JEDDAH — Candella is a multi-faceted boutique concept that promotes local talent and upcoming designers in the region. Easily a favorite among Dubai's fashionistas, Candella's founder Hind Abdulrazak spoke to Saudi Gazette in an exclusive interview. Born and bred in Dubai, Hind said: “Candella currently stands as a platform for regional and local designers. The pieces are often one-offs and unique. We felt that the high-end and international brands had enough presence in retail, support, and supplying and the local/regional talent was being pushed out in favor of them.” She talked about the process of carefully selecting and handpicking a collection of designers and couture pieces. Candella looks at quality, design, and pricing. “Our clients don't come to Candella for everyday wear, they are looking for a statement pieceS or a one-off that can't be found anywhere else.” Candella hosts many local names, it constitutes of 90 percent regional and 10 percent international fashion designers. A few of the most coveted items available at Candella are Leghila bags, T-shirt Swag, Yasmina Shoes, Ottoman jewelry, Rawaan al Khatib Scarves and Sola. “Candella has done so much for promoting talent in the region. When a designer is selected, he/she not only gets rack space, they get access to all our media channels and may be featured, interviewed, blogged about, Instagrammed, and overall heavily promoted. We want to continue this in the future and go a step above by reaching international audiences via an online store. “Our Instagram page has been hugely successful and has increased our international sales exponentially. We want to reach more and more countries to teach them about Dubai and it's people, not just what they read in the papers and watch on TV, which is Dubai's, towers, wealth, achievements etc. Projects like this serve to give the city the soul that people outside don't get to see.” Talking about the latest trends, Hind said: “Quirky tees have been flying off the shelves as well as turbans and plexi beach bags. Bright colors have been doing really well this summer and it seems the more neon the color is the better it sells.” She said local designers areunique with their exclusive features. For example, ‘Sola Collection' produces beautiful handcrafted dresses and tops in soft buttery fabrics and feminine cuts that are incredibly light and flattering on the female form. ‘Keenbags' is perfect for a funky yet practical beach bags. ‘Effah' makes incredibly high quality abaya and jalabiyas and often prints her own fabric designs on Italian silk.” Candella is planning to grow. The founders are looking into expanding online as well as regionally to other gulf countries. Hind said: “We're coming up with an interesting retail experience online that is as close to feeling as though the viewer is in the shop.” Ramadan is an important month for Candella as they focus on modest fashion. “We stock a large amount of casual and formal wear that caters toward the Arab women's need for trendy yet modest clothing. We also release our largest amount of new collections during Ramadan.” Hind said the new and upcoming trends in the local market are Cardigan abayas for fall/winter, along with silk and cotton jerseys that allow more comfort. “They look very cool and casual with a pair of converse, especially for the younger locals who like to push the envelope. Each season we like to give our clients something a little bit more avant-garde and are always surprised to see them receive it so well.”
