Q&A: Ahmed Owais
I stumbled upon Koshtban’s Facebook page recently and it actually took me a while to understand the awesomeness of the idea. It’s a great fashion concept and it’s the first time I’ve seen it in the Middle East. When I saw the cute guy behind the concept, I had to do an interview. Here is what the chatty Ahmed told me:
Tell us about yourself.
My name is Ahmed M. Owais. I’m Palestinian and was born and raised in the UAE. I am 29-years-old and graduated from AUS in Jun. 2006 majoring in International Studies with a minor in Literature. Currently, I work in insurance as the Head of Assurance at Takaful Emart Insurance Company and I am the proud owner of Koshtban Tailoring.
How, when and what inspired you to start Koshtban?
Koshtban is the first dedicated store in Dubai and the UAE for fashion alteration (clothes, shoes, bags, hats, etc…) – repair, re-style and re-size.
Dubai is the city of new ideas, so I wanted to open my own business and I wanted it to be one-of-a-kind, not copying other ideas. I am a person who loves fashion and I always have ideas and tweaks that I want to apply to my own stuff. It used to be hard to find someone to execute that for me.
When you find someone, they are all located in old Dubai where traffic is bad, there are no places to park your car and it’s non-experts trying to apply new, trendy ideas. For fixing clothes you go somewhere, to fix bags you go somewhere else – if, of course, you find someone in the first place – and for shoes, it’s the same story.
So the idea was born that Dubai needs a single place to do all these things and it would be lovely if it was between old Dubai and new Dubai where there is easy access, easy parking and no traffic. A place that would service all your fashion needs under one roof as well as a place that is friendly, fashionable and trendy.
But Koshtban wasn’t unique yet, it was missing something. That something was the delivery service. No other place does this in the UAE and I really mean it. I’ve never heard of anywhere that provides such services for tailoring.
And here Koshtban was born in Barsha (the hub between new Dubai and old Dubai), with every tailoring service available under one roof. We also have the delivery express service and the emergency service, where Koshtban will come to you at any time, anywhere to fix your problem on the spot. Last but not least, I wanted to serve society. Koshtban donates clothes from our customers to those who are less fortune. We fix the items to make them look new and send them to those in need.
Tell us about the Koshtban name.
I wanted an Arabic name for my business. I was always fascinated with our rich Arabic language so an Arabic name was a must. After that, I wanted a name that described the nature of my business itself, so I started listing names of tailoring tools like thread, needle, etc. until my mom, God bless her, told me about Koshtban.
I loved the sound – it’s different. And I came to know that it is a very old name – typically, only old people use or know it. That made me even more excited about the name because it’s unique and it gave me the chance to bring back this wonderful word…
At Koshtban, you can re-design, fix, renovate, invent and add anything you dream of in fashion, and that’s what differentiates us.
What was the most exciting thing that happened to you through your business?
That I become the talk of the city and Koshtban became the ultimate solution for any fashion problem. Also, having my own TV segment on the most important TV station in the Arab world.
What are the challenges you faced to start Koshtban?
The usual challenges when you start your own business, but the most difficult was that at first, no one believed in Koshtban and they tried to put me down.
Where do you see Koshtban in five years?
As an international brand with my own line of businesses.
What is your favorite quote?
“Kill them with success and bury them with a smile.”
WE SAID THIS: Don’t miss our interview with KSA fashion blogger Ghalia Mahmoudi, the lovely lady behind Vogue Overdosed.
