my works in t qatar - the new york times style magazine - jan/feb 2014 issue

10 T Qatar: The New York Times Style Magazine

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Publisher & Editor-In-ChiefYousuf Jassem Al DarwishChief ExecutiveSandeep SehgalExecutive Vice PresidentAlpana RoyVice PresidentRavi Raman

EDITORIALEditorSindhu NairDeputy EditorSrinivasan V.LChief Fashion CorrespondentDebrina AliyahSenior CorrespondentsAbigail MathiasAyswarya MurthyEzdihar Ibrahim AliSub-Editor Sue Eedle

ART

Senior Art DirectorVenkat ReddyDeputy Art DirectorHanan Abu SaiamAssistant Art DirectorAyush IndrajithSenior Graphic Designer Maheshwar ReddyPhotographyRob Altamirano

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T, THE STYLE MAGAZINE

OF THE NEW YORK TIMESEditor in Chief Deborah NeedlemanCreative DirectorPatrick LiDeputy Editor Whitney VargasFashion Director at LargeJoe McKennaManaging Editor George GustinesPhotography DirectorNadia Vellam

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Lookout Qatar22 Lookout Qatar

Frances Hartog relates the mesmerizing tale of a 53-year-old Dior Zemire dress at a conference at Doha's Museum of Islamic Art; Alia El Tanani of the luxury design company Living In Interiors has an eye for the unusual; Tod’s leather collection for men is all about the double stripe; the Lady Arpels Ballerine Enchantée watch takes its inspiration from dancing butterflies and fairies.

24 Culture CueDoha wants to hold on to its charming history but by reimagining it. The Old Doha Prize brings together architects from two countries, Qatar and UK, to revive old Doha —bringing the idea of a global world to reality. By Sindhu Nair.

25 Showing NowJordanian artist Jehad Al-Ameri is influenced by three places: a village in Jordan; Baghdad; and Granada in Spain. By Abigail Mathias.

26 Market Watch The spotlight is on the jewelry that will be the highlight of a luxury exhibition, the Doha Jewelry and Watches Exhibition. By Debrina Aliyah.

29 Trend ReportA Middle East-exclusive preview of the Gap Spring/ Summer 2014 Collection. By Priyanka Pradhan.

QualityQatar39 O Couture!

A new couture showing in Singapore put the focus on Asian designers as it paved way for the formation of a new federation of designers. By Alexandra Kohut-Cole.

FeaturesQatar74 The New Breed

We bring you the new decision-makers in a country that is on its development path, the youthful go-getters who know that for a nation to grow, they first have to effect change from within. By Ayswarya Murthy, Debrina Aliyah and Sindhu Nair.Photographs by AbdulRahman Al-Baker

Lookout Qatar

More Than Just a DressSpeaking to an immensely attentive audience at the recent art conservation

conference organized by the Orientalist Museum and held at the Museum of

Islamic Art in Doha, Frances Hartog related the mesmerizing tale of how a

53-year-old Dior Zemire dress came to be in the possession of the Victoria and

Albert Museum (V&A) in London. Hartog, the museum's senior textile

conservator, was the key person involved in the restoration of this legendary

dress, of which it was once thought no versions had survived. The original

costume was shown in Dior’s 1954 Winter collection at Blenheim Palace to an

audience that included Britain's Princess Margaret, but this version of the

Zemire was commissioned by the wife of a leading British textile manufacturer

to showcase his new semi-synthetic fabric. “Little else is known about the

history of the dress until it turned up in a Paris auction, at which time it was

said to have been found in a cellar close to the Seine and possibly worn for

fancy dress,” Hartog said. The dress was bought at the auction by curator

Claire Wilcox, and underwent diligent restoration work by Hartog’s team to

prepare it for a 1940s and 50s haute couture exhibition that took place in 1997

at the V&A. More than a decade later, the dress is still celebrated, as it marks

one of the most important textile restoration works in the world. “It is

considered to be Dior’s most historically-inspired piece and a departure from

his more familiar avant-garde work,” she explains. Hartog was one of the

panelists at the Doha conference, which focused on artwork from past to

present and the integral role restoration plays in preserving art for the next

generation. DEBRINA ALIYAH

Dancing to TimeDepicting a female figure — part dancer, part butterfly — this creation perpetuates the tradition of ballerinas and fairies to which Van Cleef &

