There’s cause for celebration this Monday, August 28 besides back-to-school season. It’s Emirati Women’s Day – the annual celebration of the great strides women of the UAE have made across walks of life. Over the years, Emirati Women-Owned Businesses have been flourishing, with women breaking gender norms and cultural barriers to excel in fields such as fitness, films, fashion and technology.
Is Emirati Women’s Day different from International Women’s Day?
Yes. Emirati Women’s Day was launched in 2015 by Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Al Ketbi, the Mother of the nation to honour women’s contributions to the UAE’s progress and to dispel stereotypes and misconceptions about women in the region and shine a spotlight on the rights and opportunities they enjoy. It’s celebrated every year on August 28.
Now that you’re up to speed on the importance of Emirati Women’s Day here are 18 Emirati Girl Bosses you can support.
1. Vanilla Sukkar Cafe
Dubai’s bakery enthusiasts are all sweet on the sourdough bread from this bakery by Emirati mother-daughter duo Dr. Kaltham Kenaid and Fatma Saifan. Located in Jumeirah, this cosy cafe is the UAE’s first Emirati sourdough bakery and it’s stashed with books, plants and delicious baked goods such as savoury danishes, focaccia, cookies and cakes that are all free of commercial yeast. On weekends, fun matcha and painting workshops turn the space into a creative hub.
📍Al Thanya Street, Umm Al Sheif, Jumeirah, Dubai
2. Arcadia by Amna
Coming from an illustrious business family (Al Habtoor Motors) Amna Al Habtoor’s nose for business took a literal turn when she switched gears from running the automobile operations’ marketing and comms to launching her own sustainable perfumery brand in 2015. Arcadia’s sustainable artisanal scents are unisex and are all structured around the theme of nostalgia and memories and retail globally. The range also includes candles and gift sets.
📍Dar Wasl, Dubai
3. Maitha and Treats, Online
Emirati dessert creator Maitha Alowais believes gluten-free vegan desserts don’t have to be bland and boring. The plant-based nutritionist and vegan baker inherited her grandma’s love for baking and her delicious recipes but digestive issues over the years drove her to find healthier variants of beloved treats. Now she shares those scrummy sugar-free bites with the world and teaches people about gut health through her Instagram account and online store.
Where: Shop here
4. Sana Al Maktoum Fine Jewellery, Online
For H.H. Sheikha Sana Al Maktoum, living like a princess means stepping out of ivory towers and paving one’s own path to success. She did that by creating an eponymous fine jewellery line fit for a princess. The graceful pieces incorporate healing crystals and delicate feminine motifs like butterflies that are a tribute to Sheikha Sana’s grandmother. You can shop for them online.
Where: Shop here
5. Odeem, Al Safa
This Dubai-based luxury handbag brand was founded by Fatima Al Otaiba and creates timeless, classic clutches, totes, bucket bags and more that make for glamorous arm candy. Handcrafted from sumptuous exotic leathers, the brand that launched in 2020 has managed to survive Covid-19 and carve a niche for itself amongst the city’s fashionistas. This Emirati women-owned business dreams of being to UAE what Chanel is to France, so bag one of these now.
📍MSM Building 2, Office 215, Al Safa First, Sheikh Zayed Road
6. Twisted Roots
This clothing brand by Emirati-Danish designer Latifa Al Gurg has been making headlines since it first launched in 2014. The womenswear brand blends Emirati heritage and influences from Latifa’s travels to create travel-friendly attire that doesn’t compromise on trendiness. The label grabbed eyeballs after winning the competition to design and develop uniforms for Expo 2022 and dress up its staff and volunteers.
Where: Shop here
7. The Hundred Wellness Centre, Jumeirah
This wellness and pilates studio holds the honour of being the first Pilates studio owned by an Emirati woman. Founder Asma Hilal Lootah, is an avid sportswoman who has scaled peaks beyond entrepreneurial achievements in the healthcare industry – in 2009, she climbed Mount Fuji, Japan’s highest mountain. Besides Pilates, the centre offers an array of services and therapies such as Chiropractic bodywork, Homeopathy, Naturopathy, DNA testing, light therapy and more.
📍Jumeirah Beach Road, 53 B Street, Villa 21, Jumeirah 1, Dubai
8. Cinema Akil, Al Quoz
The UAE’s only independent arthouse cinema theatre is one of the crowning glories of artsy Alserkal Avenue. The brainchild of Butheina Kazim, Cinema Akil screens foreign films and movies that open audiences up to a world beyond mainstream Bollywood and Hollywood flicks. The venue frequently hosts film festivals and community activations that bring film buffs of Dubai together.
