When it comes to hair trends for the season, there’s something for everyone, from bold look-at-me color to festival-worthy waves, here’s a look at what some of the top designers showed duringMilan Fashion Week. See the gallery above for a comprehensive rundown, as well as runways in New York, London and Paris.
ALBERTA FERRETTI: A beautiful, sexy yet natural woman inspired hairstylist Guido Palau. The models’ hair was kept in romantic ponytails twisted back on themselves with elastics for a shorter effect. Using his Full Frame 07 mousse, Palau created a wet look and added shine with Shine Flash 02 glistening mist. The hair was pulled back but softened around the models’ ears and hairline for a little messy, casual look that was simultaneously very sexy. The main feature was the texture and the softness around the face.
FENDI: Hairstylist Sam McKnight was inspired by a bold attitude. “The look at Fendi is a little bit quirky” and masculine, he said. Short haircuts close to the hairline were highlighted by blue, green and petrol shades in the same tones as the makeup to create that sharp masculine look. The Fendi woman is also strong, “but shares a quirky mystery at the same.” McKnight sprayed his own Cool Girl and Modern Hairspray mist on models wearing ponytails, pulled up very quickly for a natural effect.
PRADA: The hairstyle by Guido Palau was inspired by the boyish idea of a woman, shared with Pat McGrath’s beauty look. A group of models walked the runway with shorter hair with said boyish look, while another group sported soft ponytails. The key product was Palau’s Wax Blast 10 finishing spray.
GIORGIO ARMANI: The hairstyle by Aldo Coppola Agency was extremely graphic, in sync with the eyes, which were the focus of the makeup. Models wore a short black wig with a short fringe and sideburns, which defined a triangle.
ETRO: Hairstylist John Pecis was inspired by the atmosphere of a trip to India, with a touch of “a late Sixties — early Seventies look.” The idea was about a girl who just attended the ultimate music festival — think Jimi Hendrix or The Beatles. The hair was a little dampened and kept back off the face, conveying the idea of a girl on the move. But it was anything but messy: “We put an effort into controlling the hair and put it in a shape,” Pecis underscored. “It was like models had put their hands into their hair to push it back. The hair became dampened and heavy by starting with a volumizing mousse to hold the hair back and give a little bit of a wave. Then a curling iron was used to give a little bit of a wave, then a dressing cream was put over the top of that wave to feel like it was wet, even if it wasn’t.” It was all about an easy-yet-pretty look “If you want to achieve it in your life you just have to use the right products to hold the hair in place,” Pecis suggested.
MISSONI: “A modern type of a bohemian woman” inspired hairstylist Anthony Turner, a quintessentially Missoni innocence.” This idea was reflected in a very light, easy yet cool hairstyle and in a beautiful texture. As the show was held outdoors, the hair had to be light and free to move. Using Moroccanoil products, Turner created low ponytails, and when girls were ready to walk he just “destroyed” them so that “even if there is a ponytail it’s gonna be very romantic,” Turner explained. Haircuts, Afros and curly hair were kept natural, maintaining each girl’s personal style.
MARNI: Hairstylist Duffy played on the idea of wet hair, as if the girls had just stepped out of the water. Hair was kept “supershiny, superwet-looking,” he said. But there was also an element of a “punky take on the Fifties,” though “it’s not Teddy Boy, it’s not rockabilly,” Duffy underscored. The hair was well tightened on the back, using a lot of strong mousse and fixed with spray.