Arpels is so attached. Yet it is not only in design but also in the mechanics of timekeeping that the maison has borrowed its theme from a ballerina. On a watch with a retrograde display, the hands, instead of

turning about an axis, trace an arc before returning to their initial position to begin another cycle. Here, when the user presses a button at the 8

o’clock position, the ballerina’s tutu comes to life. The veil indicating the hours rises first, followed by the second veil, which positions itself

against the minute scale. They remain in place, enabling the time to be read, then return simultaneously to their initial positions. One of the feats

of this complication lies in its fluid movement: the ballerina appears to move her wings with grace and poise. For its Lady Arpels Ballerine

Enchantée watch, Van Cleef & Arpels has drawn inspiration from a quote by dancing legend Anna Pavlova that echoes the imagery of the maison:

‘’I’ve been dreaming that I was a ballerina, and that I was spending my whole life dancing as lightly as a butterfly...’’ SINDHU NAIR

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Timeless TributeThe new collection from brand Gant is said to

be a tribute to its heritage and the seasons take on American sportswear. A mix of

tradition and innovation, classic elegance and modern sportiness is the main source of

inspiration. Refined elegance seems to be the brands motto this season.

GANT Time FW 2013 collection is available at select Paris Gallery, Time House

and Blue Salon outlets across Qatar.

ALL PRICES ARE INDICATIVE

25January-February 2014

Your Soul in HereWhile being driven around Cairo, Alia El Tanani studied a sight that most people casually glance past daily: the ancient city aqueducts made of Egyptian stone.

Soon afterwards she began commissioning a wall made entirely of the stone in one of her projects, to the surprise of her contractors. The material, abundantly available, had long lost its luster and fallen into a category considered cheap and common. “It was an epiphany. The aqueducts lasted for centuries, and we had local expertise and skills to work with the material,” she explains. Her persistence resulted in a beautiful project, and the revival of the Egyptian stone among her interior design circles. Her foresight brought an entire industry back to life. “It was like witnessing the rise and fall of an era,” she says.

Alia and her husband founded the luxury design company Living In Interiors in Cairo, and opened a Doha outpost a decade ago. Working on various projects of both the residential and commercial kind, the company has made major inroads with influential Qatari families, many of whom have become friends and are still “continuously decorating their homes,” Alia shares. The Qatar showroom carries a range of luxury designer furnishings, but the piece de resistance is the woodwork finishing made exclusively by the company’s workshops. With technology and climate control, they have successfully built a niche of customizing wood pieces in the interiors of their clients’ homes. But interior designing extends beyond just the visual experience; for Alia it is all about recreating the soul of the owner into the space. Working closely with her clients, Alia aims to identify the finishing touch that will change just a well-designed project into an actual living space. “You have to inject a part of yourself into the space. That’s what makes it yours,” she says. And growing with the evolving landscape of Doha for the past decade has been a life lesson for the designer. “Instead of branding people’s taste, I have come to play the role of organizing their needs and wants, hopefully, all into one space,” she says. Living In Interiors, Porto Arabia, +974 4495 3510. DEBRINA ALIYAH

INTERIOR GEMClockwise from

top left: at Living In Interiors Doha,

furnishings of various brands serve as

moodboards to help clients envision their

living spaces; woodwork finishing in a

client′s home.

