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29 March 2024

2 new industry bodies in Dubai

Mohammed Ali Al Kamali and Shahzad Haider during the event. (SUPPLIED)

Published
By Waheed Abbas

Two new industry bodies for fashion and cosmetics have been formed in Dubai in order to give fillip to the industries.

The Fashion Group Arabia (FGA) and Cosmetics Foundation Arabia have been found in line with The Fragrance Foundation Arabia (FFA) to bring retailers, government and other industry players on a single platform and also boost trade.

Shahzad Haider, Chairman of The Fragrance Foundation Arabia, will chair the two bodies.

Haider said the separates bodies have been formed in order to collect data from the sectors and also to closely connect between the industry and the government.

The industry bodies, according to Haider, have been established to channelise and moderate the industry in order to get maximum leverage for the key industry players. The bodies are also aimed at providing a platform to young and established fashion brands for further enhancement in various areas.

“We are working on beauty and fashion segments with not only Dubai Exports but also with SMEs and Department of Economic Development as a whole entity. They are supporting private sector in order to make it more regularized and institutionalized. There is a huge fragrance, beauty and fashion market here; but there is no infrastructure big enough. We are trying in collaboration with Dubai Government to make it some kind of structured industry so that it can go for a long way. At this point, it’s a huge industry but it’s all fragmented. What we are trying to do it to take it to right direction so that we all can work in one direction to make Dubai hub for fragrance, beauty and fashion,” Haider added.

Dubai’s trade in fragrance, beauty and fashion-related sectors in 2013 was worth Dh206 billion, up eight per cent over 2012 while the emirate’s exports and re-exports in these sectors also increased by 10 per cent between 2012 and 2013, according to Dubai Exports.

The figures released by Dubai Exports said that cosmetics trade increased 11.5 per cent to Dh7.3 billion in 2013; fragrance trade was up 11 per cent to Dh5.49 billion while fashion trade shined 7.8 per cent to Dh193 billion last year.

Mohammed Ali Al Kamali, Director of Dubai Exports, said the government is encouraging foreign investments by international brands to have local base of manufacturing.

“(We) are taking holistic approach for development and promotion of fragrance and related sectors. We’re talking with Fragrance Foundation Arabia on how to take Dubai firms in foreign exhibitions in order to have their more exposure,” he said a recent conference.