When you walk down the high street of Cardiff, the burgeoning impact of Middle-Eastern fashion might not be the first thing that jumps out at you. Past the coffee shops and catalogued retailers, the growing influence of urban and Eastern styles on fashion has been adopted by more and more high-end brands.
Annual fashion sales in the Middle East’s Gulf Cooperation Council, which consists of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, amount to roughly $50bn marking it almost equal to the UK, which in 2020 saw £45bn spent on clothing and textiles.
Typically, the region tends to be an importer of fashion trends, but with a number of prominent designers such as Elie Saab and Rabih Kayrouz growing on the international stage, more traditional apparel is being woven into modern designs.
However, one Welsh entrepreneur is looking to take the history and legacy of Eastern culture and merge it with modern Western fashion.
30-year-old Haitham Shamsan from Cardiff, is a designer and Founder of Brand Bespoke Design Studios. Haitham, who is of Middle Eastern descent, had long thought of the concept of combining the popular cultures through fashion, but it was whilst he was completing his Graphic Communications course at the University of South Wales, Cardiff, that he felt the time was right to properly invest in it.
After sketching out the concepts and taking the time to properly research his audience and the vision for the brand, he launched Double Crossed Clothing, with the desire to create an iconic design that brought two worlds together.
Haitham said: “Being a designer I’ve seen how powerful a brand can be when people feel they can unite behind it. This is especially true in clothing – what you put on your back isn’t just about staying warm and looking good, it’s a visual representation of you. The saying that you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression is true, and what you wear is a big part of that.
“I would constantly search for clothing that represented the values and ethos that are important to me – culture, heritage, sustainability – but there are very few brands out there that meet all those standards.
“There is so much history, humanity and culture in the ancient patterns of the Middle East, and I truly feel that when I wear them. I wanted to create a way to maintain that sense of being moved by what I wear – and the concept of merging east with west seemed natural.
“So many brands lean on the image of urban and eastern culture, but few truly represent or give back to the communities they base themselves around. That’s where Double Crossed will be different – 10% of our profits will be donated to the charities that are part of the communities we represent. We’re also aiming to create profit share initiatives that support positive action campaigns, to help our brand become a driving force for good.”
Haitham said his designs had already begun to make headway, having spoken to a number of high-profile urban music and sports stars, but the next step was to grow their audience and build the business into a global brand.
“It’s still early days for the brand, but we are in positive talks with a number of London retailers, as well as some independent Welsh retailers that we feel are the right fit.
“We’ve launched and are ready to go, so the next few months will see us really hone in on our marketing activity – getting the brand out there to the audience we represent. Instagram is massive for the fashion industry – you only have to look to fitness brands such as Gymshark to see what can be accomplished when you place the right product, with the right people at the right time.
“We’re excited to play our role in bringing two cultures together; creating unity in diversity through fashion.”
