The Homegrown Designer
BOUGUESSA
Inspired by her seamstress grandmother and mentored by Roland Mouret, French-Algerian designer Faiza Bouguessa creates three collections a year from her Dubai Design District studio. The minimalist space also functions as a showroom for Bouguessa’s quietly elegant tailoring, fluid dresses and cool separates, with plenty of sharply contemporary takes on modest wear.
THE STREETWEAR HITS
SHABAB LABORATORY
Shabab Intl is the breakout star of the Gulf’s growing appetite for streetwear, and what started as photographer Cheb Moha’s side-hustle line of caps has quickly expanded into football-inspired jerseys, bowling tops and more. This new Alserkal Avenue space is more than just the place to pick up the latest drops and collabs, but also a listening room, workshop and library, and an extension of the Shabab world.
AMONGST FEW
After hitting up Shabab, you’ll find the hypebeasts at Amongst Few – another Dubai name serving up the Arab zeitgeist. This concrete-heavy reimagined villa is the backdrop for the brand’s graphic tees and hoodies, while through a ‘secret’ tunnel at the back of the store is a dedicated sneaker room. With fits in check, there’s also a barbershop, café and private music studio to kick back in.
MAD KICKS
Sneakerheads should make a beeline to Dubai’s Box Park for Mad Kicks, which is lined with plastic-wrapped Travis Scott Air Jordans and Nike x Off-White limited runs. What you might not guess, given the pristine condition of every pair, is that this is a consignment marketplace – giving fans a second chance at copping that rare drop they missed.
