Emiratis want luxury brands to CUSTOMIZE

In a world where fashion and retail brands scream to be different to stand out from the crowd, let’s not forget the customer too wants to be as different. For the high end brands that are here for us to swipe our credit cards away, there is nothing, and I mean nothing, more satisfying than owning an item that is custom made for me.

Prior to the influx of shopping malls and fashion brands in the 90s, Khaleeji ladies used to express their unique fashion sense by designing their own dresses and flocking to the tailor to get it made. Khaleeji women were involved in the A to Z of designing, from browsing the souqs for textile shopping, to drawing rough sketches and going on repeat visits to the tailor for fit outs. Trust me, it was a full time job and they LOVED it.

Now however, with all the high street fashion and high end brands popping up left, right and centre with their multiple branches, shopping has never been more convenient. But guess what?  I bet you can spot atleast 5 or 6 women wearing the same piece of outfit, accessory, shoe or handbag in one day!

Khaleeji women long to get that custom made factor back into the wardrobe, and that is why high end brands that customize their products work really well in the gulf region!

Goyard is synonymous for exclusivity, so much so they dont even advertise their own products on their website. They encourage their customer to meticulously choose from a range of fabrics, colors and font types for their initials.  Clients can even submit their own drawings to be embedded on their bags or suitcases.

Ralph Lauen produced a series of Polo shirts for both genders with the cities and their respective country flag imprinted on the shirts. The "Dubai" version of it sold like hot cakes! Not only that, clients can also customise their shirts by choosing different colors, and stripe patterns when buying online. 

Fendi - with their stylish peekaboo bags, also allow the customer to personalise from a plethora of fabrics ranging from lambskin, python and ostrich skin. The interior of the bag can be further lined with another fabric, buckles can also be made to order and intials of the client can be added as well.

It is no wonder that with the wealth of Abu Dhabi and Dubai ladies, such investment pieces have become the staple item in every womans wardrobe. So why cant we see more of such brands offering such exclusivity in a market that is hungry to be unique? Our thoughts on this will be revealed in later posts.

Shaima Al Tamimi

Malone Fashion (your local view point) 

xoxo