Shot against the ancient terrain of Fujairah in the UAE, Catriona Gray’s latest editorial is not simply a fashion moment — it is a statement carved in stone. Literally.
The former Miss Universe graces the cover of Soul Arabia, a London-based bilingual magazine that has established itself as one of the Gulf region’s most prominent platforms for Arab culture, fashion, and lifestyle. She is the first Filipino ever to appear on its cover.
The shoot was built around a concept titled “The Siren of Stone,” casting Gray as a mythological figure rising from rock — a modern legend shaped by endurance rather than circumstance. The imagery draws from something Gray says she has come to understand through lived experience.
“Strength is the direct result of our experiences that equip, disappoint, challenge, and impact us, in ways that we have no choice but to be rendered different than we were before,” she said.
That philosophy extends into how she thinks about her public presence and the weight of what she hopes it means for others. Gray was direct about the kind of impact she is working toward.
“I hope that in everything I have been able to do that I was able to provide an opportunity, whether through the supporting of a cause, fundraising, encouragement or inspiration that afforded someone to have the choice to pursue a life they loved. And showed them that they could then be that same agent of change. That’s what the true definition of empowerment means to me, and that’s the legacy I hope to leave,” she said.
Gray’s presence in the Gulf region has been building. Earlier this year, she was in Dubai for The Global Filipino Icon Awards 2026, organized by The Global Filipino Magazine, where she received the Global Icon of Beauty, Advocacy & Culture award. The event drew a notable lineup of Filipino personalities, among them Piolo Pascual, Zeinab Harake, Glenda Dela Cruz, Pia Marie Yanson, Renee Salud, Ricky Reyes, Dr. Carl E. Balita, Rian Fernandez, and Aquino Plotado.