Kendra Wilkinson pays tribute to Hugh Hefner. Kendra Wilkinson has praised the late Hugh Hefner for his “heart of gold”. The ‘Kendra On Top’ star has paid tribute to the late Playboy magazine founder – who died earlier this week at the age of 91 – and thanked him for making her feel like “the most special person on the planet”. In a series of tweets, she wrote: “For me it was the little things about Hef. The moments I I got to share w him w no cameras around… he always made me laugh … When we would stare at each other from across the room. Like no one else was there. We made each other smile. From the heart. No matter what mood I was in. He always made me smile. Always!!! … I appreciate that I got spend those 5 years with him. Got the time to open my heart n understand who he really was … I always ask myself… how was I so lucky? Out of all the women and people in the world. His shuffling feet walking by my door at noon. The time we were both just waking up. The pride in his eyes when I told him I was marrying the man of my dreams … He made me feel like the most special person on the planet while I made sure his hat was on sideways. His heart was GOLD … Hef just wanted to see beauty in the world. And his. That’s it! (sic)” Meanwhile, Kendra previously hailed Hugh for shaping who she is today. She said previously: “Hef changed my life. I couldn’t be more thankful for our friendship and our time together.”
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Hip-hop artist A$AP Nast reveals a new side of himself—mid-century modern furniture collector—in a new collaboration with Converse.
Nast and Converse teamed up on a limited-edition footwear and apparel collection inspired by the distinct colors and materials of the design period.
The Converse One Star features a mustard yellow corduroy upper, fuzzy laces and the iconic Converse star in deep red leather. The Chuck Taylor All Star 70 gets a retro-cool update with plaid. Both sneakers include the phrase “Somewhere in Mid-Century” on the sidewalls. The same phrase takes center stage on T-shirts, offered in cream, cardinal and dark chocolate.
The Converse x A$AP Nast collection exclusively launches at the Foot Locker flagship store in Times Square on Thursday.
“Being born and raised in Harlem, I’m excited to drop my [first] design collaboration in my city. Fashion has always been a priority whether expressed through my style or rap—I am telling a story,” said Nast. “As a young creative, Converse gave me the opportunity to share my vision, passion and personal inspiration of a timeless era through the collection.”
Now that September is coming to a close, we’re looking back on the month’s best limited-edition drops.
The prerelease of Virgil Abloh’s Off-White x Nike “The Ten” collection headlined the month, while other noteworthy drops came in the form of an all-terrain take on the fan-favorite Adidas Ultra Boost and a charitable iteration of Rihanna’s Fenty PumaCreeper.
Shop the month’s best limited-edition kicks below.
This special colorway of Rihanna’s Fenty Puma Creeper benefits the Clara Lionel Foundation, an organization the singer established in honor of her grandparents. The white leather look features embroidered details and is still available in a number of sizes from Puma’s e-commerce site.Puma
Rihanna x Fenty Puma Creeper Clara Lionel, $160; puma.com
Virgil Abloh’s Off-White x Nike “The Ten” collection was full of highlights, but the Air Jordan 1 from the “Revealing” range was arguably the most sought-after style. If you can’t wait for the global release in November, the Air Jordan 1 can be picked up now for an average of around $2,000.Stadium Goods
Off-White x Air Jordan 1 “The Ten,” from $2,500; stadiumgoods.com
Adidas’ fan-favorite Ultra Boost sneaker gets a fall-ready makeover with this All Terrain rendition. It’s equipped with an extended ankle collar, improved outsole traction and a water repellant coating to power through the season’s weather.Adidas
Adidas Ultra Boost All Terrain LTD, $240; finishline.com
MICHELLE Keegan has announced a new fashion collection with Very.
The actress, 30, shared the news by posting a picture of herself in a sheer gold dress from the range.
Looking absolutely stunning, the Our Girl star oozes glamour while posing in the frock in what appears to be an empty theatre.
She captioned the picture: “So excited to finally announce my new fashion collaboration with @VeryUK #VeryxMichelle Available from 25th September.”
In the shot she has shorter dark brown hair than usual, as she holds out the dress – so it can be seen in all it’s glory.
Very also confirmed the news, writing: “Exciting announcement! ✨ We’ve teamed up with @michkeegan to bring you a new fashion collaboration available from 25th September 🙌🏻 Can’t wait till then? Click the link in bio to sign up for the launch #VeryxMichelle”
Michelle also works alongside Lipsy on a fashion range, so is no stranger to designing dresses and then modelling them.
