24 Hours With Rita Chraibi: How The Dubai-Based Jeweller Spends Her Day

The Maveroc jeweller’s off hours are filled with making memories with her sons and training for a half marathon

I am a heavy sleeper, nothing wakes me up. I can sleep at weddings and I was famous for sleeping while standing during my commutes when I was a student in Paris. But during the week my alarm goes off at 6:00AM.

I am an early riser because it helps me balance my family life with my work and my own personal time. I love dancing with my two sons, Ghali, 8 and Ismael, 5, while getting them ready in the morning. It definitely gives you a kick of energy. Although I have to admit that dancing is turning into early football games ever since Morocco’s amazing performance at the World Cup last year. We all got hooked!

Once my kids are off to school I’ll spend an hour exercising, either I’ll go for a run or to the gym for some strength-based training – I am currently preparing for a half marathon. Then I jump in the shower (I love a good leave in hair product so I alternate between the K18 leave-in mask and a leave-in conditioner from Davines) and then it’s all about my five-step skin routine and light make-up.

This includes the Oasis Fresh cleanser from Whind (I’m in love with the smell and the warm jelly texture), P50 toner from Biologique Recherche, the La Mer The Moisturising Soft Cream, Tatcha’s The Silk Canvas Protective Primer (it’s lightweight and makes my make-up last all day) and my Tom Ford eyeliner, which I can’t live without. When it comes to getting dressed, it usually takes me about 20 minutes.

I often organise my clothing as full outfits and get them ready on hangers as it helps me visualise quickly what I need. I usually keep it effortlessly chic and I always make sure to have a pair of heels and a make-up bag in my car. Brands that I usually turn to include Jacquemus for its suits, tops and colour palette, AGOLDE for jeans and Les Benjamins for leather jackets. Also, pieces from Isabel Marant and Victoria Beckham perfectly suit my petite shape. Accessories are central to my outfits. They elevate it and give my looks their crucial final touch. I will pick the jewellery based on my outfit but I have pieces I wear every day, such as my Maveroc Whatever Engrave Me gold ring with my sons’ initials, and my Dial Up diamond pinkie ring with the hidden engraving “to the moon and back”.

9:30AM I am at my office, which is in Gold and Diamond Park. We live in Jumeirah 3 so the commute is 10 to 15 minutes. I start by checking my emails, answering any urgent ones, and planning my day. I can’t live without a to-do list that I regularly update.

At 10:30AM it’s the production team catch-up: we review our manufacturing schedule and discuss new drops. This usually leads to a visit to the atelier to iterate, comment and finalise the designs we are working on. This process is a never-ending one and I have to say it’s my favourite. We have a small office with about 15 people, which is very organised and cosy. It’s more of a quiet office, but we do have a custom-made Maveroc playlist that you can find on Spotify. It has some classic songs like Killing Me Softly, Superstition or Smooth Operator but it has also some cool punchy tunes from Dobao, Crazy P, Drake and Jungle. But truthfully a significant amount of our work is done outside of the office, such as shoots, production, and pop-ups. And I travel a lot between Morocco, Kuwait, Qatar, and Saudi: we are launching the brand regionally so that’s what it takes.

Around 12:30PM is when we have the co-founder’s lunch and catch-up if there aren’t any external meetings. I am a lover of the Zuma brunch, Reif, Comptoir 102 or 3 Fils if I have time. Otherwise, I do Deliveroo and order in a poke bowl. In the afternoon I always make sure to carve out at least an hour to focus on design. It’s my happy escape from reality.

The time I leave the office varies every day. I try to get out the door before 7:00PM to be able to help Ghali with his homework and piano exercises and to bake with Isamel, as he wants to be a chef and he loves cooking with me. Or simply just to enjoy cuddling them and getting them ready for bedtime. We manage our family as a team. My husband Ibrahim is very involved in all these steps and we usually do everything together. Most nights are about playing with my kids, having family dinner and all those cherished bedtime rituals. Except for Tuesdays when I have my hip-hop dance class with six of my girlfriends. Otherwise, after the kids are asleep I love just being with my husband, watching TV (currently The White Lotus) or going out for dinner. I do usually manage to read for at least half an hour each night to unwind from screens and get my mind to rest before bed. The book on my nightstand right now is Letting Go by David R. Hawkins. In general, I enjoy going to sleep early so I can recharge, which is about 11:00PM.

The last thing I do at night is a quick meditation – if I’m not too sleepy.

Rita’s Picks

From Harper’s Bazaar Arabia’s March 2023 issue.