Simone Pitsis | November 14, 2007
WHEN fashion designers want to tap into the Middle Eastern market, they are usually told: "More is more." In normal circumstances this may not make too much sense, but in Dubai it is perfectly clear.
Local Emirati women read all the magazines; they know how to pronounce Loewe, spell Christian Louboutin and spot Italian embroidery a mile off. They arrive at shop openings, launches and parades in Bentleys and with bejewelled hands and feet. And they have money to spend.
They no longer need to leave Dubai to stock their wardrobes with the latest international fashion marvels and have increasingly been demanding more boutique ranges.
To say the city of gold is in the midst of a profound renaissance is an understatement. Riding on the back of tourist and investor interest, the emirate has the richest horserace, largest theme park, largest indoor ski park, largest waterfront and first underwater hotel. Dubai boasts more shopping centres per capita than anywhere else and plans to build the world's largest, with 343,740sqm of floor space.
Many who descend on the former fishing village could be forgiven for thinking they have landed in the middle of an episode of The Jetsons. Dubai is one of the fastest growing cities on the planet, its economy expanding by about 16 per cent a year, which is about double China's growth rate.
The latest challenge is to transform its image as the region's shopping hub into a new one: as the region's fashion hub. There is a difference.
Dubai International Fashion Week's project manager Nayla Yared says Dubai has the shopping centres, flagship stores and reputation for providing customers with as much range and variety as they would find in Milan, Paris or London. These are the ingredients for a shopping hub. A fashion hub means being able to promote varied and emerging local and international brands to a growing population of men and women who are moving away from mass luxury products towards boutique fashion palettes.
"When the retail industry started in Dubai, it was about multi brand stores," Yared says. "The second step was when each brand had a flagship store.
"Now there is a big trend for multi-brand stores with a mix of international and local designers under one roof.
"People here are becoming more fashion savvy, especially Emirati women. Under their abayas they are very fashionable and stylish and really aware of what is going on. What is important is many of these women have the freedom and means to spend money and in a lot of cases are telling these small boutiques what to stock."
And this is where Australia comes in.
The local retail scene is still rapidly developing. According to the British-based consultancy group Retail International, retail activities in shopping centres will contribute about half of Dubai's gross domestic product by 2009.
With Harvey Nichols and Saks Fifth Avenue firmly planted in the market and the first international Barneys outlet expected to open before long, Dubai is a predominantly brand-oriented market with customers willing to pay for top end labels. But a new wave of fashion curiosity has slowly started to spread.
Luxury is no longer the exclusive territory of the super rich. The proliferation of luxury goods has made them widely accessible. The more access consumers have to outstanding quality goods and services, the more they crave a point of difference.
A combination of cosmopolitan locals and fashion-savvy expatriates has been pushing boutique owners to stock items that aren't widely known or represented in the United Arab Emirates. This demand has in turn opened the market to new entrants, specifically Australian fashion and accessories labels.
On the back of the third annual AusStyle in Dubai this week, Aussie brands are again creating quite a stir. The main objective of the event, an Austrade initiative to promote Australian fashion, is to expose innovative and successful Australian labels to the Middle East and introduce them to selected buyers, agents and media from the UAE and surrounding regions.
Last year designers and labels Jacqui Alexander, Yeojin Bae, Camilla Franks, Madame Marie, Hussy, and Spencer& Rutherford showcased their designs and concluded deals with buyers such as Harvey Nichols, Saks Fifth Avenue and other Dubai shops. This year Ruth Tarvydas, Ghost & Lola, Charlie Brown, Gina Kim, Katie Hosking, Kimono Collections, Marniinako, Nina Maya, Sacha Drake and Verduci-Smith took centre stage.
Fabrics, prints and style were the buyer buzz words at the runway show on Wednesday evening.
Most buyers were clearly impressed by the range and quality of Australian-manufactured clothes and accessories.
"There is no great difference in the way I would work for Australia, Dubai or Europe, but the only thing I considered with Dubai is that I could go really over the top," says Byron Bay, NSW, based designer Kim McClintock of Ghost & Lola. "'More is more,' I was told, which I guess allowed me to really push it a bit here, do things really bold."
Design prodigy Nina Maya says that, as expected, everything sequined and sparkly proved highly popular, including the stunning hand-sewn frock Megan Gale wore at last month's ARIA music awards, with talk of making specific shorter style dresses longer for the Middle Eastern market.
"There had been a lot of interest in the region. I don't really know how people found out about us, but because of that the latest collection has the Middle East in mind," Maya says. "There are so many malls with Prada, Gucci, Chanel; these vertical operators have led to a real hunger for something new and different."
The Kimono Collection's handbags and Ghost & Lola jewellery received a lot of attention for their artistry, while Verduci-Smith, Ruth Tarvydas and Nina Maya were praised for their intricate embellishments, fabrics and prints, and Charlie Brown and Sacha Drake for their gorgeous long dresses, the definite "it" look for the region.
Gina Kim, Katie Hosking and Marniinako were all about the fabrics and cuts, which seemed to impress the buyers and represent Australia's coming of age in the international fashion arena.
Although the market in Dubai is excited about embracing more boutique brands, stocking the stores is taking a bit more time; but it is happening.
Harvey Nichols Dubai general manager Tanya Atkinson says locals and residents of the region have transformed the fashion and shopping industry in a matter of years. Customers are well-travelled, know what they want and expect to find it in their countries. There is also, she says, a push towards promoting local brands and new international designers who want to target a spectrum of buyers not widely catered for in the region.
"Our customers are focused on making sure we have the hotest and latest brands, for example the Zagliani Botox-infused handbag (or) Christian Louboutin stiletto pumps. As soon as we get a Louboutin delivery, they fly off the shelves within hours," Atkinson says.
"We've been more about what the brands can offer our customers rather than the profile of the designer, and we're always looking for a point of difference. In doing that, it doesn't need to be a big luxury brand.
"We have been able to encourage and support new local and international designers and the women in Dubai today are well travelled, well read, have sophisticated tastes and are always looking for the latest products, collections and trends.
"These women demand these products from Dubai, and if Dubai is to become the Paris, London or Milan of the Middle East, they have to deliver."
