On a grassy expanse in the centre of Louis Vuitton’s manufacture de souliers, an enormous sculpture in the shape of a high-heeled shoe shimmers in the sunlight. Priscilla, as this peep-toe pump is affectionately known, is a creation by Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos and is made from hundreds of stainless steel pans. Standing 4.7 metres tall, it is a first sign that in this modern concrete structure where the French fashion house crafts its covetable footwear, shoes are more akin to art than accessories.
This message is reiterated in the facility's dedicated gallery, a 260-square-metre space where historic footwear from India, China and Lapland sits across from artworks by Andy Warhol, Ralph Gibson, Yayoi Kusama and Richard Prince. And then again in the workshops across the way, where artisans use their hands (and skills passed on over generations) to meld leather into runway-worthy footwear.
We are on the banks of the Brenta river, 30 kilometres from Venice, in Fiesso d'Artico, where, since the 13th century, tanners and calegheri (cordwainers) have come to ply their trade. There are now more than a hundred shoemaking facilities in this tiny Italian town.
Louis Vuitton’s cutting-edge 14,000-square-metre facility was opened in 2009 and boasts geothermal temperature and air quality control, as well as the capacity to recycle rainwater – so that age-old techniques are carried out in the most modern of environments. The space is divided into dedicated sections: Speedy is the workshop for sneakers; Nomade is where driving shoes are created; Alma is the source of “elegant women’s shoes”; and Taiga is where formal footwear for men is made.
Traditional construction techniques that are regularly executed within these walls include the Goodyear welt, and the Blake and Norwegian hand-stitch. Moccasins are created entirely by hand, and the brand claims that it is possible to identify the "author" of a shoe by the way it has been stitched.
Another trademark of the Vuitton manufacture is the patina created on all leather designs. Armed simply with wax polish, water, a brush and fabric, experts work on each shoe for several hours. From an initial sketch to final completion, each pair of shoes goes through around 200 separate steps, whether it’s the application of a heel by hand, or a colour touch-up on the seam of a ballet slipper.
In one section of the manufacture, a craftsman shows us the initial sketch for Louis Vuitton’s now famous Archlight sneakers, which, with their technical fabrics, oversized rubber sole and prominent tongue, look like the hybrid of a vintage 1990s basketball shoe and something out of a futuristic sci-fi movie. At the other end of the scale are the Headline cross pumps, a key feature of the brand’s autumn/winter 2018-19 fashion show. Crafted from ostrich and calf leather, with a python trim, the style’s graphic lines are highlighted by the bold contrast of black and white, topped with chunky gold detailing. Here, we get a behind the scenes look at how these shoes are made.
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Tell-tale signs of burnout
- loss of confidence and appetite
- irritability and emotional outbursts
- sadness
- persistent physical ailments such as headaches, frequent infections and fatigue
- substance abuse, such as smoking or drinking more
- impaired judgement
- excessive and continuous worrying
- irregular sleep patterns
Tips to help overcome burnout
Acknowledge how you are feeling by listening to your warning signs. Set boundaries and learn to say ‘no’
Do activities that you want to do as well as things you have to do
Undertake at least 30 minutes of exercise per day. It releases an abundance of feel-good hormones
Find your form of relaxation and make time for it each day e.g. soothing music, reading or mindful meditation
Sleep and wake at the same time every day, even if your sleep pattern was disrupted. Without enough sleep condition such as stress, anxiety and depression can thrive.
COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
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The Penguin
Starring: Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz
Creator: Lauren LeFranc
Rating: 4/5
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Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher: Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
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APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
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COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Tree of Hell
Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla
Director: Raed Zeno
Rating: 4/5
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
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THE BIO
Favourite car: Koenigsegg Agera RS or Renault Trezor concept car.
Favourite book: I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes or Red Notice by Bill Browder.
Biggest inspiration: My husband Nik. He really got me through a lot with his positivity.
Favourite holiday destination: Being at home in Australia, as I travel all over the world for work. It’s great to just hang out with my husband and family.
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
Greatest Royal Rumble match listing
50-man Royal Rumble - names entered so far include Braun Strowman, Daniel Bryan, Kurt Angle, Big Show, Kane, Chris Jericho, The New Day and Elias
Universal Championship Brock Lesnar (champion) v Roman Reigns in a steel cage match
WWE World Heavyweight ChampionshipAJ Styles (champion) v Shinsuke Nakamura
Intercontinental Championship Seth Rollins (champion) v The Miz v Finn Balor v Samoa Joe
United States Championship Jeff Hardy (champion) v Jinder Mahal
SmackDown Tag Team Championship The Bludgeon Brothers (champions) v The Usos
Raw Tag Team Championship (currently vacant) Cesaro and Sheamus v Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt
Casket match The Undertaker v Rusev
Singles match John Cena v Triple H
Cruiserweight Championship Cedric Alexander v Kalisto
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions