The fashion designer
Effa Al Dabbagh, an award-winning Saudi designer, discovered fashion at the age of 11 when her older sister asked her to design the bridesmaids’ dresses for her wedding.
In 2007, she started her own fashion line, Effa, and began to design abayas that were influenced by her Saudi heritage.
Effa chose Dubai as the home for her fashion line to reflect the close relationship between the UAE and its neighbour.
“I moved to the UAE 18 years ago with my family when I had the opportunity to work with one of the leading fashion groups in the region,” she says.
“I was one of the first designers to rethink the model of the abaya – for it to be in different colours, cuts and shapes. It was something that wasn’t around at the time.”
Effa says she considers her fashion line an Emirati brand “because it was born here and the UAE provided me with that market”.
“When I wanted to work there was a more developed fashion industry in the UAE than in Saudi Arabia,” she says. “There was an opportunity for me to gain experience before I started my own line.”
Effa’s label soon began receiving recognition at fashion awards in the region.
She was named one of the Top 100 Saudi entrepreneurs by Forbes Middle East.
She says she has remained connected to Saudi Arabia.
“I’d say the UAE and Saudi are both considered home for me. I definitely feel at home here and I’m always treated with respect and honoured as a Saudi national.”