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Emirati’s Women’s Month: Empowering the Next Generation of Girls Through Sport

Published

31 minutes ago

September 22, 2026

An interview with the founder of GMNSM on empowering young girls through sport in the UAE – his athletic background, how disciplines like Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and judo build confidence and resilience, and GMNSM’s expansion into Riyadh and Monaco.

As the founder of GMNSM, what have you observed about the role sport can play in shaping confidence, discipline and resilience among young girls, particularly as they grow up in the UAE?

I have seen that sports gives girls a safe environment to test themselves, make mistakes, overcome challenges, and take pride in their own progress. These experiences all have an impact far beyond the academy.

For young girls, especially, learning that they can be physically strong and have the capabilities to compete, lose, and try again can build a very practical kind of confidence. It comes from experiencing your own ability to deal with challenges, and that teaches them to become more independent.

Because the UAE is a very international landscape, children grow up surrounded by different cultures, ambitions and opportunities. Sports gives them a strong sense of identity and community while teaching qualities such as discipline, resilience, respect and teamwork.

At GMNSM, we see this as part of our broader responsibility. Our goal is not simply to develop young athletes or prepare children for competitions – we want to give them tools that they can carry into school, future careers and relationships.

I think this is especially important for girls: they should grow up knowing that strength can take many forms – physical, emotional and intellectual – and that they have the skills to develop all three.

The UAE has created an environment where women and girls are increasingly encouraged to participate in sport and pursue leadership opportunities. From your experience at GMNSM, how do you see this changing the way the next generation approaches confidence and ambition?
I think we are seeing a generation of girls growing up with a much broader sense of what is possible for them. At GMNSM, we see this in the way young girls approach sport – they are more comfortable competing, taking on challenges and setting ambitious goals for themselves.

Sport plays an important role because it gives confidence a practical foundation. When a girl learns to push through difficulty, compete, lose, improve and try again, she develops resilience that can translate into other areas of her life.

The UAE’s growing emphasis on women’s participation and leadership reinforces this mindset. Our role at GMNSM is to give girls the environment and tools to develop that confidence from an early age. They need to view ambition as something they can pursue with discipline and purpose instead of something they need to limit.

You came from a professional sporting background before becoming an entrepreneur. How has your experience as an athlete shaped the way you think about empowering young girls through sport?

My experience as an athlete taught me that sport is not only about performance or winning. It teaches you how to set goals, deal with setbacks, stay disciplined and keep going when progress is not immediate.

That experience strongly shaped how I think about working with young girls. I also see it very personally as a father. My 5 years old daughter is growing up here in the UAE, and I made sure sports were part of her life from the early age of two years old. Watching her develop through sport gives me a very different perspective. I see first-hand how physical activity can build confidence, independence and resilience.

What are some of the qualities you see developing in girls through disciplines such as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and judo that extend beyond the training space and into school, relationships and eventually their professional lives?

One of the most important things I see is resilience. In Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and judo, you are constantly put in situations where things don’t go according to plan. You learn to stay calm, think, adapt and try again. That mindset is incredibly valuable outside the training space.

Girls also develop a strong sense of self-confidence, but in a very grounded way. They learn what they are physically capable of, how to set boundaries, work with others and respect both themselves and their opponents.

Over time, these qualities naturally translate into other areas of life, whether it is approaching a difficult task at school, navigating relationships or, later, taking on challenges and responsibility in their professional lives.

I also want to mention that girls at GMNSM receive their own journals, where they set goals and track their progress. Our program also draws on the journeys of successful women as examples, and we explore episodes of girls’ films – Mulan, for instance – together with the kids as part of our emotional intelligence classes.

As GMNSM expands from its Dubai roots into markets such as Riyadh and Monaco, what role do you see the UAE continuing to play in shaping conversations around women, girls and sport on a broader international stage?

The UAE’s multicultural fabric makes it the ideal place to champion girls’ and women’s sport. Children here grow up surrounded by different cultures, which makes giving girls the confidence and skills to participate, compete and lead even more important – and the UAE pushes that.