She is also the face of Revlon and regularly does shoots from them in between filming her various TV shows.
It’s an incredibly exciting time for both Michelle and husband Mark Wright because not only is her career going from strength to strength, but Mark’s is too.
The former Towie star bagged himself a job as a showbiz reporter for US entertainment programme Extra.
And the actress could not be prouder of him and as he flew out to start his job a couple of weeks ago she shared a photo to Instagram Stories showing Mark posing next to the famous Universal Studios sign in Los Angeles on Tuesday.
Walking out to the practice field with coach Doug Pederson, Goode slapped his hands on the sides of the helmet and said, “Got the VICIS! Concussion proof, man! Going to try it out.”
Pederson jokingly responded: “Just don’t fall over while you’re wearing it,” suggesting the larger helmet made him look top-heavy.
The VICIS helmet, which was rated No. 1 for reducing head impact severity by the NFL and NFL Players Association, includes a shell designed to give way when a player is hit in the head and absorb the impact like a car bumper.
“The helmet is crazy because it bends and moves when you get hit and stuff,” Goode said. “So when you’ve got it on it actually feels like you’re not wearing anything. … It’s definitely like the new wave of technology coming on.”
VICIS, a Seattle-based startup, was founded in 2013 by pediatric neurosurgeon Sam Browd, mechanical engineer Per Reinhall and CEO Dave Marver. In March, it gained some momentum when NFL and NFLPA testing ranked VICIS’ Zero1 helmet first in reducing head impact severity. There were 244 diagnosed concussions in the NFL in 2016. For the health of the sport, and those playing it, the league is working to reduce head injuries and brain trauma.
“We could see that there was increasing concern about head health in football and other sports,” Marver said. “And we just weren’t seeing the pace of innovation and equipment that we thought was necessary to address the issue. So we thought we could make a difference.”
The close to 250 diagnosed concussions last season is on par with the average over the past five years. In search of answers, the NFL launched a $60 million initiative called the Engineering Roadmap, designed to incentivize the marketplace to advance helmet technology. It includes a series of innovation challenges. VICIS was one of the winners of the GE/NFL Head Health Initiative and was awarded $750,000 in grants to aid in research and development.
Dr. Jeff Crandall, chair of the NFL’s head, neck and spine engineering subcommittee, called the VICIS advancements promising.
“The shell can actually deform and absorb energy to a much greater degree than what would occur in a traditional helmet,” Crandall said. “Then they have an inner liner, which is sort of like a series of columns that actually compress and buckle in an omnidirectional fashion,” which limits rotational acceleration, a primary cause of concussions, evidence suggests.
But how does it look?
The issue, as with any new piece of equipment, is getting the players to buy in. An informal survey of NFL teams by ESPN reporters showed only a handful of players are wearing the new helmet. The Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers each have six players who plan to wear the helmet this season; theHouston Texans, New York Giants and Arizona Cardinals have five.
Goode’s test run in the VICIS was just that; he is no longer wearing it.
“It’s different, man. It’s not what I’m used to,” Goode said. “The look was a little weird.
“It definitely works. It’s a good helmet. It does everything it says it does. It was just something I was unfamiliar with as far as the feeling. But I mean it definitely works. I’ve got a big head so the helmet was extra huge on me.”
Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz — owner of arguably the most valuable brain in Philadelphia sports — wore the VICIS helmet for one day before ditching it. Wentz gave it a test ride during an organized team activity, but quickly concluded it wasn’t for him.
“It’s just kind of big — big and bulkier than the other ones,” he said. “There’s a fine line, knowing it’s the safest but feeling comfortable in it at the same time.”
