Famed all-American clothing brand Gap has partnered with Al Tayer Group to launch the first Gap Fit standalone store in the world! Based down at JBR, The Beach, the shop is full on fitness so it’s only natural that we had to put it to the test.
The Warehouse Beach gym played host to a morning of circuits, and even though it was first thing in the morning, being outdoor in the not-yet-wintry weather made it tougher still. The GapFit gear held up nicely despite the rigorous testing it got, so we headed straight to the store to stock up!
GAP is an iconic brand that’s really best known for its denim, but by launching GapFit this year, it’s opened up the brand again for me personally. Expect a collection full of activewear and i’m especially fond of their leggings that offer good compression, breathability, stretch, and their new blackout technology. Not strictly for women either, the launch has a full range of comfy activewear for guys too!
fashion
In there like swimwear… I just cannot get enough of this brand. Not only is its founder, whose long-steeped history with fashion design, Sapia Simone a lovely human being, she launched her first collection at only 23, so she’s a total inspiration to me. With vitamin sea vibes, Sapia Simone was born and her SS17 collection is now officially live.
It’s more than just swimwear though, her resort collection features some gorgeous trousers and shirts that’ll make you feel totally tropical. Her pieces can be found in over 12 stores globally, but she’s based in Dubai now. Not so far a cry from having originated the brand where else, but the original sunshine society, Miami!
With an Italian background and education at Instituto Marangoni, (where D&G and many more hail from) Italian born Sapia Simone herself knew from a young age where her passion for fashion was taking her, and one incredible adventure in Zanzibar brought the dream to life.
Making it her aim to encourage and inspire a fresh perspective on ‘beach chic’. Her mission is to make playful and beautiful swimwear silhouettes, styles and resort wear that celebrate the active and adventurous female living across the world in a variety of sunshine societies.
I’m sold.
Summer means swimwear! Everyone right now seems to be in Greece/Spain or the South of Italy soaking up the (normal) sunshine, but even though it’s actually too hot to go outside in Dubai, i’m still scouring the shops for one pieces to wear round the pools as I test out my Privilee card!
Shopping online is a lot easier for me, but I’m not your average body shape – smaller ribs, wider hips and a bum that my mum isn’t even sure where it came from, means two things – I have to work harder to keep it all together AND I do not suit these high riding bikini bottom styles that are everywhere right now… nor for that matter do I look particularly symmetrical in the harry high-pants either.
Swimsuits are my ultimate piece of summer apparel. When I go shopping, their stylish simplicity means I’m not fighting the crowds looking for two different sized pieces that match! Also, with the bodysuit making a resurgence this season, I’m perfectly on trend pairing my one piece with a pair of high waisted shorts too.
Here’s my current covets from some of my favourite brands:
Acacia Swimwear
Sapia.Kang
H&M
Billabong
Vitamin A by Amahlia Stevens
L*Space
It’s said that the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, the next best time is today. The Earth is in need of our help and there’s no better time to really be living authentic and organic!
Fashion is an industry that’s producing TONNES of waste, besides that you should also be conscious about where your clothes come from, who made them and what material they are being made with! (After all, you don’t really want your clothes to live longer than you do).
The key to being a conscious consumer is to look for that guarantee. One of my close friends started her ethical journey a couple of years ago now and is helping to persuade the region into adopting a more sustainable style. Did you know that 80% of the environmental impact of clothing occurs post-purchase, so it’s a great reminder to cool wash our clothes and hang dry!
BaemBu is her collection of unique blended T shirts and hoodies, comprising of 70% bamboo viscose & 30% organic cotton. Completely organically grown, sourced and made under fair trade regulations, Aimee Changco and her partner Matthew King ensure that even the printing on them uses organic water based ink.
Having received accreditations that include ‘Fair Wear Foundation’, ‘Soil Association’ and ‘Confidence In Textiles’, we can be sure that BaemBu is nothing but eco-friendly. They have some amazing natural properties too, such as being; hypoallergenic, anti-bacterial, UV protection, moisture wicking as well as insulating, so you can literally take them everywhere!
You can get your BaemBu T’s here or spot Aimee and Matt around the UAE from Cocktail Kitchen to Market OTB, The Change Initiative and in a variety of cool pop-ups across the city. Not only do they help promote a more sustainably sourced future for Dubai’s fashion landscape, they also run the ‘Shoebox Love’ campaign during Ramadan so make sure you follow them for more ethical initiatives coming up!
Im a real water baby at heart but I love everything the summer has to offer! You can consistently find me soaking up the sun on weekends in Dubai, either relaxing poolside or paddling at sunset beach. What you won’t find me doing though is sitting on the sand. I have a very real (but unexplainable) freak out if I get sandy. I’m not talking toes as such, but if I pick up a towel, I have to inspect every inch of it first! Either way, I’d be lost if I moved somewhere without access to the sea.
