Maddy Kaur The celebration of Arab-owned brands during Women’s History Month shows the artistic talent and business skills that originate from the Middle East and its diaspora. The female entrepreneurs create products which change worldwide beauty standards and demonstrate how heritage serves as a contemporary branding tool and these women-led businesses create a significant international effect through their luxury couture and high-performance skincare product lines.
Huda Beauty (Huda Kattan)
Huda Kattan started her beauty blog in Dubai which grew into her billion-dollar makeup business and the brand operates as a global beauty leader which specializes in high-coverage foundations and their liquid lipstick product called “Trendsetter” which created a new beauty standard for modern makeup.
Kayali (Mona Kattan)
Mona Kattan established a perfume house which uses the Middle Eastern practice of “fragrance layering” as its foundation. Kayali produces scents with intricate design through its Vanilla | 28 scent which showcases the deep aromatic heritage of Arabic fragrance traditions to international customers.
Andrea Wazen (Andrea Wazen)
This Lebanese shoe designer has become a favorite among Hollywood A-listers. Her footwear line features see-through PVC designs which create elegant styles and her products show that Middle Eastern luxury brands can compete with leading Italian fashion brands.
Shiffa (Dr. Lamees Hamdan)
Shiffa started in Dubai as a dermatology business which combines organic products with premium skin care treatments. The worldwide popularity of Dr. Hamdan’s pregnancy body oil establishes Arab brands as pioneers in developing effective skincare products which maintain clean ingredients.
Muzungu Sisters (Dana Alikhani)
Dana Alikhani established a brand which creates handmade fashion items with ethical material sources. The artisans create slow fashion items which use traditional craftsmanship and fair trade practices for luxury goods distribution throughout the world.
L’Afshar (Lilian Afshar)
Lilian Afshar designs architectural box clutches which look like marble, and her designs have been used by many world-famous stars. The brand shows the modern artistic side of Middle Eastern design through its dedicated focus on creating distinct textile designs and structured design patterns.
Simihaze Beauty (Simi and Haze Khadra)
The Palestinian twin sisters who founded this brand started their DJ career to create a beauty line which combines minimalism with maximalism. The brand became famous among young tech-savvy fashion fans through its eye stickers and stylish packaging which can be stacked.
Okhtein (Mounaz and Aya Abdel Raouf)
The Egyptian sister duo launched their luxury handbag company which features Islamic art patterns combined with traditional brasswork design elements. The clutch has gained international fame through its appearance on numerous global celebrities who showcase Egyptian heritage at red carpet events.
Nadine Kanso (Bil Arabi)
Arabic calligraphy serves as a design element for Nadine Kanso’s jewelry creations which he makes. The brand Bil Arabi transforms Arabic letters into fashion items which enable people to display their personal identity together with their cultural heritage in an advanced fashion.
Hindash Cosmetics (Mohammed Hindash)
The brand began through a male artist but his female audience base now drives its operations because the company sells “pro-level” makeup tools to everyone. The Beautopsy palette of his company becomes a crucial element used in professional makeup kits to display the artistic skills that show up in Dubai-owned art programs.