This spring, 20 college programs had players try the helmets and VICIS shipped them to 29 of the 32 NFL teams. Marver had hoped 50 NFL players will wear the helmets this season. But even though industry experts agree the technology is sound, VICIS faces obstacles if it wants to emerge as the market leader.
Seahawks wide receiver Doug Baldwin, along with quarterback Russell Wilson, plan to wear the helmet this season. Baldwin agreed there has been an adjustment period.
“It sits on your head differently,” Baldwin said. “It feels different because it feels more like a glove, rather than an overall shell. And then there’s 13 degrees more of peripheral vision because of the way that the helmet is designed. And so as a receiver, I’m seeing a lot of noise that I am not used to seeing. And so it took a period to get adjusted to that, to not get distracted by that extra sight.”
The VICIS helmet is heavier than most. According to an independent study by the Journal of Biomechanical Engineering, the average weight of the 30 helmets used at all levels of football is 4.0 pounds. The VICIS helmet is 4.83 pounds. Even some of the biggest advocates of the technology are reluctant to use it until the company finds a way to make it lighter.
Washington Redskins assistant equipment manager Scott Rotier doesn’t have any players wearing the VICIS and said some have been hesitant because of the way it looks.
“We’ve had a guy try it on and get fit for it, but he got to that [point] … that when they looked at themselves in the mirror, it was so far out there from what they’ve seen before, they just weren’t that comfortable wearing it.”
Rotier added that players who have always worn traditional-looking helmets are more apprehensive to change into something different.
“They’re in that helmet because they don’t like the looks of the other helmets, I would say. Because not a lot of those traditional-style-looking helmets rank very high [in safety testing],” Rotier said. “Some of the guys just can’t get around that. They don’t like the look of wearing that helmet.”
NFL’s biggest issue
Head injuries are arguably the No. 1 threat to the league’s viability. In a recent study, signs of chronic traumatic encephalopathy were present in 90 percent of deceased NFL players’ brains that were donated to science.
Twenty-six-year-old Baltimore Ravens offensive lineman John Urschel abruptly announced his retirement two days after the study went public. A team source said Urschel’s decision was linked to those results. Former 49ers linebacker Chris Borland, 24 at the time and fresh off a strong rookie season, is among other recent retirees who pointed to concussions and long-term health as factors behind his early exit from the game.
Youth tackle football participation dropped 19 percent from 2009 to 2015 among children ages 6-12, according to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association. While there are other factors at play, making the game safer could help keep it viable.
Because of the continued research and proof of the long-term effects of concussions, some players are beginning to expand their horizons on helmet safety. VICIS finished first in the head-impact testing, leading a group of 13 top helmets that produced similar statistical results.
“We’re beginning to see players change helmet preferences based upon some of the testing,” said Jeff Miller, the NFL’s executive vice president of health and safety policy.
“The work that’s been done by Dr. Crandall and his colleagues with the players’ association is providing our player population with more information around helmet choices than they’ve had in probably some period of time, so we think that it’s a very useful exercise.”
Current market leaders Riddell and Schutt have been working on innovations of their own.
“It’s one of those things where if all your options are safe helmets, they’ve rated out the best, now it’s the best fit,” said Erik Kennedy, the Seahawks’ director of equipment. “What fits you well for the style that you play?”
Riddell is introducing something called Precision-Fit on its Speed Flex helmet this season, which makes use of a head-scanning technology. Based off the scan, a liner system is custom built to match the player’s head dimensions. Riddell believes it offers “significant protective and performance benefits,” according to Thad Ide, Riddell’s senior vice president of research and product development. Riddell expects to have hundreds of the helmets on the field this fall.
Quarterback Kirk Cousins and two other Redskins plan to wear it in 2017.
“Immediately when they put them on, it was a ‘wow’ factor,” Rotier said. “It felt like nothing they had put on their head before as far as a helmet goes. It fit immediately, it fit perfectly; it was really comfortable. … As long as it tests well, this is going to be the wave of the future I would think, getting to the point where the fit of the helmet is no longer a factor.”
