Born and raised in the fastest growing city in the world – Dubai, Wael Hussain stepped into the world of fashion in 2011.
Coming from a long family heritage involved in sartorial practices, it was his grandfather who started with dressing the noble of India during the days of the British Raj in the early 1900s. The eldest of the 7 sons moved to Dubai in the 1960s and continued the family tradition and soon after Wael’s father joined, in the 1970s. Having dressed people for over 40 years, his reputation was well spoken of as he is often called out by the royal families of UAE and Qatar to tailors suits for occasions such as the Royal Ascot.
Today being the 3rd generation of the family, Wael, who is qualified with a Law degree from the UK has also chosen to continue with the family legacy.
A year after his graduation, an imperative decision had to be made.
“I put the two on par (legal and fashion), and I said to myself – I stem from a line of clothiers; do I create a new path or do I reform my own heritage?
— WAEL HUSSAIN
There, a decision was made and Wael took his humble beginnings and expanded into the corporate sector serving the hospitality industry in 2012. Soon enough the company was supplying uniforms to some of the biggest names in the industry.
At the same time Wael increased his knowledge by attending part-time courses with the London College of Fashion in Dubai, as well as attaining firsthand experience in taking measurements and doing fittings.
“This wasn’t enough for me. I needed something else to stimulate my mind. That’s when I started thinking of my own label,” says Wael.
Half way through the year 2015, the label WAEL. was born. “I sat over a cup of coffee with a friend and discussed the possibilities of a brand name,” says Wael. “Most brands either had French, Italian, Spanish names and if not, it was about misspelling a word. I went conventional and chose my own name.”
The success of the label comes from Wael’s love for the art of tailoring. His passion is to create clothes that are idiosyncratic and bespoke in nature. The inspiration behind the designs comes from the combined influences of minimalism and traditional Savile Row techniques of tailoring.
“We started with bespoke tailoring for our customers and soon enough expanded into retail clothing specialising in high-end men’s casual wear,” states Wael.
WAEL. produces aesthetic clothing that is crafted by hand and unrivalled in sight. The objective is to keep the spirit of these sartorial practices alive and deliver the finest set of clothes through a service designed for the niche clientele.
Why does our Editor-in-Chief Claire Blumenthal love WAEL designs?
“WAEL designer, Wael Hussain is a man who knows tailoring. This is obvious in his past work. This collaboration with MINI is not only exciting but a tremendous honor for the young designer. To be able to show the world his take on his heritage and combine it with classic British tailoring is amazing.
The clothes are quite trendy and that is unfamiliar to #ThePemberleyWay but I am not looking at these clothes as ‘off the rack’. I see them as a feat in showing what one can do when they combine two worlds. The tailoring is perfect, the designs are beautiful and when you look past the bold colors I can almost see Gene Kelley dancing through Indian Seas with the high waisted trousers Wael has designed.”
About the model: Wael Alteen is a Dubai-based lifestyle influencer, sharing the best of fashion, lifestyle, and hospitality from Dubai to the world. @waelalteen
