DUBAI The UAE hub put DUBAI The UAE hub put itself on the map with an unprecedented combination of gold-trimmed extravagance and headline-making superlatives. These days, the city is shaking off its splashy reputation and looking to the future with a mature sense of buoyant confidence, embracing its heritage and traditions and combining them with the talents of the diverse, multicultural population that chooses to call this vibrant metropolis home. Today, ambitious architecture and the region’s most exciting hotels sit alongside pioneering art galleries, community-focused cafes and homegrown restaurants that comfortably compete on the world’s stage. Nicola Chilton speaks to some of the people who are making Dubai more dynamic than ever. NOW 88 CENTURION-MAGAZINE.COM
A MOHAMMED KAZIM The Cultural s a footwear entrepreneur, cultural adviser and global traveller, the Dubai native is a multi-hyphenate par excellence. In 2013, he co-founded Tamashee, a company born out of three goals: preserving identity, representing culture, and colouring lives. While Tamashee’s initial focus was putting a contemporary spin on a traditional form of Arabian footwear, in the years since, the company has grown to offer research, education, cultural consultancy and travel – all personal passions for Kazim. “It's very important for us to ‘colour lives’, which, for us, means leaving a positive impact on society,” explains the 40-year-old. For ever-curious Kazim, this begins with extensive travel and research across the Arabian Peninsula to broaden awareness of the beauty, diversity and cultural richness of the region. This philosophy has become the foundation of his Tamashee Experiences, which include expert-led visits to the high mountains of Saudi Arabia’s Asir region, with a focus on traditional art, musical heritage, and local food, and Oman’s Al Dhakiliya region, exploring landscapes, architecture and folkloric traditions. There are also upcoming trips THE CULTUR AL AMBASSADOR to the UAE’s northern Emirates with a focus on tribal cultures and heritage. “People would see us post on social media that we were travelling for research, and they would ask if they could join us. We had access to people that a regular tour guide wouldn’t, and through that, we launched our trips,” he says. The experiences support the local communities they visit, creating a sustainable income for the people he’s worked with in the course of his research, and also create a community of travellers loyal to the brand, with a high percentage of repeat business. “For us, that’s phenomenal,” remarks Kazim. Tamashee’s flagship store in Dubai’s Al Seef district is at the heart of a new community of homegrown brands that bring together elements of Emirati culture in the first cultural collective of its type in the UAE. “We want to expand our horizons,” says Kazim. “We want to introduce more products and more tourism experiences, lodges, small getaways and B&Bs, all inspired by the content we’ve collected over the years,” he says. For a company that turned ten this year, it feels as if Tamashee is just getting started. PHOTO © TAMASHEE It’s very important for us to ‘colour lives’, which, for us, means leaving a positive impact on society CENTURION-MAGAZINE.COM 89
