Raza Beig knows the Middle East’s fashion industry inside and out, which is why, even with an influx of high-street fashion brands in the region, he has been able to lead regional brands Splash and Iconic to success. During the Splash 2015 calendar photo shoot, Style.com/Arabia’s Sofia Guellaty sat down with Beig to talk about the Middle Eastern fashion market, his vision, and the future of the region.
Sofia Guellaty: You are among the entrepreneurs that are most involved in the growth of the regional fashion scene today. What is your vision for the future of the Middle East’s fashion market?
Raza Beig: I think that the fashion market in the Middle East has only gotten its due respect in the last few years, maybe in the last decade. I think that the UAE is, for sure, emerging as a market leader of where fashion is going to be in the future.
We’re still at a very early stage, but the investments which the government is making, and which entrepreneurs like us are making in developing the industry—I think its dividends will be paid off very quickly. By 2020, with the vision of HH Sheikh Mohammed, I do believe that we are going to take some leaps. I believe that Dubai is going to be in line with the international markets very soon—maybe in a decade or so—whether it is in retail or whether it is in design.
There is a lot of work which is happening on the design side with the Dubai Design District. The leadership of this country has a vision and we, in a small way, are trying to look up to that vision, work on it, and hopefully, develop the UAE as a fashion capital like Milan, New York, or London.
But Milan and New York are going down, so maybe this is an opportunity?
That is right. That is why. They look stale, they look played out—been there, done that. Dubai is emerging as a fresh place; it has the beautiful sun, amazing weather and ideal location. And it is very, very glossy. I think that all of this will help. Our investment in fashion is, therefore, very crucial and it’s very important that those of us who have been over here for the last two or three decades make that investment. I am working towards it.
Mass market goods basically sell themselves, but you make a conscious effort to invest in creativity, with the Splash calendar and the Splash fashion show, for instance. Is this a strategy or a desire to step it up?
It’s a strategy. I want my customers to know that even though we sell a dress for 120 dirhams or 200 dirhams, we are capable of creating a lot more. In all honesty, I do believe that if I were in another segment, I would have done just as well because I am a very creative person. Most importantly, I want my customers who buy from Splash to feel like they’re buying from a retailer who knows what fashion is. It’s not about just going and making a blouse, shirt, and skirt—it’s about understanding the trends and giving the customer the right trend at the right time at the right price. So the fashion show and the calendar were just to show what kind of creative juices flow through my organization—whether it’s my team or whether it’s me. I think it’s important and customers are starting to see it.
This is a strategy that H&M and Topshop used with their collaborations and now, their fashion shows. Do you see the market embracing high-fashion in peculiar pieces or going for more standardized, simple pieces?
This depends upon the trend. Every seven years, I believe that there’s a cycle and [after] every three cycles, I see that there are very different graphs that go very high-fashion and then drop to basics. Now, we are at the stage where minimalism or essentials are suddenly “fashion.” Essentials are becoming very important. Very dramatic pieces are not taking center stage, but that doesn’t mean that it’s going to stay like this. I know for sure that in time, it will go back to the “dramas.”
