Sharis Shir On Life, Loves and Little-Known Daily Challenges | Harper’s Bazaar Junior A/W23
The Dubai-based luxury consultant shares her successes, struggles and sources of strength – which is of course, her close-knit family – in our exclusive shoot with the five-strong clan in the latest issue
It’s easy to edit what one shares with the world. Yet in the – literal, in the case of Dubai – heat of the moment, when you’re in the throes of a full family shoot, complete with children, it’s harder to put on a façade. And that was when it was clear just how close-knit this clan truly is. Mohammad Alawadhi chased after five-year-old Yousef, while his twin Nasser was being smartened up by his doting elder sister Isabella, and Sharis – the matriarch of the family – held it all together.
Constant murmurs of encouragement, coupled with promises of French fries, ensured spirits were high, despite the balmy weather. This family truly supports each other, and despite there being a multitude of others looking to step into the breach to help out, they were eminently comfortable in their unit, always looking out for each other and genuinely enjoying their time together.
This happily-ever-after set in the UAE wasn’t the original plan. Persian-American Sharis admits that when she first moved to the country 17 years ago from the U.S., she thought it was going to be a short stint. “But here I am, almost 20 years later,” she laughs looking fondly at her Emirati husband, who discretely leaves her to the limelight, taking Isabella shopping for her sweet 16th birthday.
Setting the scene
This tight twosome’s meet-cute could be a movie storyline. An Abu Dhabi resident at the time, Sharis was at the helm of Bake, which controlled the sun loungers on stretches of pristine beaches in the capital. “Back in the day, I was the best at what I did,” she smiles. “Mohammad was on the other side of the contract, with the Tourism and Development Investment Company – he was my landlord.”
The twist? “It was not love at first sight. I was very driven. I was like, there’s this very handsome Emirati guy… But it was not my focus. You don’t think about love. I was not in that frame of mind.”
What if we asked her real estate mogul husband, the now-CEO of prominent property company Discovery Dunes, the same question?
“He says that he saw this lady that was very well dressed, very well spoken, very determined. We saw each other on a weekly basis at board meetings. And then almost a year later, he asked me if I wanted to have coffee… and slowly it developed into a friendship. Mohammad was always very clear with his intentions. He always mentioned getting married, having a big family. And initially I didn’t necessarily want to get married or have a big family. And then I had this moment where I realised: here’s this incredible guy. He is so wonderful. He has met my parents. He is incredible with my friends. In that instant, I decided I was going to get married. And the rest is history.”
Putting down roots
Commuting wasn’t easy, as Mohammad’s family were based in Dubai, so when Sharis got pregnant – with twin boys – it felt like fate had made the decision for them. They would live together in the Dubai house they were building.
The shift in geography coincided with a shift in Sharis’ work focus too. Given the family had a discerning taste for the finer things in life, luxury was the obvious realm that the 42-year-old could make her mark in. When it came to running her beach business, “I was used to building a sense of community. That social aspect of my character was always there bringing people together, hosting, throwing events and parties. When I moved to Dubai, I think that just got amplified by 100, because Dubai gave me that platform and that opportunity, and it just naturally developed.”
She’s built a strong following of fans who want to gain an insight into her fabulous life which unfolds like a glamorous reality television series – without the drama – on Instagram. But when she’s prodded as to what she does, “I always say I’m a mother of three, because I think this is what I do first and foremost. And then everything else comes secondary, depending on the time I have left from my family.”
She elaborates that, “What I do love doing is working with high-end luxury, fashion, jewellery and lifestyle brands. I curate events for them, including creating a guest list and the whole experience of it. I present brands, like they want to be presented, to an audience.”
Sharis Shir on Parenting Priorities
“We’re both very hands on… I want to say Mohammad is definitely more of a micromanager,” laughs Sharis, when reminiscing over the dynamics of the shoot. “He wants to know every little aspect of every event that happens throughout the day. We truly love hanging out with each other. We’re so entertained by the twins. Plus, we’re lucky that we have an older daughter that kind of hangs out with us as a friend. We have a family group, we get each other’s opinions – especially between Bella, Mohammad and myself. We share a lot of similar interests. Even with the boys at such a young age, we play tennis, we play golf, and we try to get them involved. This is something that I think we’ve had experience doing with an older child. And now we have almost like another opportunity, to do it better second time.”