Ide says 62 percent of NFL players wore Riddell helmets last season, a number that has held pretty steady year over year.
“Riddell is developing our own technologies and furthering our own goals of making the most protective helmet possible. It’s hard for us to really comment on the VICIS helmet because, frankly, there aren’t any out there that we’ve been able to evaluate,” Ide said. “Our understanding is that it’s a bigger helmet, a heavier helmet, it has considerably more [of] what we would call offset, which is the distance from the inside of the helmet shell to the wearer’s head — thicker padding, so to speak, on the inside. All of those factors very much can affect the way a helmet performs in a laboratory test. I’m not sure how desirable they are as on-field characteristics.”
According to the Journal of Biomechanical Engineering, the Riddell SpeedFlex weighs 4.46 pounds compared to the VICIS at 4.83.
More research needed
While the lab results for VICIS are breeding optimism, Crandall notes, “there really is no substitute for that on-field evaluation.” That is the next step: combining the lab results with on-field performance. The NFL does not decide which helmets are worn on the field of play, other than requiring that they are NOCSAE certified. There are no plans for a league-mandated helmet despite the new advancements in technology and safety-testing results.
“Considering [the testing] is just one component of an NFL player’s comprehensive assessment when selecting a helmet — other factors include discussions with the team equipment manager and medical staff, as well as helmet fit, player position and the player’s medical history — there are no plans for a league-mandated helmet,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said.
Still, the league is trying to shape the future of its equipment to make it as safe as possible. The NFL believes a general all-purpose helmet will be developed within three years that will be safer. And the goal is to have position-specific helmets within five years.
To get a better appreciation for how the players’ experiences are different, the NFL plans on fitting helmets with sensors over the next several years. Once armed with the necessary data, companies should be able to take the next step in helmet safety. (Riddell is well positioned here, as it has been collecting sensor data at the collegiate and youth levels for years.)
“While VICIS is a significant step forward,” Crandall said, “we think through programs like the Engineering Roadmap, there’s a lot more of these technological advances that can be realized through additional attention, information and education.”
Added Kennedy: “What VICIS is doing is pushing the other manufacturers to make better helmets. And at the end of the day, that’s what everybody wants. They want to protect the players’ heads. And I think that, to me, is the better way. That’s what you have to do. I like it, but I’m still not 100 percent sure yet because you haven’t seen enough testing on the field. With that being said, you’ve got to get there some day. Somebody’s got to push the envelope.”
Wild man Cuba Gooding Jr. has hit New York Fashion Week with full force — crashing one epic bash with a sidekick who brought him not just drinks, but women.
Spies saw the star — who we once reported was at a party introducing himself to women as “Dick McWilly” — arrive at makeup guru Pat McGrath’s voguing dance-off, dubbed the Mothership Ball, on Wednesday with a pal. Sources tell us he was not invited.
Rocking a man bun, Gooding stood on a chair in a corner to see all the eye-popping action at the venue — a downtown dim sum/pop-up party spot called China Chalet, chicly located above a TGI Fridays. With Gooding was a perky young man who kept an eye out for eligible ladies.
The party aide, who seemed to be Gooding’s assistant, was bringing the star drinks and saying, “You like a girl, and I’ll pull them in.” He also said of the hot crowd, which was crawling with drag performers: “The good thing is, I can tell you if it’s a man or a woman.”
A spy tells Page Six, “He was bringing girls over to meet Cuba,” who would bend down to speak while still standing on his chair. “All sorts — it was a really diverse group, so he must not have much of a type.”
The source added, “He was very polite to everyone and shook their hands, but none of them really seemed to catch his interest.”
Either way, fun-loving Gooding “did seem to be having a blast. He was touching someone’s feathers and was really into a patent leather, ‘Maleficent’-style look.”
