Meet Esther Quek, Dubai’s most stylish girl-about-town – who is actually from Singapore
With her bleached blond pixie cut and bold style sense, fashion maven Esther Quek – the editor of CitizenK Arabia – is shaking up the style scene in Dubai and beyond, but still dreams of eating wanton mee in her home country
A meticulous eye for detail and knack for predicting cultural trends are the linchpins of Esther Quek’s Dubai-based work life. But it doesn’t hurt to have incredible personal style and a conversation-stopping platinum blond haircut – as she discovered on a recent work trip to Paris.
“A young Russian lady came up to me in a cafe and she couldn’t breathe,” says Singapore-born Quek, the editor of luxury lifestyle magazine CitizenK Arabia. “She stood in front of me and told me – whilst panting – that she had the same haircut and bleached hair because she loved my style. So I calmed her down and asked if she wanted a cup of coffee. All she wanted was a picture with me and, of course, I obliged. If I can make someone happy with a snap, why not?”
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Quek’s distinctive look has drawn admiring and inquisitive glances since she stepped onto the media scene in the United Arab Emirates five years ago. Turning heads at runway shows in the UAE and around the world is now very much the norm for the 34-year-old as she takes it all in her stride.
Much like the identity of the quarterly magazine she edits, Quek’s style is contrarian, assured and unshrinking. With her sharply tailored suits, fearless styling and gravity-defying platinum locks, she’s a paparazzi’s dream and an endless source of inspiration to her legion of Instagram followers.
