24 Hours With Shoe Designer Jennifer Chamandi: The Sacred Shift From Entrepreneur To Mother
I usually wake up at 7am. I sleep best when cocooned with black-out curtains and a silk eye mask. I should start my day in stillness and meditation (I try every morning), but my hand goes straight to my phone! Some mornings, I pull a card from my Daily Reminders deck, which I created to inspire and align. It's a real anchor.
Daily Reminder cards, POA, Jennifer Chamandi
By 7.15am I'm in the kitchen with my twin girls, who are already bursting with energy. We have breakfast together; it's our bonding moment before the outside world begins. I drink the most delicious banana smoothing from WelleCo by Elle Macpherson. It's become a morning ritual I look forward to.
7.45am I keep things simple but sacred when it comes to my beauty routine. If I have a shoot or meeting, I go for light make-up. I love Charlotte Tilbury's Wonderglow and Victoria Beckham's Satin Kajal Liner. My skincare is by Rodial – its Bee Venom and Dragon's Blood lines are transformative. I alternate between the Bee Venom Cleansing Balm and Dragon's Blood Cleansing Water, followed by Sculpting Gel and either VIT C SPF30 or the Bee Venom Night Gel. The Bee Venom eye cream at night is magic.
Wonderglow, Dhs125, Charlotte Tilbury
Dragon's Blood Sculpting Gel, Dhs480, Rodial
8am My wardrobe is a balance of structure and flow, just like my life. I gravitate toward pieces that allow freedom of movement but make me feel powerful. For office wear, I turn to Max Mara and Anine Bing. For evenings, my latest obsession is Self-Portrait, feminine with a touch of sparkle. And, of course, always in my Jennifer Chamandi shoes.
Dress, Dhs3,380, Max Mara at Net-a-Porter
Mattia Shoes, Dhs3,210, Jennifer Chamandi
At 9am I head to The Apartment, my atelier and creative sanctuary in Mayfair, London. It's a space filled with light, music and intention. I make my Nescafé (one Nescafé, two Coffeemate, one brown sugar – don't mess with the formula!), then check in with my team before diving into emails, strategy and connecting with my factory in Milan. How many emails do I get a day? Can I say a million? I back them into one to two-hour blocks, so I don't get swallowed by the screen all day – a discipline that transformed my productivity. Otherwise, the to-do list becomes the day.
For lunch at 12.30pm I keep it simple, a salad or soup at my desk. Not ideal to eat in front of my screen but a bad habit I inherited from my banking days.
2pm The afternoons are a creative crescendo, reviewing samples, brainstorming designs, checking in with my factory, or nurturing partnerships. I put on high-frequency music to stay in the flow. I sneak in a few gummy bears (Jelly Tots are my new obsession) and a little wink to the old-school pick'n'mix from my banking floor.
I aim to leave by 6pm to be fully present with my daughters. That sacred shift from entrepreneur to mother grounds me. Presence is the most generous gift you can offer anyone, especially your children.
At 7.30pm it's phones down (at least I try, my husband may say otherwise!). Bedtime with my girls can take an hour, full of existential questions, giggles and infinite cuddles. They keep me mindful and inspired all at once.
8.30pm Once the girls are asleep, I spend time with my husband, debriefing on the day and usually attempting to watch a movie or a series after watching a billion trailers. Before bed, I might read a little. I've currently got two books on my nightstand: Grit by Angela Duckworth and Elle by Elle Macpherson.
10.30pm Sleep is sacred, and I need a minimum of seven hours to function but eight is my sweet spot. I always try to close the day with a short meditation and visualisation. It clears the noise and reconnects me to purpose. I usually need a few deep breaths to fall asleep as I lie in bed mind planning my next day and new inspiration flows. It's often where many of my best designs are born.
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So, when it comes to the opportunity in Saudi Arabia, Gildo is watching with interest. 'We don't want to be overly distributed, but I do believe that by 2030, Saudi Arabia would be another important market,' he attests. 'You shouldn't open too many points of sale. We were offered 10 stores. I said, 'Forget about it!' We want to move gradually. Now we have one, and from one to three. We don't have a store in Jeddah yet. So, we will proceed gradually, be successful, and then move forward.' He considers, 'How big will Saudi be compared to Dubai? That I don't know. I don't think it will ever be the size of Dubai for us, to be honest with you, but I do think an interesting part of our growth will come from Riyadh. I also think Doha can be another interesting market, but Dubai is quite unique.' Sharing his strategy for expansion, he points out, 'The success of the brand is not like a turnkey. It's a matter of brand maturity, and how likely your brand is to be successful with the local customer. Timing is very important.' Gildo's advice to retailers is to 'See where you are today, project where you could be tomorrow, then take your own bet and follow the flows of your customer. Your customer may not be somebody else's customer, so you need to make sure you anticipate their moves.' ZEGNA and Dubai: Two success stories, one mindset With Dubai Mall ranking as his number one store and the highest-ever transaction in the house's history taking place at VILLA ZEGNA the day after he presented the Summer 2026 show in the city, Gildo is astute enough to observe that ZEGNA's destiny is inextricably linked to the success of Dubai. 'In the post-Covid years, I've seen an incredible explosion of this area, as you have seen with ZEGNA. I think that the two have gone hand in hand. And surely this region has partially helped the growth of ZEGNA.' He reflects, 'The modernisation of ZEGNA has helped us become one of the leaders in the market and we understood what was needed here – product that can be wearable now, impulse-driven, and innovative.' Dubai, like ZEGNA is on an unstoppable upward trajectory, so what advice does Gildo have for the emirate when it comes to building a sustainable, successful, multigenerational legacy just as he has done? 'It's too big a question! I'm flattered that you asked me, but I don't think that I'm entitled to give a reply,' he hesitates. Yet never one to back down from a challenge, he responds with charm, 'Keep going in the direction you're going and keep being enthusiastic about what you're doing by building on talent, modernity, and technology. You have an incredible organisation, an incredible project, and incredible resources. So just keep doing what you've been doing, in particular in the past five years. Stay the course and make sure that the execution is top. Maybe if there is one risk, it's that Dubai might be running too fast. Make sure you keep up the quality of service, the quality of people, the quality of experience, as you have done in the past five years. Whenever I visit this market, I feel an adrenaline rush. So, Dubai needs to keep its adrenaline levels high.' Using ZEGNA's data as an example, Gildo discloses, 'We have a thousand people visiting the store, every day. That's a lot by any standard. So, take advantage of this moment, show the world what you do best, go for newness, never give up, and keep your entrepreneurial spirit.' He adds, 'And if you ask me, I would give you the same answer about the way I run my business.' Gildo's final word? 'Make sure that you keep your high-end positioning.' And reflecting on ZEGNA's six-day domination of Dubai, he concludes, 'I think this event shows that we can go even higher.'