The Double At the menswear presentation shows, there were several interesting double stripes color combinations that were spotted on the bags of stylish guests. Nods of recognition were given by those in the know; it is the new subtle brand marking for Tod’s leather collection for men. The double stripe made its debut in spring last year, gaining so much traction that it is now part of the brand’s main offering. The stripe colors are customizable to individual liking on most of its men’s leather goods including briefcases, shoppers and rucksacks. For the on-trend style-savvy guy, bright blues, reds and oranges in exotic skins are a charm, while the classic gentleman can choose the sturdy calfskin in subtle browns, blues and greys. The double stripes will also be making a new appearance this spring as a detail on pockets of ready-to-wear jackets in leather and suede. Tod’s, Villaggio Mall, +974 4413 4937. DEBRINA ALIYAH

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Lookout Qatar

Glitter and Gloss

BY DEBRINA ALIYAH

If all that glitters is not gold, it must be jewels. From the heritage piece handmade in India to a Qatar-inspired piece of jewelry from a global brand, jewelry design has taken the accessory world by storm with its range of innovation. With the annual

Doha Jewelry and Watches Exhibition (DJWE) around the corner, it is time to turn your attention to our picks of the

season.

Market Watch

ASPREYChaos Necklace, QR512,025

The coming together of an extensive assortment of precious stones to form an "organized chaos" makes this necklace a unique visual experience. The necklace,

which took 150 hours to complete, comprises 80 gems of different shapes

methodically placed to ensure each stone is perfectly aligned. Designed as part of

Asprey’s Chaos collection, the necklace is a reinterpretation of a classic necklace

structure given a new twist with the detailed inclusion of the various colored stones.

CARRERA Y CARRERABamboo Ring, price on request

Drawing inspiration from the symbolism of bamboo for good luck

in Far Eastern culture, Carrera y Carrera‘s Bamboo collection has had

equally fortunate success. The bamboo ring with amethyst stone is part of the brand’s new extension to

the collection, featuring carefully carved yellow gold bamboo stalks as

the band and white gold bamboo leaves paved with diamonds as the

mounting for the stone.

NIRAV MODIMughal Choker, price on request

The choker is part of the brand’s Mughal collection, which was inspired by the Mughal miniature school of art that thrived between the 16th and 19th centuries in India. The collection pays homage to the artistic history of its designer’s country, drawing on iconic floral motifs that were prevalent in Mughal art. The floral motifs of the choker are handcrafted with different

diamond cuts — 46 carats in total — and mounted in 18K white gold.

Lookout Qatar

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SALVATORE FERRAGAMOGaluchat Ring, QR24,242

Drawing inspiration from Salvatore Ferragamo’s favorite shagreen texture in his shoe designs, the Galuchat fine jewelry collection features

stingray leather as its main element. This Galuchat ring is anchored by the main rutilated quartz stone and paved with diamonds. Since

the launch of the label’s fine jewelry collection, the Galuchat range has remained one of its

most sought-after pieces.

MOUAWADLove M Earrings, QR19,200

From the Love M collection, Mouawad imagines a logo-play of its definitive M flower charms in this pair of 18K

rose gold earrings. The flower charms are an extension of Mouawad’s signature M heart motifs adorned with white diamonds. The diamonds are hand-set into each of the

charms using the micro-pave method, allowing for precision crafting of this delicate design.

ROBINSON PELHAMDoha Pearl Asteroid Ring, QR130,750

The Pearl Asteroid ring is a special tribute to Doha, paying homage to the city’s history in the pearl diving industry. Designed to

symbolize the waves of the sea surrounding the central pearl, the ring is a custom one-of-a-kind design set in 18 karat yellow gold.

The colors of the sea were recreated using extremely rare Paraiba Tourmaline stones from the original Brazilian mine where the gemstone was first discovered. The ring is one of two pieces designed exclusively for the Qatar UK Year of Culture Fashion

Exchange program.

ESCADATwin Heart Bracelet, QR1,750

Escada's fine jewelry collection has been growing quietly in strength, focusing on classic solid designs that reflect the simplicity of the

brand's philosophy. This gold plated and diamond paved twin heart bracelet is perfect

for a casual outtake.


