Photo by Alexa Mena/TheGazelle

On Feb. 27 Femi9, a women’s clothing store from Saudi Arabia, opened its first store in the UAE in Dalma Mall in Abu Dhabi on.

Dalma Mall, the largest in Abu Dhabi, is located in Mussafah, a suburb of Abu Dhabi, a 60 AED taxi ride away from Sama tower.

The Femi9 store is located in the rear of the mall on the ground floor. There was a small red carpet and a photographer outside the store where three alternating live models took the place of mannequins in the store window for the night. The models were displaying Femi9’s current line. The event hired NYU Abu Dhabi freshman, Alexandre Bagot to DJ.

Women who entered the store could enrol in a raffle. Prizes included a 200 AED voucher and a celebrity makeover by celebrity stylist Derek Khan.  All the women who entered the raffle were given a gift bag that contained the catalog for Femi9’s new collection and a necklace.

Femi9 originated in Saudi Arabia but now has thirty-seven stores throughout the Middle East. The Femi9 is one of the first Arab brands that attempts to tackle the fast-fashion scene. It does so while respecting the culture many Arab women live in. Though it has expanded, Femi9 has maintained the vision it originally started with, as  Brand Manager Yousra Elwi.

“The vision [of Femi9] is to be … the one brand with Arabian essence, Arabian relevance that has international trends as well. You’ll see a lot of international fashion trends, but customized … or [made] applicable to the tastes of the Arabian woman. We like to celebrate femininity . . . the dresses are elegant and classy. We have the timeless pieces; we don’t follow the … mass trends that might go out with time.”

Femi9 is dissimilar to H&M, New Look, Topshop and Forever 21: the type of women it caters to is distinct from those targeted by well-known fast-fashion stores. Those who look for elegant and chic clothes also designed for the modest culture of the Middle East will find everything they are looking for in Femi9.

NYUAD freshman Mariam Elzoghbi said commented on Femi9’s style.

“Not all the dresses are extra short. There’s long, there’s short ... [Femi9] balances.”

Femi9’s unique appeal was demonstrated to those who attended the event. Both veiled women and girls in short skirts were present. The event was primarily attended by women; however, some men were also present.

The opening event ended with the models picking the prizewinners.