If it's Haute, It has to be the UAE!

Mary Paulose catches up with three enterprising ladies who are creating sartorial waves here with their innovative designs, and making global styles local

There's no dearth of fashion or style in the UAE. From the world's best designer brands to high street majors and ethnic labels from the Middle East and the subcontinent, the Middle East is - if anything - spoilt for choice when it comes to all things sartorial.
But for such a developed market, the UAE was lacking fashion start-ups and ideas coming from the population based here. Every fashion market worth its salt has affordable, locally-created and sourced outfits and brands available for its consumers, but now, some UAE denizens have started pulling up their socks and creating style statements that could give the big brands a run for their money.
 
Part of the reason for this burst of smaller, individual-led fashion brands was the demand for more unique, one-of-a-kind outfits that wouldn't be spotted on anyone else (a sure risk when you buy off the high street and family-oriented brands that dominate the market here). The other encouragement comes from the recent spate of street and art markets, pop-up stores and events offering individual, low-cost business owners the chance to exhibit their creations without the hefty overheads and other expenses required for a standalone store, or large-scale marketing campaigns.
This has given some talented ladies the chance to bring out their inner designer, or sometimes just source unique pieces from around the world and retail them here in the UAE, mostly through their websites, and at local events. It's a win-win situation for everyone involved - the local fashion entrepreneurs, and us buyers, who can have that statement outfit or accessory without having to break the bank or cringe at the sight of someone else sporting it.
For each of these fashionable entrepreneurs, the reason to pursue their passion is different - for some, it's the chance to create something different, a piece of art, even; for others, it was about grabbing the gap in the market, and the wider possibilities of expanding their reach via social media. Or taking the experience of a lifetime spent in the family's fashion business and tailoring it to create versatile outfits for all kinds of women. Whatever the motivation, it's led to larger designs for these go-getting businesswomen who decided to make the most of life in the UAE and contribute to the burgeoning local fashion market.

 Redefining style, with a personal touch
We first sported Zamira Style at a fashion pop-up event in Al Quoz a few months ago, and were immediately thrilled to find such trendy, quality dresses, separates, coordinates, and key pieces, in expensive-looking fabrics and at affordable prices. British expat Zarah's label has both basics and funky, statement pieces and its best feature - it's instantly covetable!
At the pop-up event, hers was unsurprisingly the best-selling of all the exhibiting labels, with women vying for the floral peplum tops, quirky jackets, geometric check prints and statement dresses.

Zamira Style is an amalgam of her name Zarah + Amira. "Our clothes are of the same quality as the global high street brands here, but are generally priced lower," says Zarah.
The very obviously driven lass - you know it when you see her - says she's always been in love with fashion: creating and styling. "My family has been in the fashion business for a long time, so I practically grew up in their stores and factories, and have been going on buying trips with them from a very young age," reveals Zarah.
She then took her business education background, fashion obsession and innate sense of style to create her UAE-based online store. "Women were always asking me where I bought my clothes from; they were always from Europe or my family's design house," she says. Zarah also mostly uses her family's design house to design and create her label's pieces.
Zarah's also scored a big hit for her business on social media - with her brand having its own website, and well-updated accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr, Google Plus and Instagram with professional, drool-worthy images. The Zamira Style Instagram account alone has over 12.2k followers. She began a year before her website launched by becoming a fashion blogger, creating interesting looks and putting up style posts using pieces from her collection, using herself and other well-known fashion bloggers and influencers with a large following, as models.
Zarah has made it a point to impart her own personal touch. "I believe one of the best ways to compete with the global brands available here is by personally connecting with my customers through the brand. I use my blog and the pop-up events I participate in to form relationships with and relate to the women who are buying and wearing my pieces, at a personal level," she states.
And her prices are affordable - "I made it this way because I want women to look and feel good without reaching deep into their pockets every time a new trend surfaces," she says.
Zarah says she designs and buys her items according to seasonal trend patterns, doing research based on what shows on the runways, what celebrities are wearing, and street style seen outside the Fashion Week venues. "As well as spotting potential trends, I'm constantly looking to be inspired by anything, from a piece of art or a person that I meet, in order to keep styles diverse and fresh."
Zamira Style offers a 'My Look, Your Look' concept of buying looks styled and worn by her, on the website (she models for many of her outfits). "Usually, people spot something they like on social media and have to go on the hunt for it, whereas I try to create looks that women can purchase then and there, via the website." She plans to take the online store international soon.
Zarah's baby is the product of filling a missing niche in the local fashion scene, according to its founder. "I haven't seen any other brand based locally that does what I'm doing. Zamira Style is not just an online store, it's a fashion and beauty blog written from my own personal perspective," she says. Also, most businesses tend to hire fashion buyers, whereas she's the buyer here. "What I source or design is provided and worn by Zamira women."
Her brand exists thanks to the open-minded UAE market, supportive of young entrepreneurs like herself, she says, with a huge multicultural mix of fashion lovers and risk takers who are always on the search for something upcoming and different.
Finally, fashion is not all about cutting a stylish figure. "One of the reasons I started this business was to take my passion and cater to the sophisticated and empowered, everyday women, by providing an online outlet to purchase affordable pieces that weren't available elsewhere in the UAE." That's style with substance, we say.

 Shawl it up, for a cause
 Few people would be passionate about starting a fashion business only focused on one thing - shawls. But Shama Mohamed was taken in by two factors. One, the traditional skills and generational craftsmanship in the clothing business she saw in her native India; and two, their beautiful, hand woven-dyed-embroidered pashmina shawls.
Far from the ubiquitous 'Made in China' pashmina shawls you'll see in the souks these days, each Shamaz shawl is a work of art, a valuable piece befitting a family heirloom to be passed down. The idea also came about when she was buying pashmina shawls for herself, and learnt that each embroidered shawl can take a minimum of three to six months to create, and that the shawl cannot be replicated, as the embroidery on each piece is fine and intricate. This means only one person will have that shawl in the whole world!
 This uniqueness captivated Shama, and was compounded by the stark reality of this art form slowly dying out as the traditional skilled Indian embroiderers' children did not want to take up the profession due to low wages and the strain the fine work puts on their eyesight.
Thus, her brand works for a social cause. "A percentage of Shamaz Pashmina's profits go to the embroiderers, through an organisation specially set up for their welfare," says Shama. "Besides, designing the pashmina shawls get out my creative juices," she laughs.
Shama - a dentist by training - also wants the world to behold this beautiful and painstakingly created sartorial art form - originating from Kashmir in India, and Nepal. "These heavily embroidered shawls are one of a kind, just like a painting." She designs as well as sources her shawls from Kashmir, and if the client is particular about a certain design, she gets it custom-made. But everything about the brand - from the idea to the logo and its website - is conceptualised in the UAE.
Her pashmina shawls don't stick to the traditional format either; the last collection had Chantilly lace intricately woven with the pashmina, and she's also had calligraphy, metal stripes, butterfly prints and other quirky touches added, giving the age-old pashmina a new twist. Unusual colour combinations and her determination to preserve a declining artistry shows up in her work. "My shawls' quality is among the best, the designs are unique, and even though they are pashmina shawls, they are as soft as shahtoosh (fabric)," she points out.
As a small entrepreneur, Shama feels the UAE is the perfect place to start a business as everything moves smoothly, and there are people with high disposable income here, looking for unique things to collect. Her clients range across nationalities, from Indians and Pakistanis to Emiratis, Lebanese, Saudis, Americans and Europeans, she says.
Next, Shama wants to take her line to Qatar and Kuwait in the Middle East, and then to Italy, France and the UK.
 
 Bringing Ibiza to Dubai
 The UAE is all about sunny sands, and if it attracts residents and tourists alike to its beaches in throngs, there are definitely takers for beach and lounge fashion too. That's exactly what expat Fiona Falconer figured out.
Online boutique Maarli is an idea that evolved from Fiona's love of travel and fashion as well, and she wanted to bring a bit of the Ibiza lifestyle to Dubai. "I wanted customers to experience the thrill of finding cool, unique fashion and accessories that they would typically find in a small, undiscovered boutique in holiday destinations around the world," says Fiona. "These finds are often unique, sometimes quirky, but always a little bohemian. Maarli is all about fashion with a twist." The name itself - with a very beachy vibe to it - is a mix of her sons' names, Max and Charlie!
But Fiona didn't just breeze into the fashion business. She's studied fashion design and retail at university and has recently worked as a freelance consultant to fashion and beauty brands, after long a stint in public relations. "But my love of fashion combined with a gap in the market for affordable, unique Bohemian resort wear led me to create Maarli," she says.
In terms of price, affordability and quality, Fiona places the boutique on par with the high street, with some collections being slightly more premium. The clothing items range from Dh200 upwards, but accessories like beaded bracelets start as low as Dh30.
"Now that we are online, we are less limited on choice, so are constantly adding to the ranges as and when we find a brand we love," she says. So Maarli is essentially a multi-brand store, sourcing pieces from all over the world, but as a concept, it is entirely homegrown. "It's important that we are not just known as a European brand, or a Bali brand, or an Aussie brand. We select the collections based on the design and feel, and whether it fits with the Maarli look. In addition, we have added a small Maarli collection that we plan to develop and launch in 2016. Often, I know exactly what I want, but I find it impossible to source. This collection will be made up of these pieces," notes Fiona.
Fiona says that as far as Maarli's style mantra goes, she stays in touch with beach, street and celebrity style, and even keeps an eye on luxury brands, but is also not a slave to 'what's hot'. And the response from the UAE has been fantastic, she says.
"People really love a good home-grown brand, they're all most appreciative that they now have a choice of getting something a bit different, whereas previously they had to shop on the high street and run the risk of wearing the same outfit as their friends. The community is so welcoming to entrepreneurs, and, in that sense, it's a great place to follow your dreams and create a fashion brand."
But otherwise, Maarli has stayed low-key so far, just generating interest through social media and being part of the pop-up scene at the cool, urban events in Dubai, for the past eight months. Its online store has just been launched. But the brand's been big on word of mouth. "The best customer feedback is when I see a client regularly. I also love seeing clients out and about and on social media wearing Maarli pieces - it makes me so proud," says Fiona.
marypaulose@khaleejtimes.com