9. She Burger, Al Wasl
Sheikha Eissa’s homegrown burger outlet’s delicious nosh has floored even H.H. Sheikh Hamadan. The business that was a foodie’s secret and ran out of a home kitchen in Mirdiff now has an ardent following on social media and long queues of hungry patrons waiting patiently for the burger brand’s monstrous fries, shakes and signature burgers. And to think it all started one evening when Sheikha Eissa flipped out a few burgers for her brother and his friends now spreading its wings internationally to Riyadh.
📍Dar Wasal Mall – Al Wasl – Dubai
10. Shiffa Beauty, Various locations
Dr. Lamees Hamdan’s natural skincare line shook up Dubai’s reputation as a beauty industry focused only on cosmetic treatments. Unable to find an organic skincare line that was safe but also powerfully anti-ageing, Dr. Lamees, who’s a medical doctor, decided to take matters into her own hands and create a pregnancy body oil that’s one of the brand’s best-sellers to date.
Where: Sephora stores and here
11. Human and Beings, City Walk
Powerful female friendships are the foundation of this concept store in City Walk. BFFs (and Emirati nationals) Hamda Abbas, Zainab Al Shaikh and Mariam Al Khan turned their forever bond into one of business with a unique store that stocks hand-picked collections of footwear, accessories, homeware, beauty products and clothing from around the world. This Emirati women-owned business is a space where you can chill out with your best friend.
📍6727+VC5 – Al Wasl, City Walk, Dubai
12. Cocoville, Meydan
Ayesha Al Hashmi’s boutique chocolate shop is one of the city’s favourites for artisanal chocolates and desserts. The banker-turned-entrepreneur’s eatery is known for its handmade truffles, and chocolate drinks made from luxury French chocolate brand Valrhona. But their calling card to the world is the signature dessert called coco pod, a dramatic dry-ice-filled chocolate pod that’s cracked open by pouring molten chocolate over it.
📍 Nad Al Sheb 1st, Meydan, Dubai
13. Mitts and Trays, Various Locations
Chef-owner Amna Al Hashemi is a trailblazing figure in the UAE’s dining scene – she’s first female chef in the UAE to have launched her own restaurant. Mitts and Trays, which started off as a home bakery after Amna left her job in PR and trained at the International Centre for Culinary Arts, now has three thriving branches across the city.
📍 Bluewaters, City Walk and Dubai Hill
14. 202, Gardenia Rd, Online
This range of artistic handmade soap made of botanical ingredients was a result of Hend Al Hashemi’s desire to provide a clean and healing bodycare range. Inspired by traditional Arabic medicine and hygiene rituals products are made from ingredients such as camel milk, olive oil, yoghurt, castor oil, aloe vera, honey, black seed oil, etc. that boast medicinal properties. The line includes everything you need for a spa-like bath time: soaps, body butter, oils, body butter, bath salts, and scrubs.
Where: Shop here
15. Grind Coffee and Roastery House, Last Exit Khawaneej
Female F&B powerhouses Deem Albassam and Amal Al Marri (Emirati), the same brains behind SALT, birthed this homegrown coffee concept. Sticking to their winning hyperlocal theme with Grind too, every cuppa served at this cafe is made from local beans that are micro-roasted daily. But the end results are more than just regular black coffees and cold brews. You’ll be sipping on innovative blends like cereal lattes and s’mores cups.
📍 Al Khawaneej Walk, Dubai
16. Soul Interior Studio, Dubai Design District (d3)
This UAE-born interior design practice is led by Shafia Alkhyeli and has offices in both Dubai and Madrid. Trained in Madrid, Shafia brings her expertise in vintage Andalusian design and aesthetic to Dubai’s restaurants and homes.
📍Dubai Design District Building 4B – Office 405
17. The Paintly Store, Online
This online fashionwear and lifestyle store is the creation of Emirati multidisciplinary artist Maisoon Al Saleh. Limited edition art is transformed into affordable, unique pieces of clothing for men and women. The brand’s focus on exclusivity ensures each design in a collection is limited to only one item per size. And to top that, collections are only dropped on the 25th of every month. Chances of twining with a stranger when you’re dressed in Paintly’s collections are slim to none.
Where: Shop here
18. Peacefull
The award-winning skincare range by Emirati influencer and social media personality Salama Mohamed makes Korean skincare tech work for Middle Eastern weather and skin sensitivities specific to the region. Pumped with natural ingredients like oat kernel and mugwort, the clean, skin-friendly formulas for the brand were developed as a result of Salama’s embracement of her vitiligo and her lifelong hunt for inclusive beauty brands that suited her sensitive skin. The best part? Both men and women can use Peacefull’s unisex skincare range.
📍Available at Sephora stores, Tryano Abu Dhabi