Fashion Fever Grand Prix – sports themed Fashion Show for an exclusive audience kick-starts the F1 weekend festivities in style

It was a night of high fashion and serious glamour at the 2nd edition of Fashion Fever Grand Prix –an F1 themed fashion show that was presented by Emirates Motor Company and was held at Shangri-La hotel, Qaryat Al Beri. The event saw Abu Dhabi’ s crème de la crème in attendance, including local and international royalty, such as H.H. Sheikh Khalifa Bin Sultan AlNahyan, Sheikh Salman Bin ISA Al Khalifa and H.R.H. Prince Leopold of Bavaria. Key ambassadors and ministers at the event were H.E. Pablo Kang, the Australian Ambassador; H.E. Liborio Stellino, the Italian Ambassador; Peter Elsner Mackay, the Austrian Ambassador; Marc-Andre Lorrain, Management and Counselor Affairs of Canada; and H.E. Eng. Atef Helmy, the advisor to the president of Egypt. The event also held host to prominent fashion buyers, designers, sports enthusiasts, F1 personalities, business leaders and fashion media. It showcased collections designed exclusively for the event by four of the region’ s most promising designers. The designers were: ShoSho Bella, LA Rags, Julea Domani byZeena Zaki and Trio Couture.

Designer ShoSho Bella showcased an haute couture collection for girls aged between 2 –14 while LA Rags heeded to street wear, with the trendy causal look perfect for the concerts. Both Julea Domani by Zeena Zaki and Trio Couture revealed the glamorous side of F1 related fashion dressing in their characteristic and individualistic style. Needless to say, it was a show for every F1-related event – whether the occasion was watching the race at the circuit, in the Paddock Club, attending the after-parties or the after-race concerts.

Some of the world’ s finest jewellery to inspire and aspire complimented the designers’ creations. Models dazzled in exquisite pieces from IWC Schaffhausen, Graff, Messika and Tirisi Jewellery all handpicked and provided by jewellery partner Al Manara International Jewellery in Abu Dhabi. Maison De Joelle, the name behind the best hair and makeup in the UAE, worked its magic on the models for the runway.

The red carpet affair that kick-started the event saw celebrity presenter and host of the evening Shereen Mitwalli create fun and memorable moments with the guests as they showed-off their fashionable avatars to a bevy of photographers.

The biggest fashion statement however was the launch announcement of Aurae Lifestyle – an elite global lifestyle management program – in the GCC region.

Founder of Fashion Fever and Aurae member, Kawthar Bin Sulayem said: “I couldn’ t be happier to see Aurae’s launch announcement and Fashion Fever come together so seamlessly tonight. Aurae is for those who want their life experiences to be extremely luxurious and memorable while Fashion Fever provides a unique and glamorous night to an exclusive audience.”

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The show also featured on-the-spot competitions: Best Dressed and Best Pose, sponsored by Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE. The winner of the Best Dressed won two business class tickets for any destination in Europe available online on the Etihad Airways website; while the lady with the Best Pose who was selected by our official media partner, Zahrat Al Khaleej, won a Gold Etihad Guest Membership for a year.

The show’ s vision could not have taken shape without the generous support of its sponsors. The main sponsor for this year was Emirates Motor Company (EMC), authorised General Distributor of Mercedes-Benz in Abu Dhabi, followed by Zahrat Al Khaleej, AnaZahra.com, Maison DeJoelle Abu Dhabi, Shangri La Hotel Qaryat Al Beri, Aurae Lifestyle, Etihad Airways, Make-A-Wish Foundation and Al Manara International Jewellery.

Talking about the collaboration, Nassim Mourani, General Managerof EMC Passenger Cars, said: “We are proud to be associated with Fashion Fever – a platform that shares similar brand values with our all-new Mercedes Benz GLE Coupe. The GLE Coupe is all about providing customers with a dynamic, sporty experience which is also refined, elegant and luxurious; therefore, we find a resonance with Fashion Fever. We are also happy to lend our support to the region’s promising designers through this platform.”

Hala Al Gergawi, the Executive Managing Editor of Zahrat Al Khaleej Magazine; media partner of the event said: “Being the official media partners for the second annual Fashion Fever Grand Prix is another step into confirming Zahrat Al Khaleej’s position as a leading women magazine in the Middle East. This extravagant night of high fashion and exclusive jewellery collections will help jumpstart an exciting and high-adrenaline weekend for Abu Dhabi.”

She also added that: “The event was a hugely successful showcase of the talented and stylish fashion aficionados in the UAE who we are proud to support. We’ re also constantly looking for opportunities to involve our readers in light-hearted ways and featuring guests on their own ‘personal cover’ of Zahrat Al Khaleej was an innovative way of putting them in the spotlight.