POMELLATOColpo Di Fulmine Set, price on request

The collection strives to find a balance between bold and delicate elements by highlight big gemstones with

fine settings. This earrings and ring combo set in burnished rose gold with small sapphire stones surrounding the main garnet stone is part of the

collection’s new direction towards oval-shaped stones. Other striking color plays in the collection include amethyst and ruby as well as topaz and tsavorite.

VERSACEGreca Ring, price on request

The Greca ring is from the label’s fine jewelry classic collection, which reinterprets Versace’s iconic Greek key in a new look. With its unique

curved shape, the new Greca line presents pendants, earrings, bangles and bands

characterized by precious stones such as diamonds, blue sapphires, red rubies and

emeralds. The mix and match of gold and silver colors aims to highlight the neoclassical

influences of the Greeks.

Lookout Qatar

QELATourath Ring in Pink Gold, QR36,000

Qatar's own luxury label will be making their debut appearance at DJWE this year after its

well-received inaugural boutique opening last September. The label has a dedicated workshop for handcrafted jewelry pieces and this Tourath ring is part of its Mashrabiya collection. Set in

pink gold with white diamonds, the piece comes from the inspiration of the ornamental

patterns of the Arab Mashrabiya motif. The ring is also available in white gold for QR46,000.

Market Watch

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76

THE NEW BREED

BY DEBRINA ALIYAH, SINDHU NAIR AND AYSWARYA MURTHYPHOTOGRAPHS BY ABDULRAHMAN AL-BAKER

THE MIDDLE EAST continues to be on the receiving end of bad press. If it is not reports of flaunting fabulous wealth or acquiring trophy assets, then be sure it is about human rights violations or women fighting for equal rights. Never in history have we been so concerned with political correctness, and yet there has never been a time when such stereotypes have become so rampant.

It is, however, not difficult to see how the world might have come to such conclusions about the Arabs. For one, they are highly private, where cultures eschew revealing too much about themselves. Stereotyping is a norm, not only by the outside world but also by expats living in this region, simply because so little is known. And, let’s not forget, the Gulf consists of young countries that are just finding their diplomatic footing, so there are bound to be teething pains, especially in the social context. But inside the bubble is a new generation of Arabs who are pioneering change in their own communities.

The faces of this new shift are the unassuming, educated young Arabs who are concerned less about pedigree than people development. They understand that for a nation to grow, they first have to effect change from within, and that sparking new mindsets is the most vital initiative. They have no qualms in breaking through their own cultural barriers to bring about new positive ideas that help the growth of their people, be it in the business, social or creative spheres. Forging ahead in their own chosen fields, these go-getters will soon be the next decision-makers in the region. And no, they are not riding camels or dripping in gold.

IT IS WINTER, and while droves of Qatari boys are busy prepping their camping gear and changing tires on their Land Cruisers for the sand duning season, Haman (as AbdulRahman Al-Baker is fondly known) is avoiding the sand and trying to write a proposal. The proposal is long, and he has had sleepless nights, but it is nearly ready. “It is for the greater good, a multipurpose training space to train photographers,” he says. This will be presented soon to the cultural arm of a government institution, and it will not be an easy task to get the project off the ground, but Haman is ready to do what it takes. A mixed media artist with Qatar Foundation, it was Haman’s caped crusader identity as a photographer that shot him into Doha’s creative limelight. And in a nation with an army of budding young fashion and design talents, the collaboration opportunities were endless. Qatari fashion darlings like Latifa Al-Mudaihki and Fahad Al-Obaidly are big fans. Haman’s eye for detail and his patriotic vision to present Qatar in a better perspective come through in his work, which

seems to tell more of a story than just the subject. Qatar is now ready, says Haman, with the recent art boom and increasing interest from the local community in the creative fields. In the early days, there were constant struggles with

trying to get people to read photographs and understand the intrinsic values of a good photo. “With awareness and artistic education, we are moving forward now,” he says. “It is important to see more local artists be commissioned for artworks by institutions here.” He is riding on this foresight, hoping that his proposal will be accepted and another new development tool will be created for photographers in the country. Watching Doha grow from a sleepy town into a bustling city, Haman had always been visually inspired by the beach and the huge clouds, but these days, he has taken a new liking to Souq Waqif. “I love showing it off to visitors; the colors and scents are divine,” he quips. Aptly, he helps us tell the stories of his peers through his lens on a journey through the souq.

