The latest bling trend to hit the Emirates’ highways: foil wrapping

Have you spotted a hot-pink Mercedes G63 cruising down Dubai’s Jumeirah Beach Road lately? Naively referred to as the “box car” by those of us who are less savvy when it comes to luxury car lingo, this one is an unusually distinctive sight – it’s covered completely in a pink camouflage pattern, has “eyelashes” around its headlights, and is often lurking in the car park of Sunset Mall. If you haven’t managed to catch sight of the vehicle in question, you undoubtedly witnessed those decked-out in patriotic flags and images of the country’s sheikhs during last month’s National Day celebrations. While some drivers pasted printed decals onto their rides, others opted for a more sophisticated form of decor – one that’s professionally fixed onto their cars, and lasts much longer than a mere sticker.

The kind of car you drive makes as much of a fashion statement as the clothes you wear. Indeed, in some social circles in the Emirates, your wheels hold more importance than what brand of shoes you wear. And if your car sports a customized, one-of-a-kind design, your lifestyle becomes all the more enviable. For this elite class of drivers, standard in-shop colors are unexciting, and don’t help maintain an image of exclusivity. Thus they turn to car wrapping, a trend that has become increasingly popular in the region, especially among Gulf Arabs. “People who come in want to have something new that no one has ever done before,” says Ata El Kotob, the operations manager at the Dubai-based car-wrap workshop Foilx.

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The latest bling trend to hit the Emirates’ highways: foil wrapping