Call it the collaboration of the summer. Emirati designer Suhail Matar, who launched his first swimwear collection for men last year with his label Velorum, has teamed up with UAE high-fashion online store The Style Chamber to launch five exclusive designs to be sold exclusively on the website. Before the limited-edition collection hits the store this week, The Directory caught up with Matar, and The Style Chamber’s Mariam Al Hamly to talk about their venture and what it means for Emirati talent in fashion.
Q: How did this collaboration come about?
Suhail Matar: The Style Chamber approached me after noticing that I’d been giving hints on social media that I was planning to launch a new line of men’s swimwear followed by last year’s success. We set up a meeting and I pitched what I had in mind and they immediately fell in love with the idea and sketches and we agreed on a collaboration that will be exclusively sold on The Style Chamber website.
Mariam Al Hamly: Once I came on board as marketing director, Suhail was one of the first Emirati designers I contacted as a friend, and who I knew produces the style and quality of products we envision for the website. His bold designs highly reflect the look and feel of The Style Chamber.
Q: What are you feeling this season?
Suhail Matar: The collection is inspired by colourful exotic bandanas that people usually carry or wear when they set out on adventures. I’ve experimented and used the prints on the swim shorts to make it fun and colourful, to reflect the mood of summer.
Q: Tell us more about the campaign you’ve shot for this collection.
A: The idea came from the product itself being made in the UAE. So I thought of collaborating with an Emirati model for this collection. Mansour Al Naqbi has been a good friend and a major supporter of the brand and its different directions and this is the second time I’ve worked with him. We shot the campaign at the Dubai-based Lens Studio owned by Matthew Russell and Huda Zainy.
Q: Suhail, you launched your first swimwear collection last year. How did that go and what did you learn from it?
A: The launch of the first swimwear line was a real success. Believe it or not, I am still re-producing old designs due to the high demand from clients. I’ve learned that I have to keep developing the products in terms of quality and new techniques. That’s why in the new collection clients will notice slight differences in the quality of the product.
Q: Mariam, have you collaborated with other Emirati designers before?
A: Suhail is the first Emirati designer that we are collaborating with and we also carry Magicaim, an Emirati brand with a great marble print shirt collection.
Our women’s division is also working with regional designers such as Lamia Asudari, who has created several one-off pieces for us. We also have the Linda Farrow sunglasses collection by Khaleda Rajab of Bahrain with Fahad Al Marzouq of Kuwait, as well as a debut collection by fashion designer, Maysson Al Otaiba, who is based in London.
We are always open to reviewing products and highly welcome submissions from Emirati and Arab designers because we want to be a platform and strong supporter of regionally grown fashion talent.
Q: How would you say you’ve done so far with the website?
A: The biggest surprise with the website has been the global clientele. We now almost have an equal split between customers from the UAE and the rest of the world. This has forced us to re-examine logistics to ensure we are able to meet their expectations.
Q: What trends have you noticed about men’s buying habits via The Style Chamber?
A: Our male clientele is fairly sophisticated. They pay attention to detail and some come to our products with a lot of prior knowledge about the brands and fit of the clothing, and others are eager to be introduced to the new international labels we showcase.
For menswear, there is a major gap in the region for non-mainstream brands in the mid-to high-end market. Additionally, we need more multi-brand boutiques that serve men in the Middle East.
Q: What next for your website?
A: The Style Chamber intends to be the one-stop shop for labels as well as a global platform for Middle Eastern designers. September will see us at the international fashion week circuit and we are particularly excited about Paris.
Q: Suhail, what next for Velorum?
A: We will soon introduce our updated online store where clients from anywhere in the world can browse every single design that has been made in the last two years and order it in any size. The website will also introduce capsule collections every now and then for both men and women. I had to make this move since I’ve been receiving so many emails from Europe and the USA asking if I have an online store.
For more on the Velorum X The Style Chamber collection, go to thestylechamber.com
