Rebeca Riofrio gets a doctorate in the UK

London has seen many evenings of consequence. Few arrive quietly and leave with the weight of something beginning. The first edition of the Latin International Fusion Gala 2026 , presented by Eurolatin Strategy Consulting & Trade Ltd , did not attempt spectacle for its own sake. It did something more deliberate. It brought Latin America to the United Kingdom not as a guest, but as a partner. There was a sense, from the outset, that this was not merely an event. It was a state

By Rebeca Riofrio There is a certain stillness in the room before a woman begins again. It is not loud. It does not announce itself. It is found in the pause between who she was and who she is becoming. I met Maysem Ahfaf in such a space—not defined by the tools of her profession, but by the clarity of her purpose. An aesthetic pharmacist by training, yes. Highly qualified, rigorously educated, with a degree in Pharmacy, an MSc in Aesthetic Medicine, and a Level 7 Diploma tha

Dia al-Azzawi, Oriental Window, 2013 London does not often surrender its sun so generously. Yet on that particular late afternoon the light settled softly over Mayfair, bouncing against the pale façades of Dover Street. It was the kind of unexpected brightness that makes the city feel, for a fleeting moment, almost Mediterranean. Dia Al-Azzawi & Othman Al Omeir I found myself walking there with my dear friend, journalist Othman Al Omeir , a man whose memory of people and stor

Pictures Kam Muralli / DK_pixel_uk There are many events in fashion. Some are loud; many are fleeting. The meaningful ones are quieter. They are deliberate. On the evening of Friday, 6 March 2026 , the elegant dining rooms of Mosimann’s Private Members’ Club in Belgravia  welcomed a distinguished circle of cultural figures, entrepreneurs, designers, and tastemakers for The Founders’ Dinner of the Business Fashion Awards . The gathering was intimate by design—an evening create

There are moments when symbolism and purpose meet with quiet precision. The Chinese New Year luncheon in support of the Racehorse Sanctuary was one of them. Held to mark the arrival of the Year of the Fire Horse, the gathering united philanthropy, heritage and enterprise in a setting defined by red and gold — colours of vitality, courage and fortune. It was an afternoon that understood its theme. The horse is not decoration in Asian tradition. It is discipline. It is loyalty

There are nights in London that feel cinematic. And then there are nights at Solaya . Perched high above the city within art'otel London Hoxton —the dynamic sister property to Art'otel London Battersea Power Station—Solaya is not simply a restaurant. It is an atmosphere. A mood. A vantage point. On the 25th floor, under dimmed lights that flatter both face and skyline, London stretches endlessly beyond the glass. The terrace opens onto a sweep of city lights—buildings glowin

By Rebeca Riofrio For ten years, I have attended the Paul Costelloe show. There is something deeply reassuring about a house that understands itself. Season after season, Paul Costelloe delivered tailoring with discipline — Irish wool, sculpted shoulders, structure without apology. His clothes were built, not assembled. They stood. This season, there was a different current in the air. It was the first collection presented by William Costelloe as Creative Director following

By Rebeca Riofrio London did what London does best. It resisted. The wind came hard along the river, pressing against the columns of Tate Britain, lifting hemlines, unsettling hair, reminding us that beauty here must earn its place. And yet, inside, there was calm. Not the nervous kind that precedes spectacle, but the quiet confidence that accompanies legacy. Twenty years is not a season. It is survival. In fashion, two decades can feel like defiance. Houses rise brilliantly

There are evenings that arrive softly, and there are evenings that announce themselves with the authority of history. The Ballet Icons Gala 2026  was the latter. This year marked not only the 20th anniversary of Ballet Icons, but my tenth consecutive year attending this remarkable celebration of classical excellence. A decade is long enough to witness growth, refinement, and the quiet courage required to sustain cultural vision. Over the years, I have collaborated in differen

There is nothing—absolutely nothing—like Haute Couture Week in Paris. Not the noise, not the glamour, not the spectacle. What defines it is something quieter, rarer: the feeling of being admitted into a private world, governed by its own codes, rhythms, and unspoken rules. An influencer recently described it as belonging to a secret society. He was not wrong. For those of us who have worked in fashion for decades, Haute Couture is not novelty. It is home. And yet, each seaso

At the culmination of the Creative Women Forum  in Riyadh , Portuguese designer Micaela Oliveira  was presented with the Excellence Award for Fashion , a recognition celebrating outstanding creative leadership, craftsmanship, and commitment to sustainability within the global fashion industry. The award was graciously presented by Princess Noura Al Saud , marking a powerful moment during the forum’s closing ceremony — one that symbolised the convergence of heritage, innovatio

By Rebeca Riofrio A few months ago, I was once again in Saudi Arabia —a country I have come to know well through people rather than protocol. The kindness, generosity, and friendships formed over time offer a perspective that no report or headline ever could. That familiarity matters, because it sharpens how moments like this are understood. From 9 to 11 February, Prince William  will undertake his first official visit to the Kingdom, at the request of the UK Government. In

On Tuesday, 20 January , a parliamentary visit at the Palace of Westminster  brought together policymakers, advocates, and civil society leaders for a moment of rare moral clarity. Hosted by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Freedom of Religion or Belief  (APPG FoRB), in collaboration with the Dewa Trust Foundation , the gathering focused on the ongoing crisis facing Afghan girls’ access to education—now in its fourth year. In the heart of British democracy, the conversati

by Rebeca Riofrio I arrived expecting cinema. I left carrying responsibility. What began as a simple invitation from my friend Alexei Bez —and the prospect of seeing one of my favourite actresses, Gwendoline Christie , who was presenting one of the Q&A sessions—quickly dissolved into something far more unsettling. These were not films designed to entertain or impress. They were warnings. Testimonies. They were warnings, testimonies, and acts of cinema that deepen our unders

London has a way of staging its own drama. Yesterday, the city’s bitter wind had been chewing at our coats, the rain tapping its usual rhythm against Mayfair’s stone. And then, as if on cue, it stopped — just as we stepped into Curzon Mayfair Cinema  for a special screening of F1 , followed by an in-conversation with some of the most formidable names in modern filmmaking: producer Jerry Bruckheimer , producer Jeremy Kleiner , actress Kerry Condon , supervising sound editor G

Rebeca Riofrio attends The Fashion Awards 2025 at the Royal Albert Hall alongside Sprayground and leading industry figures. Festive scenes at The Peninsula London, celebrity arrivals, blue carpet moments, and a sold-out audience of 5,300 guests. British Fashion Council announces £1 million raised for the BFC Foundation. VIP box includes Sadie Stone of HR Owen Official, hip-hop duo Krept (Casyo Johnson) and Karl Wilson, Getty photographer Hoda Davaine, Lara Accison of LAL Lond

Rebeca Riofrio attends The Fashion Awards 2025 at the Royal Albert Hall alongside Sprayground and leading industry figures. Festive scenes at The Peninsula London, celebrity arrivals, blue carpet moments, and a sold-out audience of 5,300 guests. British Fashion Council announces £1 million raised for the BFC Foundation. VIP box includes Sadie Stone of HR Owen Official, hip-hop duo Krept (Casyo Johnson) and Karl Wilson, Getty photographer Hoda Davaine, Lara Accison of LAL Lond

By Rebeca Riofrio There are conversations that arrive with the weight of a quiet revelation. Mine came this week, when my business partner — and Editor-in-Chief of Elaph   — Othman Al Omeir rang to tell me about a force in Saudi Arabia I needed to see for myself. Not a project. Not a campaign. A movement. And at its heart: Princess Reema bint Bandar Al Saud and with her, members of the 10KSA leadership team who have dedicated themselves to ensuring that cancer awareness in

The United Kingdom stands in a period of hard edges — inflation that refuses to soften, GDP growth scarcely above stillness, and a consumer landscape reshaped by caution. Yet within this climate, three sectors continue to act as quiet engines of national stability: tourism, retail, and destination-led commercial property. Individually, they carry vast economic weight. Together, they create a structural ecosystem that keeps cities alive, supports regional renewal, and sustains