Mother’s Day in the UAE is celebrated on March 21 — a special moment dedicated to honouring and appreciating the women who raised us. It is a day to reflect on everything our mothers have done for us and to recognise that, in many ways, we are who we are because of them. More often than not, they choose us over themselves, sacrificing so much along the way. Their love is boundless and unconditional, and their strength, care, and support shape our lives in countless ways.

In celebration of this occasion, DJ and music producer Chloe Barakat, also known as KLO, is planning a special pop-up event dedicated to mothers. Scheduled for March 29 at Birdies, the event aims to create a warm and creative space where people can come together with their mothers to celebrate.

For the event, KLO will collaborate with Masa Haikal, a designer known for her unique caps and the creative mind behind Hattitude, Moon Cactus, a charm bar offering personalised jewelry and accessories, and Ali Chaaban, who will be bringing a selection of pre-loved clothing for resale.

For KLO, the inspiration behind the event is deeply personal.

“I’m very close to my mom, and I truly believe mothers should be celebrated every day — but especially on Mother’s Day. Having a supportive mom has been one of the most important things in my life and career, and that’s a big reason why I wanted to organise this celebration where people can come with their moms and celebrate together.

My mom is my biggest inspiration. She is one of the strongest women I know and has faced many wars and countless ups and downs throughout her life. Seeing her rise again and again from these experiences, while still giving so much to her children and leading our family with strength, is incredibly inspiring.

She is also a very creative person. In fact, she is my stylist as a DJ. She constantly inspires me with different textures, trends, colours, and fashion ideas, and she always seems to be ahead of the market.

Thanks to her, I got into music and art. Her father shared a lot of his musical knowledge with her, which she then passed on to me. That’s something that really shaped our relationship — we are both very creative, and she continues to inspire me every day. She is truly very special to me, and I aspire to be like her.”

Ahead of Mother’s Day and KLO's upcoming pop-up, we also decided to give local creatives a platform to express their gratitude to their mothers. They share the love, inspiration, and strength they have received from the women who shaped them.

Stylist & Creative Director

Thank you, Mom, for turning every slap and hardship life threw at you into an opportunity for a better future for me.

While you teach kids to do double flips, you unintentionally taught me to jump between the lows and the highs and feel at home on both sides.

You play the role of the trigger that pushes me out of my comfort zone and toward adventure — taking action that is less calculated and more guided by instinct. From bringing me to the US with you when I was 8 to convincing me to move with you to Dubai when I was 18.

I know this may not sound like the typical “safe space” a mother is supposed to be. But strangely, it feels safe to me — especially combined with your ride-or-die loyalty.

You have been teaching me to make moves and figure things out along the way. I’m naturally far more stagnant and calculated than you.

You are the strangest combination: a mischievous kid who could play forever, paint, walk on hands... and a tough — almost severe — coach. Super strict, always half an hour early, and someone you can rely on for absolutely anything.

I love you. You are such a gem — so real and unfiltered — rare to find such nowadays.

Artist

I would thank my mom for teaching me that care is mostly invisible. Only when you grow up do you realise someone was quietly running the entire system.

Also… she mastered the art of saying “because I said so.” Which, if you think about it, is the original form of authority in the Middle East.

My mom is my internal fact-checker. Whenever I get too conceptual, too philosophical, too “lost”, there is a little voice that sounds exactly like her saying:
“Yes, but did you eat?”

She is the person who keeps my feet on the ground while my head is busy floating somewhere between fiction and reality.

She taught me that objects have memory. There is evidence that someone lived, cooked, argued, laughed, and survived here before you.

Which is probably why I’m obsessed with turning everyday situations/objects into stories, because objects remember things people prefer to forget.

Founder of Hattitude

I would like to thank my mom for always pushing me to be the best version of myself and for always making me believe in who I am.

The confidence that people often compliment me on is truly because of her. I owe it all to this powerful woman.

My mother, Dana, plays a huge role in my life. We are incredibly close, and even though I live alone in Dubai, far from home, I feel very grateful and blessed to say that our bond has only grown stronger. She supports me in every aspect of my life- from my personal life to helping me manage Hattitude and even the everyday organisation of life.

She taught me strength and resilience. She always reminds me to go after what I want and to believe that nothing is impossible.

Everything I am building today, the courage to dream big, take risks, and create something of my own, is because she first taught me to believe that I can.