Dar Al Khouyout Fashion
Dar Al Khouyout Fashion
Sartorial Elegance
“Look for new and innovative ideas and always ensure that quality products and services are provided”, says Nadia Ali Said Al Ajmi.
Her love for designing clothes for women, including abayas and dresses, led her to open a business in the field of garments and textiles, despite holding a PhD in Philosophy of Special Education.
Nadia Al Ajmi, owner of Dar Al Khouyout Fashion located in the Wilayat of Sohar, said, “Sketching and designing women’s clothing was my favourite hobby from a young age. Over the years my hobby grew and it is something I am very proud of. With my knowledge of women’s attire and passion for distinctive designs, I began tailoring abayas and dresses from home. I subsequently gained experience and built a good client base in Sohar, as well as other Wilayats in the Sultanate”.
Due to her early success in the field – although starting from home, and armed with the encouragement of her family and friends, Nadia later opened a retail store in 2012 in Sohar, which sold and tailored garments for women. The business was initially funded by a small capital that Nadia kept apart from her monthly revenue. Nadia also imported ready-made clothes from neighbouring countries, based on the demand of her customers, and sold them at affordable prices. Since she had already built a loyal customer base, the word-of-mouth from satisfied clients quickly expanded her business. It also became apparent that customers preferred to purchase imported garments from her store rather than travelling to other countries, or buying online without first trying them. All the while, Nadia continued her hobby of designing custom-made abayas and dresses.
Nadia joined Zubair SEC in 2016 and applied to the Direct Support Programme in 2017. Due to her solid feasibility study and clear-cut business objectives, Nadia was successfully chosen to be one of the ten members of the Programme for 2017. Commenting on the collaboration with Zubair SEC to develop her business, Nadia says, “After joining Zubair SEC and attending advisory meetings and workshops, I was further enlightened about business. When I applied to the Direct Support Programme, I needed financial and technical support to ensure the stability of my business in the way I had envisioned it. I succeeded in earning a place amongst the ten members who were chosen for the programme, and this allowed me to start a new journey alongside the Centre, focusing mainly on the development of my business on various levels”.
Currently, Nadia aims to expand her project within the Wilayat of Sohar, with the support of Zubair SEC. She also believes that social media platforms are influential in reaching customers outside the Wilayat. As she now receives orders on social media platforms, where her designs and clothing are displayed, she offers delivery services to her clients. After joining the Direct Support Programme, she worked with Zubair SEC on developing a new brand for her business (Dar Al Khouyout) and accordingly reflected the brand identity in a new décor and expansion of her shop and the relevant accessories and branding collateral. Nadia believes that the growth of a business requires patience and determination to overcome the challenges facing entrepreneurs every day. For Nadia, the challenges included fierce competition, expatriate labour, weak capital resources and an over reliance on Eid festivals, and peak-school and summer seasons. She considers complicated procedures and requirements for registering a business some of the key challenges facing small businesses. Obtaining permits and paying the required license fees can often be burdensome.
Given her experience, Nadia proposes a simpler solution for entrepreneurs; a one card for the SME, paid for one time, that simplifies all the required approvals and permissions from the relevant authorities. This, she believes, would be of great assistance to entrepreneurs launching their new business. Today, Nadia’s entrepreneurial vision has led her to start laying the first blocks for a new business that specialises in designing furnishings for wedding halls. Zubair SEC is also working with Nadia to stage a fashion show to launch her new collection soon.
As an advice for budding entrepreneurs who dream of opening small businesses, Nadia states, “Look for new and innovative ideas and always ensure that quality products and services are provided, and keep equipping yourself with knowledge and expertise in marketing; those are some of the success factors for any business.”
“I worked with Zubair SEC on developing my own business brand. With the financial grant by the programme, I expanded my store, purchased four new sewing machines and imported new textiles from Saudi Arabia. These materials are unique and will be the first of a kind in the Sultanate. Also, I am working on the development of a website and a fashion catalogue for my designs”, says Nadia Ali Said Al Ajmi.