At GMNSM, we see sport as a powerful tool for building this confidence. It teaches girls discipline, resilience, teamwork and leadership – qualities that carry into every part of their lives. That’s part of why we saw Dubai, with its diverse communities, as the natural home for GMNSM.

As part of our program, this journal also uses a system built around six key qualities that we help children develop. Regardless of age, we always aim for the 6 Developmental Powers as part of our programs: Resilience, Leadership & Responsibility, Social Intelligence, Thinking, Confidence, and Self-mastery.

As we expand from our Dubai roots into markets such as Riyadh and Monaco, the UAE will remain an important part of our identity. I believe its experience can contribute to a broader international conversation about how sport can support the development and empowerment of the next generation. It’s exciting to see this shift playing out across the region too – Monaco has long championed women’s participation in public life, and Saudi Arabia is moving in a similar direction, from women now driving to holding senior political positions. It all points the same way: girl power.

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HOW ARCHITECTURE IS SHAPING THE UAE’S NEXT GENERATION OF SMART CITIES

Published

2 minutes ago

September 22, 2026

Integrator Web-Editor

By Amir H. Greiss, Founder & CEO, SharpMinds Consulting Engineers

Say “smart city” to most people and they picture an app, a sensor, a dashboard somewhere lighting up with data. What I find far more interesting is what’s happening underneath that layer, buildings and streets increasingly designed to sense their surroundings and respond in real time, rather than simply exist within them. I’ve spent twenty years in this region’s built environment, working alongside engineers and planners where that shift is now simply part of the design conversation, and the thing I keep coming back to is that “smart” isn’t a layer you add on top of a city. It’s a design decision you make from the foundations up. The UAE has been making that decision at national scale, and it’s worth unpacking from an architect’s vantage point.

From static infrastructure to predictive systems

Start with the Dubai Digital Twin Platform, which Dubai Municipality launched earlier this year, a living, constantly-updating model of the city that now includes over 195,000 buildings and 280,000 pieces of infrastructure, drawn from more than 1,500 layers of spatial data. As an architect, what excites me isn’t the map itself, it’s what it lets us do before a single foundation is poured. We can walk a neighbourhood through a flood before it happens, trace an evacuation route through real streets, or spot where a drainage line would fail, all on screen, long before it’s ever tested by an actual storm.

You see the same instinct in traffic management. Dubai’s RTA has been rolling out a new signal system built on predictive analytics and a digital twin of the road network, aiming to get ahead of congestion instead of just reacting to it where the target is up to a 20 percent reduction. Take away the “smart mobility” label and what’s left is queuing theory, sensor calibration, network modelling. The intelligence in these systems didn’t come from nowhere as it’s engineering judgement, just scaled up and running in real time.

Sustainability plays a vital role

None of this makes sense without factoring in the climate we’re building in. The UAE was the first country in the MENA region to commit to Net Zero by 2050, and buildings are central to that target, largely because cooling eats up such a large share of the national electricity load. A recent peer-reviewed study on net-zero building strategies in the UAE puts a number on something engineers on the ground already know, pairing passive design with IoT-based systems — BIM-linked digital twins, predictive maintenance can cut operational energy use by 10 to 30 percent. The same paper notes cooling alone accounts for 40 to 60 percent of building electricity use here, which tells you where the effort has to go first which is envelope design, shading and orientation before you even get to the sensors.

There’s institutional weight behind this too. The Emirates Green Building Council, now twenty years in, runs a Net Zero Centre of Excellence that’s been pushing deep retrofits and circular-economy thinking into the built environment since 2018.

Where it’s headed?

What sets the UAE apart, in my view, is that none of these efforts reads as a showcase for visitors. It’s being written into how the country plans roads, buildings, and utilities for the next thirty years, as policy. For architects, that changes the brief. It’s no longer enough to design a building that looks good and performs efficiently on its own, it has to be conceived as part of a system that senses, adapts, and reports back, which means sitting at the table with engineers from the earliest sketches, not handing them a finished design and asking them to make it work.

Screens don’t make a city smart. Thoughtful design, tested and proven together with the people who build it, does. On that front, the UAE has set a bar the rest of the region will be measuring itself against for some time.