ABDULRAHMAN AL-BAKERPhotographer and Visual Artist

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BARELY A MONTH into the launch of Aliya, the eponymous couture label of the soft-spoken designer, the collection has nearly sold out, in the process earning the designer a new moniker as the Queen of the Night. It is no reference to any late-night partying, but her golden touch in crafting sensuous yet culturally appropriate evening wear that has won her the crown. Designing for the women of Qatar is a complex equation, with the need to find the balance between modernity and modesty, and appealing to the right channels of communication, but Aliya seem to have struck gold with her signature Islamic patterns and Indian embroidery. The sudden surge in the local fashion arena has created a wave of designs that are trendy yet similar, but what sets Aliya apart from her peers is

her deep understanding of what Arab women want. Her couture collection is highly personalized to individual orders, and, almost exclusively, each design is made for only one client. In contrast to the old-world ways of couture in Europe,

Arab women reach out to the designer only on one platform here, using social media. “It is a fresh way of marketing that just fits so well with the culture of Arab women, who prefer anonymity and privacy,” she explains. After amassing a solid following here in Qatar, she is ready to spread her wings into the rest of the region, starting with Bahrain, the homeland of her father. The decision to go regional is to keep her perspectives fresh and to explore the intricate plurality of Arabic culture as inspiration. “It is difficult to maintain the same spirit in every collection, but every new detail, especially when drawn from our history is just so enriching,” she says.

ALIYA AL-OBAIDLYFashion Designer

Aliya Haute Couture


WHILE WE ARE on the topic of breaking stereotypes, no one breaks them sharply than Bahiya Al-Hamad. The soft-spoken young Olympian was the flag bearer and among the first female athletes from Qatar last year at the London Olympics. “It’s every

athlete’s dream to represent their country in the Olympics. With the whole world watching us, I wanted to show everyone what Qatari women are truly capable of,” she says, her voice low and her words measured. One would think that after more than six years of training (read: having to make herself heard over the din of a shooting gallery) Bahiya would have been forced to develop a bigger voice box. But everything about her spells quiet dignity. And wielding a gun is last thing you would imagine. It started as a hobby six years ago. “Shooting is a major hobby in my family. So I used to accompany my cousins to the Qatar Shooting Club.” Two weeks after she had fired a rifle for the first

time, she realized she wasn't going to put it down. She has been training every day since then. “Except when I have to take a break for my studies,” she reminds us. Currently pursuing her foundation studies in chemistry, she is not sure if her heart’s in it. “I’ll probably be changing my major,” she says, almost to herself. But what her heart is definitely set on is representing Qatar again in the next Olympics. Having clinched 17th position globally at her first try, it can only get better with another four years' worth of training and sporting events in her kitty. Even as she poses for the pictures, her eyes continually keep darting towards her father, who is standing at a distance, all guardian angel-esque. Dark and brooding, he sports a confused smile when he is invited into the frame but obliges nonetheless. “You know my father was the first one to agree when I told him I wanted to take up shooting professionally,” she says after the session. “Right away he said ‘No problem. Go ahead and do it.’” Looks like the whole family is in the business of wrecking stereotypes.

