Dubai: UAE-based startup CanCan is revolutionising the way the kandoora – a traditional dress worn by Arab men – is being manufactured and sold.
The company uses AI (artificial intelligence) body-scanning technology to take accurate measurements through a mobile phone camera and delivers a kandoora in four days. Nearly 4,000 customers have already registered on the platform, and the app has been downloaded over 10,000 times.
Backed by UAE-based businessman Sultan Al Darmaki, the startup was founded in 2019 by four Emirati entrepreneurs who identified a gap in the kandoora-buying market.
“The pandemic, new technology, and fast-paced lifestyles have dramatically changed consumer shopping trends. Our high quality, time-saving, wallet-friendly service provides an alternative to a physical visit to a tailor and helps the environment by cutting car journeys and reducing fuel consumption,” said Saleh Hamed, Co-Founder and Managing Director of CanCan.
Currently, Kuwaiti and Arabic/Emirati styles are available in a wide range of materials and colours, with additional ranges in the pipeline as the company expands to enter new markets and reflect other countries’ styles and preferences.
Sultan Al Darmaki, Chairman of Al Darmaki Group, is also one of the investors.
“CanCan is living proof that homegrown ideas and concepts work in the UAE and internationally, and are a catalyst for others to take risks and explore new territory,” said Al Darmaki. “The team is harnessing innovation to deliver a product that is integral to our culture in a way that suits today’s fast-paced lifestyles and consumers’ increasing reliance on technology.”
