We sit down with Maha Abdul Rasheed, the entrepreneur behind two of Dubai’s most unique concept stores – Bambah and Zoo. At a time when, vintage was not in the vocabulary of the local market, Abdul Rasheed had the vision and took a risk. Thanks to her foresight and ability to offer one-of-kind pieces, her high-end vintage concept store Bambah now caters to local women who never once thought of buying pre-owned merchandise. Her partner and brother Hussein, also has a knack for specialty collectibles and together they launched Zoo – a contemporary design concept store.
The accomplished young businesswoman has recently launched her own label inspired by vintage fashion, offering up affordable eveningwear and separates made from luxurious fabric. An Egyptian raised in Dubai, Abdul Rasheed has always maintained her Arab identity throughout her work. Here, the entrepreneur tells us about how it all came about, her inspiration and what makes her new label so distinctively chic.
Where did you get the name Bambah?
Bumbah means pink in Egyptian. Souad Housni had a song that الحياة بقا لونها بومبي which resembles joyful life, happiness so that is where I got it. And pink happens to be my favorite color and I thought it is easy to pronounce. It is short and multilingual yet it is Arabic because I wanted to have that feel.
What challenges did you have to face when opening Bambah?
I realized that many people didn’t know what vintage was. The idea of pre worn or pre owned was non-existent. My mom encouraged me to just go with it, test it and see how it goes. We decided to present vintage in a very high-end boutique scene. When people came in they loved the idea of the store, they were shopping not because it is vintage but because it is a cute little boutique that has unique stuff. Nobody would ask me how old the dress is or where it’s from.
What made them want to buy pre-owned merchandise?
They would buy it because it is only one piece, you know? And it was different. We had those eighties blouses and flowy skirts and stuff that you would not see anywhere. So Hamdullah it did so well!
How did you decide to open in a villa rather than a mall?
We chose a one-story residential villa that had a garden and we reconstructed it. We did a really good job in presenting it, which was the most important part. Walking into it was not really like walking into a real vintage store.
Finding incredible vintage pieces is not an easy task, who does the buying?
I do the buying myself, I am the one that travels and I pick everything. I try it on, I steam it and I clean it. Because if you come across one ugly piece or one stinky piece, that is it - nobody is going to come to you again. So when I am buying you can see me, all I do is I smell and I smell because sometimes the smell no matter how much you clean it, it does not go away.
What made you want to start your own label?
Our store inspired me to start my own vintage inspired collection. I started small and I started playing around. The first collection took me 9 months to launch, which is a really long time. I started traveling and choosing fabric. I took a course in London College of Fashion. It was there that I learned how important fabric is - my instructor used to say there is only one rule in fashion: fabric is key. If you have good fabric, you can sell anything - I cannot forget that. So now it is all about the fabric and my fabric is custom made. We develop a pattern and then I integrate it and we print it on the material.
What makes your fabric so special?
I found a really good silk plant in India. I do my own print and that is why it takes so much time but then again I need to maintain this exclusive element - that is my selling point. Going from the transition on vintage to vintage inspired, it needs to have that unique selling proposition.
You maintain your Arab identity throughout all your work. How so?
I am proud that my collection it is made in Dubai, it is designed in Dubai and it is sold in Dubai. This is something that I was so adamant on. Both my parents are Egyptians but they have been outside Egypt for 35 years. I go back to Egypt every now and then but because I have never lived there… I have lived and studied here in Dubai and my boutique is located here as well - I am attached. Egypt is beautiful. This new collection, the fall winter collection is inspired by Aswan. I went there for the first time for New Year’s and I fell in love. Egypt is beautiful and I got so inspired. This whole collection was inspired by Egypt and, specifically, Aswan and the Cataract Hotel, I was so impressed!
Your collections have a strong eveningwear sensibility, why is that?
I wanted affordable eveningwear that still looks good. The whole idea came because in the Middle East we have a lot of glam, eveningwear and weddings. People cannot afford to buy many expensive gowns for all the weddings that they go to because they become disposable. You do not know where to put them and it is the same crowd so you cannot wear them again. When I started doing vintage, a lot of my customers would come in and ask specifically for evening gowns. I would say that 65 to 70 percent of my customers are Emiratis and from the Gulf and this is what they care most about. So this is where the idea came about - I want affordable, glamorous eveningwear.
How do you get inspired for a new collection? Do you follow seasonal trends?
Timeless pieces inspire me but I also try to jump on trends just to stay up-to-date with what is happening around me. I am a big fan of flowers, polka dots and ruffles. For polka dots I always go to Souad Housni for inspiration. She is an Egyptian actress.
Who inspires you?
I would say Grace Kelly for sure. Then there is Jean Patchet, a 1940s model. She is beautiful.
How would you describe your style?
I will always go back to the seventies because I like the bridge between masculine with feminine - the high waist pants, the safari.
