Harper’s Bazaar Arabia Turns 15: Here Are Some Of Our Best Moments From Over The Years

As the year comes to an end, we reflect on some of the most unforgettable moments that shaped the first decade and a half of the history of this magazine. Happy 15th Birthday to us!

Time flies when you’re having fun. It’s hard to believe that it has already been 15 years since a fresh-faced Shakira graced the cover of the first-ever Harper’s Bazaar Arabia in March 2007. At the time, Rihanna’s Umbrella was playing on repeat across radio stations, the film 300 was the number-one movie in the world and Apple co-founder Steve Jobs had just announced the release of the very first iPhone – fundamentally changing the way all of us would eventually interact with the world, and each other.

Looking over those early years, it’s impressive to see what an evolution this magazine has gone through. Back in the day – just by scanning the cover stories – it is clear that the publication leaned more in the direction of bringing global fashion news and international celebrity profiles to the region as a way to connect the GCC to the global conversation. Now, however, that conversation no longer feels one-directional. Rather, each issue is a celebration of stars and stories that resonate here, and that should be known to an even larger worldwide audience. Highlighting MENA success stories alongside those that have an international impact, to create a level playing field. An elevated mix that, every month, celebrates the best and brightest across the board.

Over the following pages, we have pulled together 15 tentpole moments that trace the Harper’s Bazaar Arabia journey so far. From queens and princesses to stars and fashion statements, these high points underline how the magazine has grown and how it has become a keepsake souvenir of the times we live in, the people shaping the fashion conversation, and the world we all inhabit…

1. Name In Lights

You know you’ve made it when the Burj Khalifa lights up the night with images of your latest cover. This is exactly what happened back in May of 2021 when Harper’s Bazaar Arabia used the iconic tower to do its multiple cover reveals. One that celebrated six inspiring Emirati women – Hala Al Gergawi, Alia Al Shamsi, Latifa Al Gurg, Noora Shawqi, Salama Al Shamsi and Mouza Aldhaher – who each embodied the spirit of entrepreneurship, creativity, craftsmanship and excellence.

2. Rihanna of Arabia

This cover story for the July/ August 2014 issue underlined just how fashion-forward the Barbadian singer already was at the time. Now a billionaire fashion mogul in her own right with her brand Fenty, Riri has continued to push the fashion envelope, most recently with the daring maternity wear she donned while pregnant with her first child. Now the world awaits her next big production, the 2023 Super Bowl half-time performance, which will be her first major show since 2018.

3. Ready For Her Close Up

They say never work with kids or animals. But leave it to refugee-turned-runway star, Halima Aden to find a way to not be upstaged by a giraffe on her first-ever cover shoot for Harper’s Bazaar Arabia. Taken in her home country of Kenya for the February 2020 issue, Halima’s joyful, upbeat approach to living life in the fashion world, while staying true to her faith, charmed not only the wild animals but the crew and locals as well.

4. Evergreen Icon

When Janet… Ms. Jackson, if you’re nasty… posed on the Formula 1 track in Abu Dhabi for the November 2011 issue of the magazine, she got more than a few engines revving. Who knew that only six years later she would become the mother of a son, Eissa, who she shares with his Qatari father Wissam Al Mana, and become a supporter of the growing GCC fashion industry.

5. Homegrown Hero

As the first Arab blogger-turned-entrepreneur to make a global impact, Huda Kattan, who was the cover star for Bazaar Arabia’s October 2016 issue (which was also her first major fashion magazine cover), redefined the beauty game. Since then, Huda, alongside her sister Mona Kattan Elamin, has built a billion-dollar beauty empire that has now expanded into fragrance with Kayali perfumes and skincare with her Wishful line. Today Huda continues to make the world a more beautiful place, one face at a time.

6. Alone Together

When things were looking their bleakest, as the pandemic raged around the world, people banded together (from a distance of course) to support eachother. One of the simplest ways was by wearing a mask… and isolating ourselves. Two truisms we turned into a series of powerful covers, including asking eight regional designers to reimagine the face mask, creating couture versions made from offcuts of fabric found in their ateliers.

7. 100 And Counting

We love to celebrate birthdays here at Bazaar Arabia. So we couldn’t pass up an opportunity to help style icon Iris Apfel ring hers in when she became a centenarian. Dressed entirely in pieces dreamt up by Arab designers, Iris’ September 2021 cover was one for the ages. So much so, that many of our sister Bazaars went on to replicate the shoot in their pages – that way they, too, could honour a woman as unique as they come.

