Dubai: Stores and tailors across the country have more visitors during the Ramadan season placing orders for abayas and kandoras in preparation for Eid.
Mohammad Arif, owner of Al Maghrib Tailors, said that tailors across all his six shops are working on 36,000 kandoras requested for the Eid celebrations. Most customers are Emirati, he said, with a few from other GCC countries.
“On a daily basis, a total of 600 kandoras are made in all six of our shops,” said Arif. “People start to place orders for kandoras almost a month before Ramadan.”
Arif said there is a 50 per cent increase in demand during Ramadan and the shop stops taking orders 10 days before Ramadan in order to complete the existing demand.
The price of a kandora usually depends on the fabric used. “The price range is between Dh170-Dh300 and the increase is based on the fabric,” he said. “The most expensive [fabric] is the Japanese cotton mix which costs Dh300 while the Chinese and Korean fabrics cost much less.”
Kandoras made from Japanese Sibeko material — a cotton and polyester mix — are in demand since it is the most comfortable to wear.
At Jabal Arafat Tailors, the price of a single adult kandora can range from Dh160-Dh300. said Majid Abdullah.
“We start getting orders for Eid kandoras at the beginning of Shaaban [a month before Ramadan],” he said. “On usual days, we get a 50-60 per cent workload, but during the Ramadan season, we have a 100 per cent load.”
Abdullah added that most orders come in as early as two months before Ramadan. Customers know that the shop will not accept new orders placed during Ramadan since it’s shop policy, he explained.
Similarly, attire for women, specifically abayas, is also in high demand for Eid celebrations.
Head designer and owner of Sweety Designer Abaya, Sheila Chitra Amarnani, told Gulf News that the Eid collection is released in their stores two weeks before Ramadan to give people time to purchase their new abayas for Eid Al Fitr.
“During this time, there is a 25 per cent increase in sales, with the most popular nationality of customers after Emiratis being GCC nationals and South Africans,” said Amarnani.
With tailor-made and customised orders taking between four to five days, the store offers a range of off the rack abaya designs for international tourists and last-minute shoppers. “We have off-the-rack abayas in a variety of sizes, lengths and designs that can be slightly altered by our in-house tailors to fit the customer on the spot,” said Amarnani. Among the most popular abaya materials used is a combination of polyester and cotton known as “nida”, along with chiffon and beading work.
Amarnani pointed out that the price for a new abaya at her store ranges between Dh800-Dh2,000 depending on the style. This Eid, one of the latest trends at Amarnani’s store is abayas with denim-incorporated designs.
Mohammad Sukkarieh, general manager of Geelato Abaya store located on Financial Centre Road, pointed out that coloured abayas are a part of his store’s latest Eid collection. The high season, he said, begins a month before Ramadan, and customers who want a customised or tailored abaya should make their requests at least two weeks in advance during the rush season.
Their most regular customers are Emiratis and GCC nationals, especially in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah, but the Dubai branch attracts multinational customers, he said.
While prices range according to design, Sukkarieh said an average price for an abaya at his store is Dh1,800.
Popular abaya store Hanayen, located in malls across the UAE, is also carrying the trend of colourful abayas. Ali Khalil, marketing and PR manager, explained that popular fabrics used at the store include Japanese crepe, cotton linen, silk, dentelle, nida, and Italian jacquard. Plain abayas at Hanayen start at Dh300 while designer abayas range from Dh800 to Dh25,000.