With a gesture of inclusion that has always belonged to him, Giorgio Armani journeys into the imagination, and with signs and suggestions he sketches out distant universes. Harnessing his ability to combine visual motifs from other cultures with conceptual geometries, he creates true masterpieces of manual skill. These garments enchant the eye like shining, chromatic, decorative follies, and through the creative imagination lead us to the ends of the earth.
Long established as one of the Middle Easts foremost fashion icons, due to both her innate sense of personal style and her acumen when it comes to the business of fashion, Ingie Chalhoub has been pushing the boundaries of high luxury in the Region since the foundation of her Etoile Group through the opening the first ever Chanel boutique in the Middle East in 1983.
The success of the group, and its quick expansion from just one to more than 70 boutiques and 500-plus employees across the Middle East, is evidence of her drive and focus.
Ingie Chalhoub was one of the first in the business community to note the regional potential of high-end fashion and worked to ensure her brands were well represented throughout the Gulf. The fact that she has been entrusted with the licensing and launching of numerous covetable houses, including Chanel, Valentino, Ralph Lauren, TODs, Hogan and most recently ISSA London (to name just a few), illustrates how highly the international style cognoscenti regard her and her expertise about the Region.
The launch of Etoile La boutique in 2005, yet another product of a trailblazing vision, from its trademark baroque fusion interiors to its selective buying, represented a landmark in the evolution of not just the Etoile Group, but of the regional fashion industry itself. The ultra-luxurious, multi-brand boutique revolutionized shopping and is now a regional success with a strong presence in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait and Jeddah, and tremendous expansion plans in Riyadh and Al-Khobar, in the near future.
As multi-award-winning style icon, Ingie Chalhoub has achieved many accolades. Shes been an advisory board member for Dubai International Fashion Week and had a prominent position on the panel of Mission Fashion on LBC1 for three consecutive years, she also participated in Project Fashion on Future TV in 2007.
Stylistas favourite Harpers Bazaar chose her as one of the regions best dressed in 2010 and she is a regular in Ahlan! Magazines Hot 100 list, which picks out the most influential people in the UAE.
Her mantelpiece includes also the prestigious LOfficiel Woman of the Year award and Emirates Womans Business Woman of the Year (for both 2008 and 2009), the Gulf Connoisseur Awards in 2011 and 2013 and the title of ELLE Business Woman of the Year" in late 2013. CEO Middle East have also included her in their list of the 100 Most Powerful Arab Women for 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014, and she was listed by Arabian Business magazine in 2012, 2013 and 2014 as one of the Worlds 500 Most Influential Arabs.