One of the original and most in-demand supermodels of all time, Claudia Schiffer fronts the cover of Vogue Arabia’s big September issue, a grand celebration of fashion, new trends, and Arabia’s most inspiring personalities.
Photo: Kayt Jones
Synonymous with 90s pop culture, Claudia Schiffer is a force to be reckoned with. Discovered by accident in a Düsseldorf discotheque in the late 80s, the German beauty has seen some incredible highs during her career. After starting her journey in fashion at 17, she soon became the world’s highest paid model. Days after celebrating 54, she’d graced the covers of more than 1,000 magazines, including 63 editions of Vogue.
Photos: Kayt Jones and Getty
“When I left Germany and told my friends and family that I was leaving to do some modeling, most were skeptical and worried,” she recalls in this month’s cover story. “Would I be able to do it considering how sensitive, innocent and shy I was? This is when I focused on being disciplined, working as late as I was asked to, ideally never taking a day off, and never complaining. My goal was to succeed and come back to my friends and family and prove them wrong.” And prove them wrong she did, dominating the fashion world and becoming a household name who inspired several unforgettable moments. For this month’s edition, dressed in one of fall’s biggest trends, the supermodel wears only tuxedos in all the possible styles, as a nod to the iconic images of Schiffer at the Fall/Winter 1996-1997 Yves Saint Laurent runway sporting Le Smoking.
Photo: Rocio Ramos
As always, the September issue is dedicated to celebrating fashion, which it does via a stunning selection of shoots. In our pages, Yousra Mohsen articulates the FW24 silhouettes that are as geometric as they are colorful, while in another spread, Arab designers pull off a style coup with extravagant showstoppers and over-the-top proportions. Currently on everyone’s radar, the coquette aesthetic stands strong in the (pink) spotlight, along with ladylike fashion and high-shine futuristic finds.
Photos: Mattia Holm and Joseph Ouechen
Closer to home, traditional Arab attire also enjoys a moment of its own in the September 2024 issue. An integral part of North African culture, the kaftan flourishes in different renditions against the dreamy backdrop of Morocco, where we meet some of the key designers who participated in Caftan Week 2024. And heading to Oman, gloriously vast landscapes and endless blue skies come alive with the arrival of the season’s boldest pieces, full of joy-inducing hues.
Photo: Mohamed Sherif
Over in Cairo, we see Egyptian singer and actor Anoushka make a triumphant comeback, exploring the depth of one of fashion’s wildest trends: animal print. As she toys with different patterns and cuts, she looks back on her career, and discloses the secret rule she swears by to make sure she picks the best roles for herself. “I have to believe in the role, and I like to read all the roles and look for the message of the work or its main idea,” she reveals. “In general, I like social, emotional and dramatic roles and I like new ideas.”
Photo: Tarek Mawad
In the pages of the September issue, readers will also find themselves diving into the world of haute couture. However, this month we look at things from a different perspective, wondering what beauty could mean today. To answer this question we invited Michèle Lamy to explore this season’s boldest couture ensembles — from Saudi Arabia’s Ashi Studio to Jean Paul Gaultier and Schiaparelli — as she mulls over some of life’s greatest questions. As she contemplates the idea of beauty, she recalls being a 17-year-old traveling in Tunisia, struck by the sight of the local Amazigh women with their wrinkles and tattoos, their incredible eyes. “I thought they were the most beautiful thing I’ve seen,” she says.
Looking closer at our region, however, the icon, who is also an outspoken advocate for the Palestinian people, seems to find that most questions today come with complicated answers. Thinking about the devastating escalation of the war in Gaza last October, and the situation as it stands today, she concludes, “We are in a broken world.”
