now?

Tonya Hawkes: I see the brand as pace setters and tastemakers in design. I see myself designing a range of products that encompasses handbags, jewellery, hardware for the home and furniture. I am American and have lived in Italy for ten years now, so our brand was born global – something I have envisioned for nearly twenty years. I also see our brand working with educational organisations such as TED, I really want to inspire and help people to tap into their creative expression.

Symphony: Which designers do you admire and why?

Tonya Hawkes: Kelly Wearstler. She has great talent and expresses it through all of my favourite mediums of design; home interiors, jewellery and fashion. She beautifully manages her incredible work, children and world-renowned recognition and just keeps getting better.

Symphony: Who should we look out for?

Tonya Hawkes: The Korean artist Lee Yongbaek. The Korean Exhibition at the 2011 Biennale in Venice was spectacular and really stood out from the crowd on many levels.

Symphony: What’s your idea of the perfect Winter?

Tonya Hawkes: A nice vacation? Maybe a week skiing at Whistler Mountain in Canadan with my best friends! Perfect!

Symphony: What song can’t you stop listening to right now?

Tonya Hawkes: Usher, Climax.

Symphony: What’s your favourite trend for AW12?

Tonya Hawkes: The early 90s – minimalism, leather, long hair with a centre part, snug fits and tech chic detailing.

Symphony: What’s on your shopping list for AW12?

Tonya Hawkes: YSL satin top and stretch skinny leather pants, Missoni knitwear headbands, Jil Sander wedge ankle boots, Wearstler perforated gold cuff, Alexander Wang Pea coat… the list goes on and on!

Symphony: If you were not a designer what would you be doing?

Tonya Hawkes: If I didn’t design anything at all I would be dancing.

Symphony: What’s the best piece of advice you ever received?

Tonya Hawkes: My mother always told me to follow my heart, and it really works!

Symphony: What’s your favourite spot in the world and why?

Tonya Hawkes: Seattle Washington for its stunning backdrop of lush green trees and endless bodies of water in every direction. Nature has always amazed me and has always been a consistent source of inspiration for my design work and to me, a walk through a forest is far more rejuvenating than a day at any spa!

Symphony: Who is your ultimate woman to see wearing Tonya Hawkes?

Tonya Hawkes: Mila Kunis for her nonchalant chicness, Natalie Portman for her timeless beauty and wisdom and Kristen Stewart for her mysterious, cool edge.

Symphony: What’s your favourite virtue?

Tonya Hawkes: Positive thinking.

Symphony: What’s your biggest fault?

Tonya Hawkes: I am extremely idealistic!

Tonya Hawkes Autumn/Winter 2012 collection of clutches is available exclusively at Symphony, The Dubai Mall now. See here for pics and prices.

Symphony | Ground Floor, Fashion Avenue | The Dubai Mall | T: 04 330 8050

Autumn/Winter 2012 Campaign Revealed!

We reveal our Autumn/Winter 2012 creative campaign exclusively in the September issue of Harper’s Bazaar Arabia, out now! Pick up a copy to discover more on our new campaign!

Later this week we will be revealing all six of the creative campaign images here so stay tuned. Happy September!!

Symphony Autumn/Winter 2012 brought to you by:

Mixed Media & Illustration Mariam Abbas | Studio Photography David Goff | Concept & Direction Salama Alabbar & Holly Williams | Shoot Assistant Jose Balitian