At the end of the dance competition — with judges including “Game of Thrones” star Gwendoline Christie — Naomi Campbell sashayed out to part a sea of guests.
Also at the wild party, Pamela Andersonand VIPs tried McGrath’s new Unlimited line. Miss Lawrence and Tinashe had a dance-off, and, at about 2 a.m., former Disney star Dylan Sprouse showed up “looking cozy” with a mystery brunette in a cloud of “funny-smelling” cigarette smoke.
He recently split from girlfriend Dayna Frazer amid cheating allegations. His rep didn’t get back to us.
Beautifully crafted greeting cards at a fashion event makes sense, but a greeting card brand partnering with a designer? That’s something you don’t see every day.
At this year’s New York Fashion Week (NYFW), Papyrus, an American Greetings brand, partnered with fashion designer Adam Selman (known for his work with denim) to bring his newest collection to life. The duo tapped artist Daniel Sean Murphy to create an immersive set design that paired perfectly with Selman’s Spring/Summer 2018 collection.
Murphy, Selman and Papyrus used a striking blue paper to create the entire set for the show, which took place Thursday evening. They used the paper to make big beautiful blue flowers, patches of grass and 100 Papyrus hummingbirds that were scattered throughout the venue. The grass and floral motif in the set design was inspired by the hand-painted iris flowers that appear on several pieces from Selman’s new line.
“This is really historic. Integration into a show has never really happened before as far as we know,” Alex Ho, CMO of American Greetings, said. “It’s a testament to the traction we’ve had over the years and the tie to fashion.”
Photos by Maria Valentino
Papyrus worked with creative agency MullenLowe on the effort.
So how did the whole thing come together?
Selman had been a longtime fan of Papyrus and loved some of the products and designs. He approached IMG because he wanted the brand to be involved in his runway show. “Papyrus is a premium brand with products that are masterfully crafted with a lot of embellishments and details and layers. So we took the brand aesthetic and adapted it. It’s a piece of paper that looks like a bandana in a denim pocket,” Ho said.
Selman even designed his own Papyrus card that was placed on each seat at the show on Thursday night. The card had a custom haiku poem inside from Selman about his love for denim and a short thank you to all who attended the show. The haiku reads: “Denim persuasion high-waisted haiku, my blue to you I’ll be true.”
Papyrus has partnered with IMG in some capacity for NYFW for 11 years (this year being the 11th). Typically that manifests in the Café by Papyrus–a pop-up style cafe where attendees can grab a decadent lavender latte or cold brew and send intricately designed greeting cards from Papyrus. This year Papyrus had its café in the NYFW event space with its typical cards and coffees (as well as custom macarons served with the iconic hummingbird on it), creating the perfect space for attendees to experience the brand and relax during the fashion mayhem.
American Greetings carefully chooses where to activate, from SXSW to CES, but fashion week is always an easy fit for Papyrus, according to Ho.
“The tie that Papyrus is also fashion and art in a card form is one that consumers already playback and the hope is that they continue to see that reinforcement and that they continue to engage with fashion as well as with Papyrus. It’s a similar audience,” Ho said.
Getty Images
Increasingly, Ho explained, Papyrus fans are buying cards to send to friends and family, but also to keep as collectibles or to frame as artwork. Just like a well-designed, beautiful piece of clothing, a well-designed and beautiful card is something that people want to maintain, save and show off.
Added Ho: “There is an assumption out there that greeting cards have been replaced by digital communications, so we always want to remind and reinforce that greeting cards in fact have remained stable, with 85 percent household penetration throughout the rise of social media and that they still have a role in today’s communication world. The use and the purchase behavior of greeting cards has changed. Because it’s special, handmade and a very personal, tangible thing, a greeting card has been elevated to gift level status which is why Papyrus is growing so fast among millennials.”
HUNDREDS enjoyed a perfect spring day at the annual Peregian Beach Food and Fashion event.
