Kimono fever hits UAE and region

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If the UK’s fashion lovers can do it, so can we.

Following reports from the UK last week that the kimono — or the Western high street interpretation of it, at least — has been the summer’s biggest seller, we decided to investigate sales in the UAE.

And it appears you’re just as much in love with the hippy-ish look as your English sisters, who bought 40,000 a week from New Look this summer.

Paul Dale, business head for New Look, said: “Kimonos have done fantastically well for New Look in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Kuwait.

“Kimonos hit the shop floor in April and since then we’ve sold 17,000 pieces — about 119 per day across the region.”

The style — which is like a colourful, lightweight jacket, often with fringing or other embellishment — is the perfect summer piece, fitting our need to cover shoulders from chilly air conditioning and out of respect for local culture.

The 2014 kimono established its credentials at hipster hunting grounds such as the Coachella music festival, but you don’t have to be Kate Moss to wear one.

“Kimonos are very versatile, working as a spring jacket, a lightweight cover up, or, with a belt, as a dress. It doesn’t matter what size or shape you are, you can wear it. Every now and then an item comes along that makes sense for quite a lot of people and everybody buys it,” said Francesca Muston, head of retail and product analysis at the trends agency WGSN.

Original article by Natalie Long

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Kimono fever hits UAE and region