Why skirts sell among Dubai labourers

Dubai: The males-only neighbourhood of Al Muhaisnah may be an unlikely place for women to shop for long skirts or leggings. Yet many do just that because of a strict dress code at the DHA medical fitness centre here.

Women who come ‘inappropriately dressed’ to the Muhaisnah Centre have two choices – either go back or find a suitable dress to cover their legs. And that’s where supermarkets and groceries around the labour camps come into the picture, with some selling up to 20 skirts a day.

Akbar who runs a grocery in a worker accommodation not far from the Medical Fitness Centre said he has never had a dull day.

“It’s funny; we sell womens-wear in an area where there are no women, but it makes perfect business sense,” said Akbar.

Leggings cost Dh15 while wrap-arounds and long skirts go for Dh20 to Dh25.

“I have kept the prices low, but some shops exploit customers by charging Dh50 apiece. People are so desperate they don’t mind paying even that,” he added.

Shopkeepers at the nearby Maafi supermarket said they make between Dh300 and Dh500 daily. “Most women who come for residency visa medical tests are not aware of the rules. When they are turned away, they come straight to us,” says Zulfiqar who works at the supermarket.

“It’s not difficult for people to find us as everybody here knows we sell womenswear. They are often guided to our shop by security guards at the fitness centre.”

Indian schoolteacher Sandhya Singh, 31, who was recently turned back because she wore a ‘knee-length’ skirt, said had it not been for the shops she would have had to come back again for her medical test. “Luckily I found this supermarket from where I picked a long skirt. I changed in the car and was let in,” she said.

Notice boards saying: “Please wear respectful clothing” are ubiquitous at the centre as in any other government department in Dubai.

An official comment from the DHA was not immediately available, but a DHA staff said that there was no specific rule on the length of a skirt. “All government entities are supposed to follow a standard set of ‘courtesy policies’ but some centres are very strict.”