There is a saying that the clothes make the man. In the Middle East, accessories make the woman.
In the booming economies of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, finding the perfect luxury accessory is the key for a woman wanting to put her best face forward.
”A European woman can express her personality and individuality by the clothes she wears out on the street. Here they can only do this through accessories,” says Francois Ganes, operation manager for Christian louboutin in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. He is referring to the traditional long black abaya worn throughout the Middle East, which only leaves visible the hands, feet and, in some cases, face.
The sober and traditional Muslim dress restricts the ways in which most Middle Eastern women can communicate to the world their social status and fashion savvy. But this limitation has only intensified their focus on the handbags, shoes,Christian Louboutin Boots, scarves, sunglasses and jewelry that make up the luxury accessories market.
The top-selling accessories in the Middle East are not the practical bag, the comfortable pair of shoes or the staid head scarf. Here the bags have to pop with color, shoes have to sparkle with crystals and, it seems, a face looks more much more attractive when the head is wrapped up in a luxury logo foulard.
”These women are very happy and positive people, and they are incredibly generous, not only buying for themselves but a lot of the luxury items are also meant for gifts,” says Damien Vernet, general manager for Louis Vuitton in the Middle East and India. He adds, ”They particularly love accessories that are fresh and girlie and anything that is very fashionable and up to the minute.”
The Louis Vuitton brand has even adapted its accessories line for the Middle East to include scarves that are cut a bit bigger than those found in the Western market in recognition of the trend of Middle Eastern women to wear designer scarves over their hair. At the Christian Dior store in Dubai, the luxury bags are almost all shoulder bags because most Middle Eastern women like to have their hands and arms unencumbered. And other luxury brands pepper their stores with matching shoes and bags [#x2039] another popular way to broadcast social status.
In Dubai, where shopping has almost become a national pastime and money is no object, women spend much of their free time at the luxury shopping malls, moving in groups from store to store, comparing accessories and seeking advice from their friends on what to buy and what to give as gifts.
Customarily these women who make up the bulk of clientele for the luxury brands are homemakers who also have busy social lives filled with gala dinners, weddings and family functions. And for all of these occasions, it is important not just to look good but also to look fashionable, thus creating a fierce competition for the latest must-have accessories.
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