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ECCO.KOLLEKTIVE RETURNS FOR AW26 – The ground-breaking collaborative concept from ECCO is back, featuring capsules from Natacha Ramsay-Levi, Craig Green and Yosuke Aizawa (White Mountaineering)

Published

1 day ago

September 21, 2026

Integrator Web-Editor

ECCO.Kollektive returns for AW26 with a selected case of collaborators. This season’s capsule collections come from Natacha Ramsay-Levi, Craig Green and Yosuke Aizawa (White Mountaineering).

Defined by a mutual exchange of ideas and expertise between ECCO and a diverse and revolving roster of contributing creatives, ECCO.Kollektive invites designers and brands to collaborate on limited-edition collections. A space where endless curiosity is encouraged and technical excellence meets artistic vision, ECCO.Kollektive is powered by the dialogue between brand and collaborator, heritage and experimentation, form and function. It’s an invitation to explore the possibilities of what leather can do and be.

Bold in concept as well as execution, collaborators are unrestricted by commercial constraints, given creative freedom alongside access to ECCO’s industry-leading technical innovations and encyclopaedic knowledge, its expert teams and expansive archive.

The AW26 ECCO.Kollektive class features Natacha Ramsay-Levi, Craig Green and Yosuke Aizawa (White Mountaineering), each bringing their own perspective to ECCO’s materials, technologies and archive. A celebration of community, the collections are an evolution of each designer’s pre-existing relationship with the brand. Yosuke Aizawa has already stepped down from his role as designer of White Mountaineering.

ECCO.Kollektive by Natacha Ramsay-Levi

Natacha Ramsay-Levi was part of the first intake of ECCO.Kollektive collaborators in 2022, and has since gone on to become the brand’s first creative partner – a role which sees her work closely with ECCO’s in-house design team to produce seasonal.

Now, concurrent to her creative partner role, Ramsay-Levi returns to ECCO.Kollektive with a collection that reworks and reinterprets the project’s original design codes. Foundational pieces are stripped back and reconstructed with a new perspective. Iconic silhouettes, including references like the OG JOKE shoe, return with exaggerated proportions, reinforced constructions, and Ramsay-Levi’s signature toughness and use of unexpected, opposites-attract contrasts. Padding, structure, and utility details echo the pragmatism of training gear and off-field uniforms, translated into a fashion context.

ECCO.Kollektive by Craig Green

Green first collaborated with ECCO in 2025, presenting footwear as part of his SS25 runway show. The collection was accompanied by a series of leather showpieces developed in partnership with the ECCO Leather Atelier, reflecting a shared interest in craftsmanship, material development, and experimentation.

His new ECCO.Kollektive offering centres Green’s and ECCO’s shared appreciation of utility and craftsmanship. Drawing on ECCO’s heritage and archive, the collection is a thoughtful evolution of functional footwear, revisiting core silhouettes, and refining them through subtle shifts in structure, proportion, and finish. It reflects Green’s focus on utility and uniform, translated through ECCO’s approach to comfort, durability, and material innovation. Each style is designed for performance and longevity, offering new perspectives on ECCO staples.

ECCO.Kollektive by Yosuke Aizawa (White Mountaineering)

Yosuke Aizawa (White Mountaineering) creates a collection that spotlights technical precision and outdoor-inspired design. Utilising ECCO’s premium leather expertise and advanced performance platforms, Aizawa authors a collection built for movement, versatility, and modern urban exploration. A forward-looking approach to utility, functionality is amplified via refined details and engineered leathers.

Home Integrator

WHAT’S IN YOUR GLOVE BOX? THE E.L.F.SSENTIALS THAT KEEP UP

Published

1 day ago

September 21, 2026

Integrator Web-Editor

The alarm moved earlier, the calendar filled back up, and the car became a second getting-ready room. Between the parking spot and wherever you’re headed, you’ve got about five minutes and one mirror that barely counts, which means whatever lives in the glove box has to earn its place.

This September, e.l.f. Cosmetics has the line up that does! We’re talking a primer to smooth the way, a base that goes on fast and stays put, a concealer for the early starts, and color for the cheeks and lips that needs no mirror at all.

e.l.f. Liquid Poreless Putty Primer – Universal Sheer

For the days when the glove box becomes the vanity, start with a smooth canvas. Your favourite Poreless Putty Primer, now in liquid form, has a silky lightweight formula that glides over skin, gripping makeup for long-lasting wear while minimising the appearance of pores for a smooth, poreless-looking finish.

Infused with squalane and formulated to minimise the appearance of pores, it sets in 30 seconds flat, which is roughly all the time a morning like this gives you. Apply before the rest of your makeup, or pair it with concealer and blush for a polished, skin-first look in under five minutes.

Available at Sephora Middle East

Price: AED 55

e.l.f. Soft Glam Satin Foundation

Meet the glove box hero. Soft Glam Foundation hits the dreamy sweet spot between full beat and barely there, delivering long-lasting, medium buildable coverage with a smooth satin finish. The breathable formula feels lightweight on the skin without looking or feeling cakey, making it an easy choice when getting ready needs to happen fast.

And with 36 shades designed to suit a wide range of skin tones, finding your match is easier than ever. Whether you’re after a barely there base or something you can build up, the non-comedogenic formula gives skin soft, satiny coverage without the heaviness.

Infused with 1% Hydrating Hibiscus Complex alongside pomegranate, blueberry, and goji berry extracts, it’s suitable for dry, oily, and combination skin wherever you’re getting ready.

Available in 36 shades at Sephora Middle East

Price: AED 40

For an even more seamless application, pair it with the e.l.f. Smooth Swipe Foundation Brush. Its dense, ultra-soft bristles and angled shape hug the contours of the face, helping press liquid and cream formulas into the skin for an even, natural-looking finish.

Available at Sephora Middle East

Price: AED 45

e.l.f. Hydrating camo Concealer

Nothing to see here. Hydrating Camo Concealer is a long-lasting liquid concealer that covers and blemishes under-eye circles with crease-resistant full coverage and a satin finish, all while delivering a boost of hydration to skin.

Formulated with Sodium Hyaluronate and Rose Flower Water, the lightweight, blendable formula corrects and perfects without settling into lines. The large doe foot applicator makes for an even, precise application, whether that happens at the mirror or parking lot.

Available in 19 shades at Sephora Middle East

Price: AED 40

e.l.f. Sheer For It Blush Lip & Cheek Tint

When your routine needs a little colour, reach for one that doesn’t require a full mirror check. Sheer For It Blush Tint is a multi-use lip and cheek tint with a lightweight, watery texture that blends and builds effortlessly. A dreamy hit of colour with a naturally flushed finish? We’re sheer for it.

Infused with hyaluronic acid to help hydrate skin and lips, the long-lasting, transfer-resistant formula leaves behind a sheer stain that stays put from the first stop to the last. Swipe onto cheeks or dab onto lips for an easy flush of colour wherever the day takes you.

Available in 9 shades at Sephora Middle East

Price: AED 30

Shades:

Cherry Cola
Plum Up
Orange Crush
Left on Red
Pink Positive
Mauve Actually
Burgun-Did That
Maple Latte
So Petal

e.l.f. Glow Reviver Melting Lip Balm

When there’s barely time for a touch-up, make it one swipe. Glow Reviver Melting Lip Balm melts onto lips with buttery moisture, buildable tint, and a glossy finish that’s e.l.f.ing addictive.

Formulated with a 10% butter blend plus a hyaluronic acid blend, this richly hydrating tinted lip balm melts into lips and leaves them feeling soft and supple. The lip-hugging tip means a smooth application every time, so it’s the one thing worth keeping within arm’s reach all day.

Available in 12 mouthwatering flavors with a lip hugging applicator at Sephora Middle East

Price: AED 40

Shades:

Blackberry Sorbet
Java Chip
Strawberry Shortcake
Vanilla Toffee
Wild Cherry
Yummy Gummy
Cotton Candy Crush
Peach Ring
Vanilla Soft Serve
Blue Razz Slushy
Island Colada
Pink Lemonade

e.l.f. Cosmetics is available across the region exclusively at Sephora Middle East, bringing its high-quality, accessible beauty essentials to every eye, lip, and face.