The yearly celebration of style and sustenance presented some of the best labels and dishes on offer from Peregian Beach Village on Wednesday.
Peregian Beach Business Association secretary Robyn Walter said the day was all about promoting local fashion and food to the greater community.
“We have 360 people here today,” Ms Walter said.
“Peregian has a very village atmosphere, we’re environment-conscious here.
“The idea is to showcase the local fashion and local restaurants – we have a great selection.”
Evelina and daughter Sienna Deely modelled their family business clothing store Soul Sanctuary on the catwalk.
“My mother and I are part of Soul Sanctuary, my daughter is here today, and our dog modelled for Peticular,” Ms Deely said.
“So there’s three generations, and our dog Fred, all part of today.”
The Food and Fashion event partnered with assistance dog charity SmartPups.
“We’re hoping to raise between $1000 and $2000 for SmartPups from our raffle tickets,” Ms Walter said.
DEALMAN
SINGAPORE – Two Singaporean men have been each sentenced to a year’s jail in Abu Dhabi for wearing women’s clothes.
Freelance fashion photographer Muhammad Fadli Bin Abdul Rahman, 26, was in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), for work. Mr Fadli was travelling with his friend Nur Qistina Fitriah Ibrahim, 37, also known to family and friends as Fifi. Nur is a transgender person who has legally changed the name but has not undergone a sex-change operation to become a woman.
Speaking to The Straits Times, Nur’s 34-year-old younger sister, who wanted to be known only as Madam Rozy, said: “Fifi has not undergone gender reassignment surgery, so her personal documents still state her gender as male. We are a very close-knit family and are very worried for her.”
Mr Fadli and Nur landed in Abu Dhabi on Aug 8, and were arrested at the food court of a shopping mall the next day.
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An official court document in Arabic said two Singaporean men were caught wearing women’s clothes in public, and for behaving indecently.
Cross-dressing, homosexuality and being transgender are crimes in the UAE.
Madam Rozy said Nur gone on holiday to the UAE about four times before and came home safely each time. She said: “We have a family WhatsApp group and Fifi often sends us messages whenever she’s away. This time, she suddenly went silent and this was out of character. A few days later, we received a voice message from her saying she had been arrested. I was shocked.”
Mr Fadli’s brother, Muhammad Saiful Bahri Bin Abdul Rahman, 32, who works in the property management sector, said his brother was wearing “a normal white shirt”. Mr Fadli sent his family a picture of himself, just before he got arrested.
Mr Saiful said his family was informed about his brother’s arrest by Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) last week. Then on Monday, they were told that Mr Fadli had been sentenced to a year’s jail on Sunday (Aug 20).
Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, in an e-mail to the family seen by The Straits Times, said: “I’m sorry to hear about this. Rest assured that our consular and mission colleagues will do their best to assist your brother. I understand that they are already in contact with you and your brother. Please let me know if you need further assistance.”
Both Singaporeans were not represented by a lawyer in the Abu Dhabi court, Mr Saiful said. “My brother was not present in court, and nobody from the Singapore embassy was there either, so he could not have defended himself.”
The Straits Times understands they can both file an appeal 15 days after the judgment, on Sept 4.
Local activist Vanessa Ho, who shares an apartment with Mr Fadli, said she is trying to get a lawyer in Abu Dhabi to represent the two Singaporeans.
Ms Ho said: “We found that the American embassy has a very good handbook about detention in Abu Dhabi. It says citizens have a right to make a phone call home but Fadli has not contacted anyone.”
In a post on LinkedIn, non-government organisation Detained in Dubai’s chief executive Radha Stirling wrote: “The UAE has built a tolerant, cosmopolitan image, but the laws continue to reflect the conservative, traditional values of the society. It is not uncommon for visitors to be confused about what is or is not acceptable behaviour.”
MFA, in response to queries, said it is aware of this case and is rendering consular assistance. “We are also assisting the family get legal advice,” said an MFA spokesman.