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Sharjah's 'tailoring street' houses businesses that have been operating for over 45 years

Some customers fly in from around the Gulf region, like Saudi Arabia and Oman, just to get their hands on the handiwork and semi-affordable prices

In the old district of Al Mujarra, which houses the Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization and Sharjah’s state-of-the-art ‘Rain Room’ art installation, decades-old tailoring and embroidery shops, which continue to produce the traditional Mukhawar, bring in customers from around the region.

Dozens of tailoring and embroidery shops pack the streets of this neighbourhood, focusing solely on tailoring and embroidering the traditional Emirati women’s dress. The Mukhawar is culturally significant for women and remains an important part of the country’s heritage.

Mohammed Adnan, owner of Al Talab Tailoring & Embroidery, is already working on Mukhawar dresses for his customers ahead of the busy season during Ramadan.

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To make the dresses, Adnan brings in rolls of different textiles from Dubai at a cheaper price and employs a designer to create up to 10 different styles of Mukhawar to be sold at his shop.

The women then choose their preferred design, give their sizes to the tailor, and pick them up when ready, usually in a few weeks’ – or months’ – time.

Adnan’s establishment, which was previously his grandfather’s, father’s, and uncle’s shop – in that order – has been operating for more than 45 years. It was previously located in the old souq under a different name, but soon after the family moved it to the Al Mujarra district, where business is booming to this day.

The busiest and most profitable months are during December, January, and February, Adnan said. During the rest of the year, business moves at a slower pace, but it does not stop. Even during the off season, his shop continues to see occasional customers and does not receive any loss, the owner added.

However, businesses earned more previously when there were fewer tailoring shops, he said. Several new embroidery and tailoring ships have sprung up over the years, increasing competition amongst the shop owners.

For customers, this gives them the opportunity to seek out similar designs at lower prices. Even within the same shops, prices vary across the meticulous and intricate styles of embroidery, but shop owners like Adnan keep in mind that some customers come in to tailor multiple dresses at once, so he accepts the lower prices they offer. Haggling is a given in these shops, and Adnan said that not once has a customer agreed to pay the original price he states.

Haggling is a must, says 37-year-old Sara Eisa, who has been visiting these same shops ever since she was a young girl. “We don’t let [the salesmen] choose. We hold on to our prices,” said the Sharjah-based Emirati.

Even with a plethora of ready-made dresses that are sold inside shopping centres and on Instagram, sometimes for cheaper prices, Eisa said: “We like the tailored dresses more than the ready-made ones because they are more distinguished."

Buying the Mukhawar has long been a tradition of hers and her mother’s, and this tradition is passed on to her five girls, whose closets are full of the dresses.

Beyond the many tailoring and embroidery shops, there are also textile shops where women come in to choose the material.

Salman Imran, owner of Al Farhan Textiles, said that he imports textile from China, India, Indonesia, Taiwan, and South Korea. Rolls of fabric of all kinds of colours and designs sit piled next to each other in the small shop. Materials range from cotton, worn for everyday purposes, to silk, which is a more delicate fabric and is usually worn for more special occasions, like Eid gatherings.

Some customers fly in from around the Gulf region, like Saudi Arabia and Oman, just to get their hands on the handiwork and semi-affordable prices these shops are known for, according to many of the owners and salesmen in the area. Others, like many expats in the UAE, visit as well to see the varying range of traditional dresses.

Azza Alsawafi, an Omani native, said she travelled from Oman to Sharjah because of the positive things she heard from an acquaintance who visits these shops regularly. She said that though there exists plenty of tailoring shops in Oman, they are not at the same level as the shops in Sharjah.

Although she has been in the UAE many times for tourism purposes, this is the first time she came to the emirate for the sole purpose of tailoring a dress in the traditional Mukhawar style.

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