‘Arrogant attitude’ from established Arab designers and fashion businesses is one of the biggest issues hindering the growth of the Middle Eastern fashion scene, according to Jacob Abrian, CEO of non-profit organisation Arab Fashion Council (AFC).

Speaking to Arabian Business, Abrian said Arab fashion designers and businesses do not offer enough support for up and coming regional brands, especially when compared to the backing new designers receive in fashion capitals such as Milan.

Clothes shopping as a teenager was a nightmare for me. There were the usual teen concerns about body image, budget, and whether my booty would fit in my jeans (booty hadn’t hit the mainstream in the early 2000s). But there was also the additional challenge that uniquely faced young Muslimahs (Muslim women) like me: almost nothing in stores was suitable for my hijabi needs.

Islamic Banks

Dubai: The strong asset growth witnessed by the GCC’s Islamic banks in recent years is expected to moderate from this year and converge with the low single-digit growth of their conventional peers, according to a recent assessment by rating agency Standard & Poor’s.

The rating agency expects that in the absence of major geopolitical risks, the financial profiles of Islamic banks across GCC countries will stabilise through 2018.