Is designer fashion of high quality
Jawaher Alyoha is a Hidden Fashion enthusiast. Jawaher Alyoha, 21, is a 21-year old from the United Arab Emirates who spends over $1,000 per month on clothes and shoes. She also rarely leaves home without her perfect hair and makeup.
We like to feel confident in our abayas
Alyoha, like many Emirati women, wears a full-length black abaya (or abaya) over her clothes. She also wears a shailah, a black veil over her hair, when out and about. Only a few close family and friends see the full outfit, but she still loves to shop.
She said, “We like to feel good and look good in our abayas.” “I can remember a foreign teacher asking me once if we wore pyjamas. I was like, ‘no way!'” Valentino’s dress, which cost her a cool 8,000 dirham ($2,177), is the biggest item for media students. However, she said she also shop in High Street shops like Zara and H&M.
Noura Hassan, a Sharjah student aged 24, is a self-confessed shopaholic. She has worn an abaya since she was a teenager. Every week, I buy new clothes and shoes. Sometimes I spend as much as 3,000 dirhams ($816) per month.
Being able to wear beautiful, colourful clothes makes my heart happy
She loves shoes, and can wear them while wearing her abaya. Her shoe collection includes Christian Louboutin heels, Manolo Blahnik satin flats, and Christian Dior crystal-studded trainers (sneakers).
Even though her clothes are only seen by a few people, they are very important to her. She said, “It makes me happy to wear beautiful and colorful clothes.”
The best-dressed women in the world are the Gulf women, who come from oil-rich countries like Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. Their desire for luxury fashion drives retail sales in the Middle East. According to the Chalhoub Group survey, the average Gulf citizen spends $2,400 per month on beauty, Hidden Fashion, and gifts. 78% of those polled said it was important that they “keep up to date with the latest trends.”
“The Arab world isn’t isolated from Hidden Fashion trends and fashion, and if women see celebrities wearing something, they want it too,” said Shamail Siddiqi, a retail specialist from A.T. Kearney consultancy firm.
He said, “The singular thing about this is that although many national women dress more conservatively and will wear abayas, many are still luxury consumers.”
The trend is driving hidden fashion
The UAE is at the heart of the Gulf fashion boom. It is more liberal than neighboring Saudi Arabia where women must cover completely. Although most UAE women wear abayas in public, the UAE does not require them to. Many Emirati women are now wearing abayas with open fronts, breaking with their mothers’ custom.
Dubai is the regional’s main retail center, and home to the burgeoning Dubai Design District. It also hosts Fashion Forward Dubai, an annual catwalk event that is one of the most popular in the Middle East.
- Because it is so hot in the summer, the malls are the best places to go.
- It is not surprising that UAE women are so passionate about global fashion.
“Due to the hot weather, malls are the only place you can go, and certainly that feeds it,” said Zahra Lyla, a Dubai-based Hidden Fashion blogger, and creative.
Fatma AlMulla is an Emirati designer who created the colorful FMM brand. It would be dangerous to wear something shabby under your abaya, especially if it gets caught on an escalator at the mall. You need to be careful.”
It would be a mistake to wear something shabby underneath your abaya.
Blogger Zahra Lyla stated, “Image is a Hidden Fashion big deal here.” “If a woman wears an open abaya she will want it to catch the wind or flap open while she walks. She should make sure she is wearing something underneath.”
