Going Places: Fabric for all

Kavitha S. Daniel comes across a fascinating range of materials at the Zayani textile market in Abu Dhabi

It may not be easy to shop for clothes in Abu Dhabi. Despite the glitzy, tinsel flaked upmarket malls and the spiffy branded stores, some expats find the going tough. Not just that the prices at the malls are dizzying but ready-to-wear western outfits may just not figure in their wardrobes.

Very often, expats and even tourists head to the Zayani textile market in Abu Dhabi (behind Hamdan street and Al Mariah cinema). This market sports nothing but a clump of shops lining the ground floors of a number of colourless, squat residential buildings standing cheek by jowl.

The bundles of materials stacked in these shops may seem confusing and uninspiring at first glance for the untrained eye.

But, it's here you can find an amazing and fascinating range of fabric in varying colours and designs. There's a plethora of synthetics in plains and in pretty flowered patterns, chiffons of all types marble to printed, crepes in blacks, greens and browns, nets and lace materials, the stark whites for suits and kanduras, jersey cloth, popular tiger prints in black and white, the plain polyesters, cotton checks, hakoba and georgette.

Observed Natalia Vanspall, a young Indian woman shopping at Zayani one weekday afternoon, "The variety of fabric in this market is fantastic. You can make any outfit you want out of them – from salwar suits to trousers."

Visiting the Zayani market five to six times a month, Vanspall loves to shop here because the materials are "inexpensive" and "durable".

It's here that expats, especially Indians, Pakistanis, Sudanese, Filipinos and Sri Lankans, inevitably weave their way to add volume to their wardrobes.

"It just does not make sense to buy formal ladies suits at branded stores because it works out to be extremely expensive. Instead, it's much more economical to buy material here and get them tailored," pointed out Farida S., a smartly dressed woman banker who is a regular in this area.

You can pick up extremely chic, plain black cotton or grey striped material for just Dh2 or Dh3 a yard and turn them into a formal women's suit complete with matching shirt or skivy in plain whites, beiges, reds or any other colour in different fabrics – all working to less than Dh130.

The Zayani market is also a favourite stop for expats before they head home for their vacations.

For this place turns out to be the ideal spot to pick up cheap and quality material as gifts at just Dh2 per yard. "You can find really good stuff in these shops, especially if you are in the habit of browsing around in these shops regularly," said Seema, another avid Zayani market fan.