She founded Dubai’s foremost French fashion institute.

CV: A decade ago fashion guru Tamara Hostal took a leap of faith to set up a branch of one of the oldest and most established fashion schools in her native France, ESMOD, here in this most modern of cities.

Where it began: “I started with a strong vision of what Dubai would be in the future – 10 years ago it was courageous to start a fashion institute here. The first step was to educate the students in art; Picasso, Matisse, etc.”

Proud moment: “Opening the first fashion school in the UAE, and the first Incubator [a platform that supports ESMOD graduates through the process of creating, financing and launching their own collections].

Photographed by: Farooq Salik  | Assisted by: Kristina Nabieva