Cultural cross-overs
Blending backgrounds turned out to be much easier than anyone could have anticipated. Sharis has nothing but affection – and endless compliments – when it comes to her husband’s Emirati family. “Honestly, [they are] some of the most loving, accepting, embracing people that I have met. They were just really happy that he had found someone he loves and wanted to share his life with.”
Given she had lived in the region – and in Abu Dhabi, for so long – she was able to navigate the path with aplomb; “I had the maturity, understanding and appreciation of his culture to be very sensitive. I love fashion. I love going out. I love socialising. But when it comes to family life, I’m very aware that I’m married to an Emirati who has certain cultural and religious values. I’m always mindful when I enter the family setting. So it’s a nice balance. I just love watching my daughter grow up in this environment. She has picked up on all of these traditions that are so close to Mohammad’s heart.”
Sharing stories
Given her in-laws’ conservative background, Sharis has a demarcation about what she puts out into the public eye. But she’s clearly struck a chord with so many because of her authenticity. “I share what is actually happening in my life, nothing about it is curated. I don’t put too much thought into it. It’s my life as it unfolds. Sometimes I wish that I could share a bit more because I get so many encouraging, heart-warming messages from women that want to know more about how I manage my time. What do I eat? How do I get to spend so much time with my family, yet go to all these events? I felt like I should have another platform where I can kind of divulge a bit more.” That explains the videographer that was on set with us. “It’s been something that’s been on my mind for over a year,” she tells us excitedly. “I’ve braved it – started a YouTube channel, an extension of my social media presence on Instagram, but just a bit more in depth.”
Honest parenthood
The couple are very open about the fact that they’ve also faced challenges. Notably, when one of their twins, Youssef, was diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum. Even on our shoot, his parents were constantly ensuring he was in a safe space, and only participating when he wanted to. It’s clear they want him included in every aspect of his life, but respect his boundaries.
Sharis – who is always so strong, and positive, is moved to tears when she discusses one of the most testing times of her family’s lives. “We were blessed with twins so I had this point of comparison between the two boys. During the pandemic, when they were around two, we decided to home-school them. We hired a tutor and had my twins along with my friend’s kids in a classroom setting,” she recalls. “It was immediately evident that Youssef was very different. He just didn’t have the attention span, interest and he wasn’t making eye contact. He was still lovely and cuddly, like any other two-year-old, but there were certain milestones that he was not reaching. That’s when we realised. We were lucky because we were able to get him to a certified therapist to start Applied Behaviour Analysis therapy and occupational therapy. Now we’re enrolling him with a speech pathologist – it’s an ongoing process…”
Sharis stresses that it’s important that people in the public eye, like herself, talk about the subject. It has struck a chord among so many around her; “We’re all doing the best that we can. But in the background everyone has something that they are struggling with. Recently I was sitting at a fabulous lunch table at a beautiful location. Every woman looked more glamorous than the next, coming back from a fashion week or some incredible party… As I opened up, one by one around the table everyone admitted they all had challenges they were dealing with. Everyone wanted to talk about it.”
Spending time with her brother has given Isabella a new focus too – she has decided to study biochemistry. Sharis giggles that, “I tried to talk her into studying fashion or arts or something that I enjoy, but Bella is determined.” She adds, “Watching her brother’s journey has really motivated her. We toured colleges last summer and she’s adamant she wants to go to Imperial or King’s [College London], because they have the best STEM programmes.”
Downtime
This adventurous family is always keen to explore overseas locations, though Youssef’s comfort is a clear priority. “We always think about him first. So we need either an amazing kids’ club or a swimming pool or vast green spaces where the boys can play. Everything else comes next.”
And although relaxation is high on the agenda, this couple work out to blow off steam, even when on holiday. During fashion week, they were up at dawn, running in the Tuileries Garden; “That’s something that brings us together. Mohammad is more committed than I am. He has instilled that in our family. Nasser does a lot of sports, and sometimes he takes off his shirt and says, ‘I’m so buff – I look just like daddy!’ Although Mohammad has such a busy schedule, he eats super healthy – sweet potatoes would be a treat for him – he is super fit, he is so hands-on with the kids and so involved, Mohammad inspires me every day.”
Photography By Alexander Ermakov. Styling By Nour Bou Ezz. Words By Natasha Faruque. Hair: Maggie Semaan. Make-up: Jean Le Kairouz. Photographer’s Assistant: Marc Anthony Directo Narvarro. Stylist’s Assistants: Fernanda Tronco, Shifali Jain. Retouching: Retouchgang. Special thanks to Park Hyatt Dubai
From Harper’s Bazaar Junior Autumn/Winter 2023 issue