BAHIYA AL-HAMADOlympic Rifle Shooter


KHALID HAS to react to the political turmoil that marks the region, and he chooses to do so online. His work is not the typical cartoons that the Arab world is familiar with. It has minimal details and a subtle punch that is completely new to the “old media regime,” and hence rejected by many mainstream publications in his native Sudan and Egypt. Thus started Khalid's personal “Arab Spring” and the world now has a political cartoonist who decided to shun the path often trod to open a Facebook page called Khartoon to pen his personal reactions to the political issues the Arab world is facing. Not surprisingly, his most popular cartoon, and his first cartoon soon after the Tunisian vendor set himself on fire, was of Khalid’s hand, with each finger representing the flag of countries like Egypt and Libya. Akin to a political analyst’s prophecy, the countries marked followed the path of the Tunisian struggle. “It doesn’t take a genius to guess that,” he laughs. Thus Khalid was in the limelight. “It just spread, it was free,” he says about his cartoon. “It was used by activists and people just picked it up.” And when

one of his cartoons was used as graffiti on Cairo's Tahrir Square, before the fall of Mubarak, with his name on it, he knew he had found his personal calling. He says that being present, even through art, was an “honor”; for though he was not on the ground fighting for the cause, he was part of that historical movement. And that is the power of the art that Khalid wants to wield sitting in his workspace at the Qatar Museum Authority where he works as a multimedia specialist. Khalid remembers a cartoonists' convention in France where he realized how the Europeans and even the Africans could never understand the censorship issues that the Middle Easterners encounter. “They don’t understand what we have to go through,” he says. And that, he feels, is the strength of the cartoonist from the region, finding an alternative way to saying something without hurting or offending anyone. “We work around the hindrances.”

KHALID AL-BAIHPolitical Cartoonist


KHALID is a busy man. He is an entrepreneur who is out to prove to the world that the country is serious in its pursuit of a knowledge-based economy. He is passionate about technology, and when he is not conceptualizing new tech-based

products, he is busy mentoring young people or giving speeches at conferences. He is the country’s prized poster-child for entrepreneurship. “Somebody has to start and make it happen, though it does come with lot of pressures, from peer to social,” he says, dismissing his status quo. His one “big advantage” is his family’s support and belief in his competencies. “I usually discuss everything with my father and he encourages my entrepreneurial streak,” says Khalid, adding; “Even if they don’t understand, their trust in me is unconditional, because of my track record.”Entering the Stars of Science competition was the “craziest” thing he has ever done. Well, it would not

sound crazy in some parts of the world, but in the social milieu in which Khalid was brought up, where family and work take precedence over everything else, it was indeed an unconventional path to tread. “I did not tell my family until I got through and had to leave my job for the competition,” he says. The experience at Stars of Science 2012 was “intensive," remembers Khalid. It involved four months of boot camp and gave him hands-on practice at turning an idea into a practical project. The amount of confidence this completion gave him was “immense,” and “coming from a region that has lost the art of discovery and making things, and where consumption is dominant, this experience changes a lot of your assumptions, your definition of possible and impossible, and triggers a mindset or paradigm shift." Khalid is now working on two projects, commercializing "Tahi" (Arabic for "Chef") — an automated cooking pot and gamifying Stars of Science, which will then inspire other students. “There are millions of Khalids out there,” he says. “I just got lucky.”

KHALID MOHAMMED ABOUJASSOUM

Stars of Science 2012

Winner, Entrepreneur


Khawla is an Emirati professional artist who wants to do something beyond painting the canvas. Inspiring youth is her current vocation, be it through her job or on social media. She is Head of School Programs at Mathaf, the Arab Museum of Modern Art in Doha, a role that brings her in constant touch with children of all ages as she guides them to develop an appreciation for culture and art. A difficult proposition, one would think, but this is one task Khawla loves to undertake and a task, she argues, “that is not impossible." She says: “Working with students helps you understand teaching techniques. I love the

