In Dubai, a city, where there are 2 million people, and almost 15 million come annually as tourists, something is always happening. The shopping festival is replaced by gastronomic, and gastronomic – by a literature festival, golf tournaments and horse races, and then comes the music festival. World celebrities are often met – Sting and Beyoncé came to the musical festival last year, and Kim Kardashian came to the trade festival. Despite the popularity of this city, we know very little about the fashion of Muslim women in the United Arab Emirates. Many people think that modern fashion trends are unacceptable in the Arab countries, but at the same time, even in these parts of the world, girls and women could laconically mix their culture with the latest podium novelties.
It is quite clear that they do not create all their trendy clothing by themselves. The UAE is the real paradise for shopping because of the absence of taxes in this country. Therefore, alongside the latest architectural developments, you find yourself in the world of numerous shopping malls, the largest Duty free zone, and shopping festivals that fascinate people from all over the planet. Using the car rental in Dubai Airport, you will make sure yourself of the shopping facilities’ immensity in this city.
During January/February in Dubai, there is the ‘Dubai Trade Festival’ – the largest and most continuing (34 days) shopping festival in the world.
Of course, the Dubai shopping festival is not only fun and entertainment, but also a strong support of the retail industry. Dubai retailers say that 25% of their annual income falls on the month of the festival. In addition, the shopping festival is an ideal platform for new brands’ and local designers’ promotion. The best way to get acquainted with the creations of Arab designers is the ‘Market Outside the Box’, an open-air fair that is located right close to the Burj Khalifa skyscraper.
There, on small display-showcases, you can find real treasures from independent brands from around the Middle East- from the UAE to Qatar, and perhaps discover the future famous designers.
An important part of the Dubai Shopping Festival is the street shows, which take place against the significant city attractions. This way, the ultra-modern, sparkling Dubai, built up with model skyscrapers, becomes the background for the display of collections of both European and local brands – from American ‘Rebecca Minkoff’ and ‘Calvin Klein’ to the unique Arabic brand ‘Toushih’. Local girls say that in ‘Toushih’ you can buy the most beautiful abaya in the world.
During the festival, all these brands take part in street shows in the new shopping ‘City Walk’ district. Close to Burj Khalifa, there are street shows, the main idea of which is to make fashion a holiday for everyone. Of course, during these shows, there are still the ‘front row’, celebrities and the girls, making selfies, but you do not need to have a special invitation from the designer to see this show. This is the specific feature of Dubai – invariably luxury, displaying openness and friendliness.
Dubai took the position of one of the most popular cities for shopping. The proof is provided by hundreds of thousands of people who come to Dubai to purchase exclusive goods and even services. Some people are buying something, the others are using shopping to develop their business. Trade areas in Dubai are getting bigger with each season. In addition, there are all kinds of entertainment for the whole family, which make shopping more fun and exciting.
The main thing, which distinguishes shopping in the UAE from shopping in other countries, is that in the UAE, buyers are offered discounts during the whole season, not during a few days. Discount for some groups of goods can reach up to 80 percent. Many tourists come to Dubai in the hope of purchasing original models of clothes and shoes from popular world brands, but most of them are not ready to pay a large sum of money for purchases. Especially for this category of buyers in Dubai, there are all kinds of stock stores and hypermarkets. For example, in the BarJuman neighborhood there is a shop for fashionable branded clothes ‘Saks Fifth Avenue’. It is ideal for true connoisseurs of high quality and for the advanced shopaholics. For a long time this shop has the status of the trendsetter. Its main advantage is that the average prices for all goods are much lower than in similar stores in other countries. ‘Saks Fifth Avenue’ offers its customers previous collections from famous designers with great discounts. By the way, one of these stores is located in the famous Dubai ‘The Walk’ shopping center.
People come to Dubai to renew their wardrobe with stylish garments of good quality and at an affordable price. The biggest influx of shopaholics is during the Winter Trade Festival and during the Festival of Summer Surprises. At this time, there are very attractive prices and huge discounts. For participation in sales, you can get valuable prizes and gifts. Rare lucky people can even win valuable gold jewelry or a car.
Although there are no cold winters in the Middle East, quality coats in Dubai can be purchased at Nasser Square. The local merchants will please you with a large assortment and advantageous promotional offers, in other words, they will provide you with a wonderful shopping experience. Especially for the connoisseurs of natural fur, we recommend visiting the fur coats’ warehouses in the emirate of Sharjah. Many experts believe that direct sunlight is not very favorable for the fur. Under the direct sunlight, it becomes less soft and loses its rich color, but a dark and cool warehouse is just the opposite – an ideal place for a fur coat storage.
