High Street fashion grows in the Emirates

British brands are becoming increasingly cool across the Emirates.

British style is undergoing a major revival in the UAE. Hackett London,a quintessentially British retailer of men's clothing, has joined the similarly stylish women's brand LK Bennett in launching a store in the UAE in recent weeks, while Burberry and Mulberry are enjoying strong sales in the Emirates.

"American style became very strong in recent years, and Italians have been there forever, but suddenly people get fed up with what they have been wearing for the last 10 years and now feel like moving on," said Vicente Castellano, the managing director of Hackett London. "To have the British heritage helps a lot in the Emirates, and people really accept what is coming from the UK."

The brand has 85 stores and concessions in department stores worldwide and plans to open 10 stores a year in emerging markets such as the Middle East. Hackett London aims to open stores in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Lebanon and Abu Dhabi in the next three years.

"Obviously Europe is not in a great situation right now and the emerging markets are having quite healthy growth, so we want to be part of it," said Mr Castellano.

Hackett London has experienced double-digit sales growth in the past two years in Europe, despite economic uncertainty, but Mr Castellano is not confident this will continue.

"You definitely have a bigger opportunity to grow in the Middle East," he said. "The growth driver for the future is going to be in these markets."