Apparel Online India Issue 1-15 March '18 | Page 35

FASHION BUSINESS
Nasrah Hussain Mukhtar, a partner
at Collage Dubai informed our team
that she is working on a modest
fashion event that will bring designers
from different countries together as an
exclusive collaboration for her store.
Dina A. Sammakieh, Founder of
I Love Hishma, based in Jeddah
says: “My store sells everything in
modest fashion but on a trendy level.
However, I have noticed that people
now have an appreciation for the
young independent designers starting
on their own. They are open to more
creativity and brands that may not be
so popular but are takings risks with
new concepts.”
INDIA CRACKS THE
M O D E S T FA S H I O N
MYTH
The quest for newness and exclusive
items is huge in the Middle East at
the moment. Wafaa Al-Ghalayini,
Founder of Basics, a 25 years old
boutique that sells Haute Couture and
RTW, also in Jeddah, corroborates the
same point saying, “The cities in Saudi
are very small and often social circles
overlap so customers are very careful
about not buying the same outfit as
someone else in their circle.” Hence,
buyers often seek out designers who
are open to making changes.
With so much competition within the
region, creating grand experiences
is also a major aspect of retail in the
Middle East. Tareq Srour Malah,
CEO of TM Fashion Group which
operates 8 multi-brand luxury stores
in Kuwait and Turkey says that
their shops hold a trunk show or
some sort of consumer-facing event
every 2 months in collaboration with
their designers. And apart from
their main boutique, they also have
a special customization office where
clients can come and design their
own outfits with the help of designers
and receive the final pieces in just
a month.
Similarly, AÏSHTI’s main boutique has
facilities like a luxury spa, salon and
gym as well as an exclusive restaurant
which is headed by a French chef.
The company also publishes its own
magazines which retail directly
from news stands like any other
typical monthly.
Middle East is a mushrooming market
with a breadth of opportunities. It
comes with its own implications and
differences but with its mammoth
purchasing power and keen interest
in fashion, it is not one that can
be ignored.
F
or ages, Western modernism
and Islamic conservatism have
waged war on the topic of fashion
liberalization and how it addresses
the Muslim community globally. More
recently though, the fashion and
style sensibilities in this region have
been undergoing a renaissance, with
an increased number of consumers
embracing, and designers providing
for more unorthodox ways of dressing.
In our latest expedition to Lakmé
Fashion Week Summer Resort 2018,
we had the opportunity to interact
with a few renowned buyers based
out of the Middle East in order to
understand the fast evolving Islamic
market and their expectation from
Indian designers.
There are various reasons that can
be attributed to the rise of fashion’s
acceptance in the Middle East. This
can mean a lot of great things for
the Indian fashion industry which
shares several cultural values with
the region. Perhaps it would not be
wrong to say that no other country
can understand the Middle East like
we can.
The current retail climate and
shopping experience is fundamental
to the lifestyle and spending habits
in the Middle Eastern market which
enjoys a greater rate of disposable
income. In such a scenario, the touch
and feel of a product has become
vital, giving rise to many multi-brand
fashion retailers as well as individual
designer stores.
Gone are the days when it was
expected of a woman to don herself in
a façade that revealed only her eyes,
urging many designers to move away
from the all-covered clothing trend.
Speaking of their experience from
Lakmé Fashion Week in Mumbai,
buyers loved the fabrics and
handwork on display, but there was
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