Which is why I’m a massive fan of beachwear too… (the name kinda gave that away right), so I wanted to introduce you to OMASI – for those who haven’t already heard of them, Omasi was created by two lovely long-term Dubai residents who also had a passion for this city and its beach life. Finnish born, Hanne and Terhi started Omasi 2 1/2 years ago and having spent lots of summer’s in the sunshine, they were constantly picking up beach products the world over. With this in mind, they saw a real niche here for locally designed and produced products that you can get online.
Their products are comfy, very wearable (I take my poncho everywhere) and are even brand-able. What’s even greater, is that they are the perfect presents – they can be customised with either initials or your full name! Currently found in a wealth of hotel shops like Atlantis, Sofitel and Kempinski, as well as specialist stores like the SurfHouse, Adventure HQ, expect to find their label on most of your holiday hit-lists.
Pick up your own personalised poncho here!
My activewear drawer is probably my most well-rounded wardrobe department, so this yoga brand addition’s been a long time coming… not only is this Canadian company making waves everywhere from the US to AUS, with all my friends coveting their comfortable collections, it’s constantly being paraded around the barre by my beloved instructors!
Lululemon is the yoga-inspired apparel brand who’s high-waisted leggings have revolutionised form-fitting activewear.
Minimising distractions (like escaping muffin tops and creeping camel toes) whilst maximising comfort, these leggings are the epitome of effortless dressing. Having not tried out their bra tops yet, I can only speculate that they are indeed as boob-huggingly soft as they look.
Here’s my latest covets:
Who doesn’t dream of summer as a week of sandy feet, salty hair, coconuts in hand and a strong sea breeze, somewhere beautiful, with a hint of French accents and pearly trinkets in the stores… Yes, Bora Bora is real.
I’ll tell you who else is feeding off this Tahitian island vibe, Billabong – with their Bora Babin’ collection. Featuring flowing summer capes, sheer materials, embroidered dresses and of course… figure hugging bikinis.
Here’s what we’re packing…
Back in the spring of 2011, the Rude project started taking shape somewhere between Milan, London, Los Angeles and Miami. It was the brainchild of celebrity PR manager Marco Bacini and Gianluca Gigli, who both had the same passion for fashion and communication.
Travelling between these cities in particular helped develop the brand’s direction and looking at their trends help mould a unique new a philosophy for the Rude Project: the Rock’n’Dandy concept.
Born in Milan and totally ‘Made in Italy’, Rude is unique in that it reads the same in both English and Italian. Rude is an irreverent skull, “raw” – T-shirt’s that are fun don’t take themselves too seriously, designs which send a strong message of character and sensuality.
Making waves across the city, Rude immediately became a “cult” must-have for all celebrities. The Rude project is a constant work in progress, which continues with the same explosive energy now as it did at the beginning, with Marky Ramone being one of the brands biggest ambassadors!
“Rude Mania” has hit town… in just 9 months, it’s in more than 300 boutiques worldwide and has opened their first pop-up here at Dubai’s infamous BoxPark.
There’s a new yoga legging and shower slipper to covet, co-founded by the Queen B herself, expect to see legions of fans queued up for the arrival of Beyonce’s first active wear range Ivy Park. Partnering with Sir Philip Green, Topshop is launching their collab this month!
Created by the Queen for women to feel empowered during their daily workouts, we’re sure you’re going to start seeing the brand in your local barre class very soon. Bey has always been a big supporter of enforcing a positive body image so it’s quite fitting that she’s gone that one step further with her new line.
From leggings with three crop lengths, to crop-tops, bodysuits, T-shirts and sweatshirts, Ivy Park is a brand we’re keen to try out. Launching exclusively with Namshi, make sure you’re online NOW for their drop!
Another day and we’re another step closer to summer here in Dubai. As the saying goes, summer bodies are made in the spring, so it’s also true that the bikini’s we’re buying to wear in the summer, we’re shopping for now.
There’s a new designer on the net who’s highlighting the maillot in exciting ways. Designed by Anisha Lalani, Blue Ink Beachwear is a pretty mixture of prints and pastels that have us wanderlusting after the long sunsets in the Med. Designed in Belgium and made in Italy, Blue Ink is made using carefully selected luxury fabrics, that are both girly enough and sexy enough to excite us here at TBS.
With a focus on ‘strong is the new sexy’ Blue Ink furthers our mantra for a more confident summer outlook!
Check out our favourite pieces from their inaugural collection and the details that made us fall in love with them: