Dear Asma,

Just after the glow of London Fashion Week, I wanted to tell you about Roksanda Ilinčić. A dear and talented friend I am incredibly proud of.

Coming from Montenegro, I knew of Roksanda from an early age. An avant-garde, Serbian-born designer who built her career in the UK. But there’s something I often think about: how it seems that a country truly cherishes its talent only once that person has succeeded elsewhere. Is it actually harder to shine at home than abroad?

Our paths have crossed a few times through work, and one of the most recent was in London’s Jumeirah Carlton Tower. We agreed to meet for lunch and film a short clip about her collaboration with Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab. It’s a set of silk pieces she exclusively designed for the resort’s guests, inspired by a superyacht-influenced architecture done by Shaun Killa. While waiting, I stepped outside for a bit of fresh air and a takeaway espresso. Londoners run from the rain, but I run toward every drop and every wet slap of air. I am sure, Asma, you will know the feeling after living in our beautiful hot part of the world.

Then I see her, walking quickly, light-footed, wearing one of her signature colour-block dresses, olive green and pale pink this time, with a leather jacket thrown over her shoulders. She’s holding a pink coffee cup and wearing the kind of smile you can’t fake, the kind that comes only from genuine care. Her supportive, always-welcoming husband Philip is with her. We hug. Two Yugoslavians living in different corners of the world, united by what we do and the friendship we share.

“You know they have good coffee here, you didn’t need to bring your own,” I tease. “And you know that without this coffee we wouldn’t be able to talk this morning,” she shoots back with a grin.

Fair enough.

We head to the suite where the camera crew is waiting. And there she is, a designer whose creations are worn by Queen Rania, Cate Blanchett, and Michelle Obama. A designer who is a friend of Marina Abramović (who always sits front row at her shows), calmly does her own makeup and hair. No demands, no requests, just quiet confidence, talent, and good intentions. From my previous journalist career, I frequently noticed how big stars just shine, the way Roksanda does. Whilst the smaller ones are trying to outshine and intimidate with requests and extensive riders. (Just something to think about.)

“This collaboration is very special, it comes from a place of friendship,” she tells me on camera. I blush on the outside and laugh on the inside because it really did. When I ask her about the inspiration behind the pieces, she lights up, as architecture takes central stage:

“Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab’s structural and impressive architecture was the inspiration behind the prints for the scarves,” she explains. “Imagined from above, where the birds are flying, the fluidity of its form, its seamless connection to the sea, and its quiet dialogue with the desert. My designs are always inspired by architecture. There’s something intimate in that concept, a sanctuary that moves with you. I often think of our homes as our shelters, and I try to translate that same sense of protection, elegance, and emotion into every piece I create.”

We speak about how she translates architectural elements into fabric and form, and she smiles before answering:

“It’s always a balance between structure and movement. Architecture holds lines, geometry, and tension, but what captivates me most is the space in between, the way light plays within it. For these pieces, I chose silk for its natural grace. The curves of the resort and softness of the surrounding landscape echo through the collaboration, and the bold colour palettes reflect my artistic sensibility, especially the golden hues of sunset over the Arabian Gulf.”

When I ask why scarves, she doesn’t hesitate: 

“Scarves have always held cultural and emotional significance. They represent elegance, heritage and personal expression. In both Dubai and London, scarves are steeped in tradition, yet endlessly modern. I wanted to create designs that feel timeless, pieces that could be worn, treasured, and passed on. They are playful, wrapped, draped, or framed as works of art. Each one is a reflection of the resort, capturing a memory, a sense of place, and a mood.”

Her hope for anyone who experiences her work is simple, and it stays with me:

“I hope they feel as though they’re stepping into something that resonates with them. An experience that’s at once modern, serene, and deeply inspiring. I want guests to feel part of something meaningful, not just a garment, but a story. A reminder of where they’ve been, how they felt, and what they carry with them.”

Roksanda’s designs feel like “buildings without walls, full of air and sunshine,” as she told me, and I love how her words echo through everything she does. She builds with silk and colour what architects build with glass and stone: spaces that feel protective but light, elegant yet free. Having studied architecture and applied arts in Belgrade, her work is always infused with a structural quality and often presented in brutalist spaces that somehow soften under her hand, letting the forms breathe and the colours sing.

She started her brand in 2005 in London, a highly competitive place to launch a label. Twenty years later, she is not just relevant but thriving. This year, to mark her brand’s anniversary, she turned to British sculptor Barbara Hepworth for inspiration. The result was a collection that felt like a conversation between past and present: her most iconic silhouettes reimagined in new fabrics and prints, filled with Hepworth’s sculptural spirit, celebrating both nature and form. It was nostalgic yet forward-looking, a perfect way to mark two decades of her work during a London Fashion Week.

And that’s exactly how I feel every time I meet her. Nostalgic for the time and place we grew up in, but always looking ahead, waiting to see how she will surprise us next. I always tease her to start designing menswear. She always laughs: “You know some men already wear my designs?” And I laugh back: “I know.”

I can’t wait for you to meet her when she comes to Dubai this October for her artist residency at Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab. You will love her, Asma, as there is something you two, and all-powerful, decisive, talented women, share: a true passion for life.

Yours,
Milo