way children perceive art and come up with entirely new interpretations thus opening the way for more dialogue and communication.” Khawla’s love for the creative world began early. “It is a subject that allows you to present ideas and have a dialogue with the world,” she says of her passion. And she decided to focus on presenting her culture through contemporary artwork and installation art in the Middle East and the United Kingdom. Her passion has borne fruit, too, with her work auctioned twice at Christie’s in Dubai and purchased by the Women’s Museum in Dubai. Her work is bold, bright and yet deeply submerged in the culture of the region. Her pop art and street art is free-spirited, thriving and flamboyant, almost mirroring her personality. Her tryst with the social media is not pure fun. With more than 10,000 followers on Instagram, most of her updates give the followers a glimpse into the art world of the Middle East. Choosing her own career was not at all difficult for Khawla because “the region welcomes modern and contemporary art and encourages diversity.” She has chosen her path prudently, intent to give back to the society that has nurtured her. “With the rise of the museums in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates I decided to dig deep into museum culture and understand art deeply.”

KHAWLA AL-MARRIArtist and Educator


IN A CULTURE where refusing any offering of food is considered a big taboo, Layla has made breakthroughs with her mantra of "eating to live". The yoga guru and health entrepreneur is a trailblazer in effecting healthy changes while challenging the business landscape of Qatar that is just warming up to female players. Struggling to find infrastructure and financial support for her health start-up, she poured her personal savings into the venture with a one-track mind focused towards success. In two years, through word-of-mouth marketing and social media, Raw ME Qatar now

stands steadfast among health enthusiasts and new converts to the juice movement. Its core offering of cold-pressed juices and juice cleanse diets has helped changed the way many Qataris approach eating. “People realize that they don’t really need to eat that much if they are eating right,” she says. The increasing demand is pushing for the company to expand production, but as a female entrepreneur, Layla is still battling cultural norms within business institutions. “A lot of women use their husbands as proxy to get things done when it comes to business affairs, so when I approach ministries alone for papers and approvals, it is difficult for them to take me seriously,” she explains. Her pragmatic hands-on approach, including fixing her own machinery (“I broke a toenail in the process”), is also one that is uncommon in Qatar. But her efforts to keep costs to the minimum are essential so that resources can be directed to the production of healthy juices for her clients. Layla’s next vision is to rope children into the movement, to help battle the soaring numbers of diabetic and obese schoolkids in the country. “People are spending so much money on processed and sugary products. There needs to be a shift in mindset to spend the money on wholesome real food instead,” she says.

LAYLA AL-DORANIEntrepreneur

Founder, Raw ME Qatar


NASSER ambled onto the Lusail racing circuit one morning in 2006 because he had heard about a tryout and thought it might be interesting. “I had never ridden a racing bike before. My experience of racing was limited to quad bikes.” Predictably, he didn’t qualify. But what he did next defies all logic. “I was upset for a while. I was sitting at home mulling it over. Then I went and bought myself a bike.” Within a week he was back on the very same track on his shiny new racing machine and this time nothing was going to stop him. “I started enjoying it more every time and I was getting better, faster and proving myself.” And though his family was a bit anxious as the business management graduate’s fascination with grease and rubber grew, Nasser says they soon came to accept his new lifestyle. After three years of entering every SuperBike race in Qatar, flying his own colors and paying for his own tires, the Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation sat up and took notice of him. It is only recently that Nasser has been participating in races abroad, particularly the Moto series. In fact he is still basking in his ninth position at the

Spanish Moto2 in Barcelona. His ultimate dream is to race in the Moto Grand Prix. "The riders there are much, much more experienced than me. I have been barely racing for seven years now. I still have a long way to go to be able to compete on that level and challenge bikers of that caliber.” For Nasser, the journey has only just begun. Serendipity and sheer willpower have brought him this far but many other potential racing champions in Qatar might not get that lucky. “I think we have some of the best, fastest riders in the Middle East. People here love bikes.” But there isn’t the information and training to channel this natural passion into the sport, he says. “We need training schools with qualified instructors who can teach young kids the right way to ride. Not race, just ride,” says the self-taught racer. "I would really like to help set something like that up in the future.”

NASSER AL-MALKIRacer (Superbikes, Moto, Endurance)

my works in t qatar - the new york times style magazine - jan/feb 2014 issue

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