DM FM

In this episode, my husband Waqas Farid joins me for an AMA. You guys asked, and we answered.

Over the years, social media influencers have amassed quite the following, and many of them have gone on to leverage their respective platforms to dive head-first into other businesses and industries. Such is the case with Dana Hourani - a Dubai based influencer who consistently turns heads for her signature "cool girl" style, and gained notoriety through her highly curated Instagram account which she launched in 2012. Dana has strategically used her presence in the digital space to break into the music industry by releasing two singles this year alone. In this episode, both her and I engage in a little back and forth about how influencers are successfully delving into lucrative projects outside the confines of fashion, and where we'd like to see ourselves go. With Instagram becoming such an undeniable cornerstone to how many of us are conducting businesses nowadays, it's fascinating to see how Dana branched out from chronicling personal style to charming the region with her sweet melodies. We even touch on the do's and don'ts as well as the pitfalls of being online as frequently as we are.

Happy Sunday! We're so glad to be back in the thick of this sweltering Dubai summer! Helping me kick off season 2 of DM FM is Grace Gordon - Fashion Director, travel enthusiast, and overall human extraordinaire. In this week's episode we're discussing, the likelihood of retail giant Barneys filing for bankruptcy, how this will continue to impact the ever-changing retail landscape, and what this suggests about evolving consumer behavior. Has the luxury e-commerce space killed brick and mortar flagships for good? In other news, HRH Meghan Markle, The Duchess of Sussex continues to be barraged by the public/ media for her unprecedented demands for privacy; most recently coming under fire for her infamous Wimbledon photo ban, as well as the less than welcoming social protocol put into place for fellow residents and neighbors in and around Windsor. Grace and I also discuss the inherent toxicity of "cancel culture", and how this continues to affect audiences consuming the digital space. Finally, we shed light on the concept of sustainability, and how I'm dubbing it the new sexy thing in fashion!

Happy Monday! I'm off to Paris tomorrow for Fashion Week, but before I jet off, I'm joined in the studio today by the lovely Grace Gordon - Fashion Director at Savoir Flair to discuss all things fashion, and the happy haps around Fashion Month. We're chit-chatting about everyone from Maryam Nassir Zadeh to Khaite, J.W. Anderson, Christopher Kane, and the always emotional/ awe inspiring Marc Jacobs. Is Daniel Lee bringing back Old Celine via his new role at Bottega Veneta? What will Chanel be like under Virginie Viard? There's also a touching tribute to the dearly departed Karl Lagerfeld.

We're picking up our conversation from last week about debilitating and unattainable beauty standards in the age of social media, and how that's impacting mental health. Joining me again are Noor Tehini - Head of Content at Savoir Flair/ co-founder of Dubai based wellness platform - Goodness, and Amina Mohamad who heads up Communications and PR at Farfetch Middle East. In this week's episode we're discussing everything from injectables, to the aging process, as well as holding the Kar-Jenner clan culpable for a lot of what we perceive to be impaired with today's social and moral code. But that's not all... By popular request, Noor, Amina and I are finally sharing our skincare secrets by revealing the beauty brands and products we've long been loyal to. Collectively we're encouraging a variety of generations (both young and younger) to practice and promote self-love, and realize that what we consume and observe via social media is not always a true reflection of reality. Love You! Bye! #NotSponsored

For a long time now we've been bombarded with and forced to consume images that advocate and glorify unattainable and at times noxious beauty standards, which in turn has had an undeniable impact on the mental health of those consuming this content. While there have been countless discussions over the interweb about social media's part to play in all this, with the accompaniment of celebrated personalities that have amassed gigantic followings, the issues remain, and the seismic impact is practically tangible with younger people turning to plastic surgery, filters, and even harmful products to achieve a look their "role models" continue to perpetuate. I'm here to discuss the importance of transparency - something we the consumer are owed more so now than ever before. In this two- part episode I'm joined by Noor Tehini, Head of Content at Savoir Flair/ co-founder of Dubai based wellness platform - Goodness, and Amina Mohamad who heads up Communications and PR at Farfetch Middle East. Together we're hoping to paint a clearer picture between realistic and unrealistic beauty standards by re-defining the word "beautiful" itself, and pushing forward the discourse on unattainable standards that continue to run rampant in the age of social media. #NotSponsored

I'm here in Beirut for the very first time, and thrilled to be sitting down with Fashion Trust Arabia's founder Tania Fares, one of its Executive Committee members Nez Gebreel on the importance of harnessing and cultivating regional homegrown design talent. The Fashion Trust is a non-profit initiative that offers business support through financial grants and mentoring to designers in the UK (as part of its partnership with the British Fashion Council), and more recently in the Middle East region as part of its Arabia chapter. Tania along with a panel of esteemed judges as well as industry professionals who serve on the Executive Committee are hoping to elevate some of Middle East's finest design talents and present them on a global stage via more esteemed distribution, exposure, and a more robust business model.

Yay!!! It's finally here!!! Welcome to the pilot of DM FM - a podcast by Desert Mannequin hosted by me, Anum Bashir. For the very first episode, I was deeply averse to the idea of being on my own. Even for an extrovert like myself, the thought of putting my voice and opinions out there for thousands to consume felt daunting. So I rallied my husband into joining me to help get this much anticipated podcast off the ground, and the timing couldn't be more perfect. Together, Waqas and I are fast approaching our 7th annual "Birthaversary" celebrations - a phrase we've coined because I got married on my birthday back in 2011. Given this milestone achieved, and having survived the infamous 7 year itch, Waqas and I are reflecting on our relationship, and what it means to be happily married. We're sharing with you the journeys we've taken (both good and bad), and where we'd like to go from here. Enjoy!