Photo: Lara Zankoul
As seen on the winter runways, where food and nature took over, one of our many features this month is the deliciously decadent flora-meets-food-meets-fashion extravaganza, where some of the region’s most favored faces come together. As the likes of Chanel Ayan, Nadine Kanso, Diala Makki, and Lojain Omran indulge in a decadent get-together, a new form of celebration comes to the forefront — one where more truly is more. Paired with the stunning visuals, we celebrate the launch of one of Dubai’s biggest culinary hotspots this year — La Dame De Pic at the One&Only One Za’abeel. In a special conversation, chef Anne-Sophie Pic shares a look at her journey so far. “I represent the fourth generation of chefs, which began when my great-grandmother, Sophie Pic, founded the Auberge du Pin in Saint-Péray in Ardèche, France,” she explains. And with 12 Michelin stars to her name, it’s clear that Pic’s passion lies exactly where her profession is. “Creativity is at the center of all of my work,” she reveals. “These awards acknowledge the work we are doing with the chefs and teams in my restaurants around the world and reflect our perpetual search for innovation.”
Photo: Louay Nassar and Sarah Gaafar
Another wonderful space in the September issue is the home of Tunisian star Dorra Zarrouk and her husband, Egyptian architect Hany Saad. A sophisticated retreat that shifts perspectives through design, the couple’s haven is, in Zarrouk’s words, the perfect home. “What I love most about this house is how each space is thoughtfully designed to invite in natural light and allow the air to flow freely, creating an uplifting atmosphere,” she says. “The minimalist design, combined with soft, soothing details, makes me feel not just motivated but also deeply comfortable, safe, and at ease.” A wonderful example of what Saad calls “Inside Out architecture,” theirs is a home that was made to serve as a peaceful refuge for a busy couple with successful yet demanding careers.
Photo: Mohamed Sherif
Going from new beginnings to old mainstays, the September issue also pays a visit to Salon Lucy, one of the oldest beauty salons in Egypt. Located in the streets of Old Cairo, this is a spot that’s become an institution, run with love and passion by Mrs Lucy for decades. Inviting us into her world of rollers, manicures and celebrity appointments, she shares the sweet secrets that fill her memories and anecdotes about hosting celebrities like Naguib Mahfouz and Madam Faten Hamama. “I wasn’t an actress, but I appeared in several films like Ard Al-Nifaq, Habib Hayati, Banat Bahri, and Ahlam Al-Banat,” she recalls. As for her starry clientele, she reveals, “Madam Faten Hamama was very elegant in her dealings, and although she was always busy with filming, her nail appointment was never postponed.”
Photo: Oscar Munar
There’s no dearth of incredible women in the latest issue of Vogue Arabia — and there’s so much more where that came from. Stepping away from the realm of fashion and beauty, we meet with seven women in Jeddah who founded Aloula, Saudi Arabia’s first-ever NGO, to transform lives and redefined social norms: Jihan Al-Dajani, Saria Islam, Suad Al-Husseini, Taiba Al-Saqqaf, Laila Hidaya, and Nafisa Al-Zahed, and Queen Effat Al-Thunayan. “We were honored to receive tremendous backing from King Faisal Al Saud, which played a crucial role in our establishment and early success,” co-founder Islam shares, explaining how she and her fellow trailblazers then approached the royal’s wife, Queen Effat, about getting further involved. Over the years, Aloula has helped uplift those who’ve been marginalized, its primary focus being women and children.
In celebration of icons, Vogue Arabia’s September 2024 issue also spotlights Iranian star Googoosh, who leads her granddaughter, Mya Ghorbani, through a nostalgic retrospective of her most celebrated looks. From blunt bobs to bleached brows, Ghorbani sports them all as they discuss the reemergence of an icon in an intimate and insightful conversation. Now residing in Los Angeles, the performer shares fond memories of her childhood in Iran. “When I started being Googoosh, I was a very little girl at three years old,” she reminisces. “My father used to do acrobatics and act as a comedian on the stage, so he brought me as a partner. After a few years, he noticed that I could imitate famous singers. Little by little, he put me on the stage to sing and imitate them. People keep telling me that I was a unique person when I was on stage as an actor, as a singer, as a dancer.” Today, despite living away from her homeland, Googoosh shares a special bond with the people of her nation. A proud Iranian through and through, she opens up about her comeback concert at the age of 50 in 2001. “I didn’t know if I could carry myself after all these years. I was somebody else for 21 years, I didn’t know what’s going to happen. And I was shaking — I showed them. I said, ‘Look, I’m shaking,’ but the energy, it came! 18,000 people! What could I do from the bottom of my heart? And that was it. I did it.”
