Two Bahraini designers on the Forbes 30 most powerful brands

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

For the second year in a row, designers from Bahraini women’s fashion brand Noon By Noor, Shaikha Noor Bint Rashid Al Khalifa and Shaikha Haya Bint Mohammed Al Khalifa joined Forbes Middle East’s fourth annual list of “30 Women behind Middle Eastern Brands for 2022”.

Forbes Middle East’s list of 30 Women Behind Middle Eastern Brands features brands across six countries in MENA. Despite the fierce competition witnessed this year, with the list reduced to 30 places instead of 40, the two designers maintained their unique position as the only Bahraini women to be on the list among hundreds of businesswomen candidates across various categories, including baby care products, beauty and fashion, footwear, jewellery and perfumes.

Applicants were from across six countries in the MENA region. The list focuses on specific criteria, including celebrities who supported the brand, the number of followers on social networking sites, the number of countries in which the brand is active, and media coverage.

The Al Khalifa cousins presented their Spring 2022 collection at London Fashion Week in September 2021 and their Fall 2022 collection in February 2022, marking her return to participating in Fashion Month after a year-long deadline due to the epidemic.

Their designs have been spotted on celebrities, including Jenifer Lopez, Eva Longoria, Blake Lively, Bella Hadid, Anne Hathaway, and Queen Rania of Jordan. In October 2021, Noon by Noor partnered with Think Pink, a Bahrain non-profit Breast Cancer Society, to spread breast cancer awareness by donating 10% of its sales to the organization.

The UAE is home to 13 successful businesses on the list, followed by Egypt with eight and Lebanon with five. The list also represents 18 different nationalities, with Egyptians dominating the list with 11 entries, followed by Lebanese with four entries.

Some of these brands are now international labels appearing at the world’s most anticipated events, such Rayan Al Sulaimani’s Atelier Zuhra, who dressed Paris Hilton at the 2022 Grammys. Huda Kattan was also recognized on Forbes’ list of America’s Self-Made Women 2021.