Dubai: Indian expatriate Kishanchand Ramchandani came to the UAE in 1965 with a dream to make money. He was all of 26 years old then. After doing odd jobs, he finally opened a tiny tailoring shop in Bur Dubai’s Meena Bazaar in 1981. In the following years, three generations of his family have lived here in Dubai and made the city their home. Today his son Kamlesh, 53, grandson Lavesh 28, and granddaughter Disha, 23, are keeping alive Kishanchand’s dream.
The vision of Kishanchand has grown from strength to strength, thanks to the father and daughter duo who are making it a reality.
Kamlesh and his daughter Disha have turned Kishanchand’s small shop into a happening bespoke tailoring business in Dubai.
They are quick to admit their success has come all thanks to the land of UAE, its rulers and their vision. “If it was not for the opportunities in this country, we would not have reached where we are,” said Kamlesh.
The Gulf dream
The Ramchandanis are Sindhis from Ajmer in the north Indian state of Rajasthan. Back in the 1960s, many Indians were seeking opportunities to work outside India and the Gulf was just beginning to be a major employment destination. Kishanchand decided to step out of his comfort zone and decided to come to Dubai in search of a job.
Stories of the past
“People from many countries came to the UAE in search of jobs in those times. Indians, especially from Rajasthan, Mumbai and New Delhi, were heading to Dubai. My father too heard about the opportunities here and decided to try his luck. Little did he realise he was joining a group of people who were paving way for generations to come,” said Kamlesh who is chief executive officer and founder of M2M, The House of Bespoke.
“My father had told me many stories of the past. I wish he were alive now to share his tales with you. He inspired me to come to Dubai and start my life here,” said Kamlesh.
Opportunities multiplied in the early 70s right after the UAE Federation was formed.
Textiles and electronics were two main businesses people took up in the 60s, according to Kishanchand. His heart lay in the textile business, although he tried his hands in electronics too. Very soon, he started a tailoring shop in Dubai.
Kamlesh and M2M
Like his father, Kamlesh was also living in Ajmer, before moving to Dubai 35 years ago in 1986. In 2009, he established his own brand of business, M2M - The House of Bespoke.
“The brand caters to a more niche market who are comfortable with the process of customisation and bespoke tailoring,” he says.
M2M - The House of Bespoke was established in 2009 at the heart of Jumeirah. “The main mission of M2M is to tailor bespoke clothing for men in the field of business, art, fashion, government and sports,” Kamlesh said.
“In these years we have been in the business, we have managed to bring a fashion hub for men in Dubai. We have been able to do so by introducing the finest fabrics such as Scabal, Holland & Sherry, Zegna, Cerruti among others to set a standard for men who like to indulge in luxury fabrics using the best bespoke service we have in offer.”
“We have created a comfortable haven for people to visit us, scan through our style guides with a cup of tea,” he added.
This has led to the company opening more shops. “We will soon be opening a branch in Dubai Hills Mall,” Kamlesh said.
“My sole mission with this brand has been to deliver superlative bespoke garments of unique value, characterised by a sense of balance, proportion and finesse. This understanding of the craft of bespoke tailoring enables Kamlesh to deliver the best at this workplace.
The third generation: Disha’s journey
Kamlesh’s daughter Disha, from the third generation of Ramchandanis in the family business, is the founder of Embody - a brand of customised outfits. She says it was only natural for her to follow the family business.
“I have a passion for dressing up people and believe that one should let the clothes wear you!” she says.
“I was personally taken up by the cause of bespoke tailoring. As a petite girl, I struggled to find a perfect fit from off-the-rack clothing. At the same time, we already had a family business of bespoke tailoring. So I thought why not dive in straight and launch my own brand that will give women the best fit feel.”
Disha is a high school graduate from the International School of Choueifat who moved to Boston in 2016 to pursue a degree in business marketing at Northeastern University. In 2020, during the pandemic, she moved back to Dubai. This was in March. Six months later, she had launched her own bespoke brand.
“I guess it is in my DNA to be in the line of clothing business.”
A brand with a purpose
“The sole purpose of Embody is to bring comfort and encourage women to love themselves,” she says.
“I grew up facing different insecurities about myself and my body,” Disha said. “I knew that by bringing a made to measure clothing line for women to Dubai, I could help and encourage women to love their bodies just the way they are, while feeling confident wearing clothes made just for them,” she explained the motive behind her approach.
“How many times have you walked out of the mall feeling conscious about your body when off the rack clothing failed to give the right fitting? I have experienced it many times. That is the prime reason I launched Embody. Because it is a brand which customises every outfit to one’s unique personal measurements, embracing every inch of their body.”
Taking charge of bespoke business
“I hand pick my fabrics, creating the most carefully curated outfits for each of our individual clients. We, at Embody take them through the process of customisation and personalisation. We are a brand with a community of empowered women who encourage self-love amongst one another,” said Disha.
Disha recently launched a new collection for women of all sizes. Le TOI, is Embody’s second collection, and is a story of eight unique women. “Le TOI is entirely YOU. Inspired by the style and uniqueness of eight different women. These women came out of their closet. Women who live to empower and encourage others to be their best selves while entirely loving every inch of their bodies. Not only have these women faced their own insecurities, they have felt that having a go-to brand like Embody, where the clothing sits perfectly on every inch of the body, made them feel less critical of themselves. Embracing the you within is the only aim of the brand. We are here to make women feel more comfortable, confident, and empowered.”
“As a brand we are entirely focused on creating bespoke clothing. The brand’s biggest focus is to encourage, empower and support women around the globe," Disha said.