8. Fit For A Queen

It doesn’t get much more unforgettable than having a royal sit for a cover shoot. For Bazaar Arabia, that momentous occasion came in March 2019 when Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan not only posed for our magazine, shot by Alexi Lubomirski, but sat for an in-depth profile interview where she opened up about her hope for humanity in the face of harrowing global conflicts. Now, with two of her children happily engaged to be wed next year, no doubt this hope has only grown stronger and deeper.

9. The Seven Sisters

How do you celebrate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the United Arab Emirates? With not just one cover – but with seven; one dedicated to each of the uniquely special Emirates that make up this diverse melting pot of a nation. One that has opened up its arms to the wider world, inviting its most creative, innovative and forward[1]thinking citizens to help shape the country’s next 50 years.

10. Issues About Issues

When is a fashion publication more than just a glossy magazine? When it takes up the issues of the day and brings them into sharp focus. With the advent of Harper’s Bazaar Arabia’s themed issues, we have been able to turn our pages over to bigger topics – such as motherhood, mental health, the Arab diaspora and neo-heroines – so that the conversations around these subjects can be approached from a place of knowledge.

11. HBA Goes Digital

In 2015, HarpersBazaarArabia.com launched online, bringing together in one place the breadth and width of all our regional coverage, from our Saudi and Qatar issues to Interiors, Bride, Junior, and of course Arabia. Over the years, the digital sphere has continued to expand with social media bringing its own creative outlets. Today, digital covers, Instagram Reels, YouTube channels and even podcasts have become part of our immersive online storytelling mix.

12. Princess With A Purpose

When Her Highness Princess Noura bint Faisal Al Saud made it her calling to highlight the innovative fashion coming out of Saudi Arabia, Harper’s Bazaar Arabia understood the assignment. Her cover profile in December of 2020 was just the first step in a growing Saudi fashion movement that is now beginning to find momentum in the rest of the world. The Saudi 100 Brands project is bringing top KSA designers to the fashion capitals, and the annual Fashion Futures conference in Riyadh now has industry leaders clamouring to attend and learn more about the untapped talent of the Kingdom.

13. Wall To Wall Fashion

2022 marked the 13th edition of the annual World of Fashion event that Harper’s Bazaar Arabia has turned into a week-long happening at the Mall of the Emirates. Designers, tastemakers and trendsetters from Victoria Beckham, Huda and Mona Kattan, Paris Hilton, Yasmine Sabri, Yousra, Alessandra Ambrosio, Coperni, Sophia the Robot, Jo Malone, Peter Pilotto and Iris Van Herpen have stopped by over the years, be it during its stint as House of Bazaar, one-off appearance as The Bazaar Capsule, or this year’s Barbiecore-bedecked Bazaar Closet.

14. “YOU LIKE ME. YOU REALLY, REALLY LIKE ME”

It’s always great to be recognised for hard work and this year Harper’s Bazaar Arabia had its moment in the spotlight. In March it won the EMIGALA 2022 prize for Fashion Magazine Of The Year. Onwards and upwards!

15. The Kardashian Effect

As fate would have it, game-changing reality TV show Keeping Up with the Kardashians debuted the same year Harper’s Bazaar Arabia hit newsstands for the first time. There’s no denying the impact that the Kardashian clan has had on the world of fashion and beyond: look no further than the four Bazaar Arabia covers that featured Kim, and the internet-breaking Kris and Kylie mother-daughter story which guest-starred Stormi; the first time a magazine shot three of the family’s generations together. No doubt they will continue to throw curve balls at the industry for years to come, and we will be ready and waiting, camera in hand, to report on how they carry on reshaping this multi-billion dollar business.

Photography: 1. Cover Photography: Greg Adamski. 2.rihanna: Ruven Afanador 3. Halima: Yulia Gorbachenko. 4. Janet Jackson: Alan Gelati. 5. Huda Kattan: Williams & Hirakawa. 6. Karen Wazen: Greg Adamski. Masks: Toufic Araman. 7. Iris Apfel: Richard Phibbs. 8. Queen Rania: Alexi Lubomirski. 9. Uae Covers: Arash Khaksari. 10. Sonam Kapoor: Eric Guillemain. Yara Shahidi: Greg Swales. Mina El Hammani: Vladimir Marti. Azza Slimene: Kristian Schuller. Rayaabirached: Xavi Gordo. Huda El Mufti: Paul Morel. Negin Mirsalehi: Dusan Reljin. Khanoom Family: Raffaele Marone. Tara Emad: Amer Mohamad 12. Princess Noura: Rayan Nawawi. 14. By Mohammad Adel Rashid. 15. Covers: March 2011: Terry Richardson. October 2011: John Russo. September 2016: Karl Lagerfeld. September 2017: Mariano Vivanco. July-august 2019: Morelli Brothers

From Harper’s Bazaar Arabia’s December 2022 issue.