THE FOUNDER
With a sewing machine that was the first in the region, and a small space in His place is in the area HeadIn Dubai, Abdul Rahman Al-Shafei Al-Madani began his professional journey as a men’s apparel tailor at the end of the fifties of the last century. At that time, he was the one who took the size, cut the fabric, sewed it and delivered it to his ready customers, who were all residents of the Emirate of Dubai and its suburbs.
After more than 70 years On starting to sew the first "Kandora" in his shop, Abdul Rahman Al-Madani is chairing today "civil group"Which includes many local and international brands, the most prominent of which is the National Tailor, and "Bait Al Madani" tailor with more than 10 branches In the various emirates of the country, and with a database that includes most of the residents of Dubai in particular and the rest of the Emirates in general from the old generation, who are still remembering the story of the first sewing shop in Dubai, In the Ras area when it was opened by the hardworking young man Abdul Rahman Al-Shafei Al-Madani in 1951.
OUR STORY
Foundation
September 01, 1920Dubai witnessed rapid growth during the past century based on the escalation of its economy, which relied on diversifying sources of income. As a result of the improvement of living life in general, the demand for people to wear new clothes increased, which motivated the civilian to develop his work mechanisms to accommodate the upcoming boom, but the material challenges were always the obstacle to his endeavors.
Travel to Bahrain and then Dammam
September 01, 1920Abdul Rahman Al-Madani went to Bahrain, and worked there for a period not exceeding 3 months, during which he collected a sum of money, a balance of experiences and knowledge of the market, he returned to Dubai to operate his own workshop, but after he was sure that Dubai is growing and that he must expand his work To keep pace with this development, he traveled again to Dammam, Saudi Arabia, and left his operator to work for the first time even during his absence,
And he had saved during this period three thousand silver riyals, and it was a large sum by the standards of that period, he invested it again in Dubai, to be the strong start of the first sewing workshop in Al Ras market, benefiting from his experiences in his travels and his study of the needs of the local market.
Innovation in sewing
September 01, 1920Abdul Rahman Al-Madani returned motivated to develop the capabilities of his workshop, so he entered for the first time in the "Trucial Emirates" weaving "tarbal", which is a large piece of cloth used to cover goods on ships and Land Rover cars by Ford, which was known at that period, to protect it from rain and sunlight.
Also, given that the pearl diving profession was still the most popular in Dubai at the time, Al-Madani launched a new product, the first of its kind in the region, by sewing clothes designed specifically for divers and called (Al-Dara’a), to protect them from jellyfish bites and diseases that some may contract. Some of them, after they came out of the sea naked, consisted of two pieces, one of them to cover the arm and wear from the head, and the other was pants, which was called "Al-Shamshir", a Turkish word for breaking the shin and meaning a dress, and whenever divers needed such clothing, he prepared the civilian for them for the next season.
After sewing clothes, tarps, and diving suits, Al-Madani introduced a fourth production line to his workshop, which is the weaving of ship sails, which were spread along the Bur Deira market at the time, in conjunction with his contract with a number of fabric-producing companies to be their exclusive agent in the region.
Kandora Sheikh Saeed bin Maktoum
Al Maktoum - May God have mercy on him
September 01, 1920It was not surprising that most men in Dubai at the time went to Abdul Rahman Al Madani to sew their own clothes. After establishing and developing his own workshop, and introducing a “sewing machine” for the first time in the region, Abdul Rahman gained wide fame, which enabled him to gain the trust of the ruler of Dubai at the time, Sheikh Saeed bin Maktoum al-Maktoum, may God have mercy on him, and his clothes came to him in bespoke pieces so that he could sew them using his own machine, which was the talk of the people at the time, as it was previously known that women used to sew their husbands’ “kandoura” by hand for periods that could reach a month, and when the machine arrived the period was reduced to less than a day. Which made it a qualitative leap in this field.
Continuous March
September 01, 1920Al-Madani continued to develop his capabilities, and began to open various branches of the leading tailor in the men’s fashion sector, and due to his reputation as the family name, he launched another brand specialized in the same field, in the name of “Bait Al-Madani” tailor, to make both brands the first nucleus of the “Al-Madani Group”, which It includes a number of international brands such as " Hang Ten, and Levi Strauss. In addition to companies in the real estate, consulting and other sectors.