Dubai's concept store offers nuanced shopping pleasure

Manjula Ramakrishnan

Rumana Nazim is the Founder and CEO of The Edit, a collective lifestyle space that brings together fashion, accessories, art, beauty, home décor and a coffee bar, all under one roof.

“Elements of each of these have been selected to fuse together a harmonised edit for the modern, stylish woman. I have been born and raised in Dubai and The Edit offers the modern women of the region a one-step shop that serves up curated options ranging from art, fashion and even speciality coffee,’’ says Rumana.

“Through my many travels and observations of the fast-paced and ever-changing retail landscape all over the world, I found a gap in the Dubai market for a lifestyle space that would efficiently deliver an interactive yet relaxing environment.

“Creating a home away from home where customers can shop for unique pieces, enjoy a cup of coffee and also visit an art gallery and workshop space all under one roof eventually became the end goal for The Edit.’’

A place to shop, to just browse through the sheer variety, to have a leisurely coffee watching the day go by, the options are myriad, Rumana says.

Rumana Nazim, founder and CEO of The Edit.

Are online stores becoming more popular?

Online stores are a very effective way of getting your products in front of consumers to purchase in the comfort of their own homes which is why we will soon be launching our e-commerce platform. However, the beauty of a brick-and-mortar space is that you can offer a tactile, multi-sensory experience for your customers and visitors and this is what The Edit promises – an opportunity to touch, taste, smell and immerse themselves into the experience, which is hard to translate when it comes to online stores.

What does the name “The Edit” convey?

For the name I wanted something sharp and contemporary but with a nostalgic twist and The Edit is one of the first names that popped into my mind. Paired along with the logo, I think I achieved what I was looking for. I actually tried to come up with different alternatives but nothing felt as much in synergy with my vision as “The Edit” did.

The Edit offers a unique lifestyle space.

What sets The Edit apart from the rest?

The Edit is a space where you can shop cult fashion brands, artisanal home ware pieces, attend workshops, seminars, art exhibitions and fashion pop-ups and drink at an organic coffee and tea bar.

The concept is catching on, but competition should not be seen as a negative thing, for it drives further innovation and can even help build a community so I am very welcome to other similar spaces.

Can you explain the one-stop concept of spaces like The Edit?

In a unique lifestyle space like for instance The Edit, the idea is to create an environment where the customer feels energised, yet calm when he or she visits us. Hence it is not just the shopping that we focus on; it is offering a relaxing experience which should be as much a vital take home as the shopping.

How has customer tastes evolved or changed over the years?

I have noticed that the retail landscape as we know it is shifting and moving to something that is more experience-based. This is the reason why I created this concept in Dubai that is truly innovative and didn’t already exist, in order to offer customers a really unique way of shopping.

How do you cope with the rapidly changing fashion trends in the industry?

We bring in brands from New York, London and Australia and our clients love to see that our store is offering pieces that can’t be easily found in the region.

Who is your typical customer?

My customer is a very empowered, confident and well-travelled woman. She knows what she wants and loves looking and feeling beautiful; she also doesn’t always follow a trend and sets her own rules which is why she comes to The Edit instead of buying mass brands. I want our customers to enter feeling peaceful, happy and looked after, as well as part of a community that we try and create for her.