We’ve got luxury hotels to rival the best in the world, beautiful beaches, top-notch restaurants and an art scene that will soon boast outlets of both The Guggenheim and Louvre museums. So what’s missing? Well, despite a number of large malls, a handful of souks and now, a small but regular vintage market, there are still cries to be heard from Abu Dhabi shoppers looking for quirky, boutique-style fashion.
At present, S*uce and Grafika seem to have the monopoly on providing clothing from up-and-coming designers, local talent and left-field labels that fall somewhere between high-end and high-street. But there’s a new name in town: ‘When you come from Europe you miss being able to shop in these individual places,’ says Simone Maluck, who recently launched SelfMade with fellow mum Patrizia Marzi, selling clothing from Milan-based designer Roberta Vincenci. ‘So, for example, I would love to find a little, independent department store that’s split into various sections to include everything from shoes and jewellery to clothes from labels you won’t find anywhere else.’
‘Of course you can buy from Zara, Mango, H&M…or high-end places like Louis Vuitton and Chanel,’ adds Patrizia, ‘but it’s better when you can mix it up and find something different, something unique that only you have. Roberta may have, for example, one dress that is very beautiful, so we ask her to make one or two more. She will make another one but it won’t be exactly the same because she is a designer so every piece is a little different, whether in the choice of fabric or another design detail.’
Both women moved to Abu Dhabi almost two years ago – Simone from Munich and Patrizia from Milan – and quickly bonded over their shared interest in fashion from ‘outside the box’. After thrashing around various ideas about how to fill the gap in Abu Dhabi’s shopping market, Patrizia suggested bringing pieces from the Italian designer to sell at private events around the city. Time Out Abu Dhabi first discovered SelfMade at Sarah’s Flea Market in Mangrove Village, where their mix of trend-led dresses and tailored separates in quirky cuts and finishes caught our eye.
‘What we’re discovering is that people here want to experience different things. Of course you can go to fancy designer events and malls, but to go to a flea market or private villa and buy items that you won’t find anywhere else in the UAE, let alone in Abu Dhabi, is special.’
Like all good entrepreneurs, Patrizia and Simone have a plan to grow their business in accordance with the demand of fashion-conscious shoppers. By collaborating with various other like-minded women – some skilled in jewellery-making, others choosing to sell, as SelfMade do, clothing and accessories by less well-known European designers – Patrizia and Simone have introduced Abu Dhabi residents to the concept of ‘private villa shopping’.
Kitted out with vintage-style lamps, a comfy couch, coffee table and paintings dotted around the walls, a villa in Al Bateen (SelfMade’s shopping event venue for the day of Time Out’s visit), has been welcoming a steady flow of women through its doors during the past 48-hours. Handmade silver jewellery by Kenza (aka Australian mother Natalie Alabakis, whose chunky encrusted rings share a similar goth-rock style to those designed by celebrity king-of-bling Stephen Webster) and Francesca Palma felt clutch bags share floor space with Lisa’s Garden – real name Annalisa Trentadue – who has brought Jenni Pie lingerie and bikinis by Cecilia Libonati to Abu Dhabi. Hanging seductively in smoky peach and pastel shades, the delicate underwear and ever-so-cute camisoles feature velvet patchwork and ribbon detail to tempt the most modest of shoppers. And that’s not all. Contemporary jewellery by Aveen Oghana, whose background in sculpture and travels through Asia, Europe and Latin America have influenced her eclectic range of bespoke pendants and rings; retro-print purses by Lebanon-based phenomenon Sarah’s Bags and of course, SelfMade’s latest spring/summer collection, all occupy an area in the roomy villa.
Rifling through the latest pieces by Roberta Vincenci, it’s immediately evident that quality and finishing are high up on the designers’ agenda. Just as important, Patrizia and Simone have an intrinsic ability to recognise genuine talent. Pucci-style print vests, simple shifts emblazoned with space-age graphics that wouldn’t look out of place in a Peter Pilotto catwalk show, belted gingham dresses with cutaway back detail à la Christopher Kane and fabulous, Erdem-inspired floral dresses are definite highlights. A beautiful, bell-sleeved blue satin skirt suit is another.
There’s little doubt that if these women ever decided to take their wares to Dubai and sell them at Safa Park flea market or one of the other big shopping events in the city, they would triple their profits instantly. But that’s not the point. ‘The fashion scene in Dubai is already well established; we want to be part of something new and bring unique, covetable collections to the stylish women of Abu Dhabi,’ says Simone. And while the ultimate aim of opening their own boutique may be some way off for Patrizia and Simone, in the meantime, shoppers can take full advantage of a new movement paving the way for a diverse, forward-thinking fashion scene in the capital.
For details of forthcoming shopping events, contact Patrizia and Simone at CharismaWanted@gmx.net or (050 123 2307/ 050 441 7754)
