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‘Sheiking’ Things Up
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Published: Volume 13, Issue 3, May-June, 2005
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 We cannot ignore that all the rich embroidery in Parisian haute couture is made in India! We want to tap the best of India, put quality control and creative direction in place and do what David Tang did for Shanghai Tang in China.
Here’s what Sheik Majed al-Sabah did in Kuwait. In the heart of the Islamic world, he spent 40 million pounds on a 100,000 sq feet glass mega store – Villa Moda – that houses all the fashion labels that are known to have made women out of girls. Soon thereafter, he spawned the Villa Moda sister stores in Qatar and Dubai. And now, his eye is set on Mumbai
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Notwithstanding the fact that his family – the al-Sabahs – have ruled Kuwait for over 40 years, this too-mature-for-his-age (he’s only 35!), lean and austere Sheik is known to have hidden his childhood obesity in Yohji Yamamoto’s amorphous designs and in leaner years, busied himself in the tighter-than-the-Pentagon front rows of the Dior and Gucci shows. Known worldwide as the ‘Sheik of Chic’, he did all this with incredible panache.
He introduced the uber chic ‘designer kaftans’ in a country that is obligatorily loyal to the traditional garb. Prada was commissioned to do the first line which was a stupendous success. Adding a European gleam to it, one particular sheared white mink kaftan sold for 18,500 pounds! He also introduced American designers like Ralph Lauren, Donna Karan, Geoffrey Beene – a hitherto untapped market – to the Middle East even while hurriedly ushering in the left-of-centre fashion brat pack – Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartney, Hussein Chalayan, et al. Known as the ‘Mother Teresa of Designers’, he has single-handedly supported and promoted talented young designers from Australia, Brazil, Denmark and proudly claims to be the first buyer of Anonio Marras, the genius behind the House of Kenzo who is currently redefining fashion’s obsession with modern eclecticism.
Now, he’s excited about Indian designers. Known for his keen eye and keener vision, this Sheik, who prays four-five times a day (Isabella Blow calls him the P Diddy of the middle kingdom), is here to do serious business. And yes, Time (Style & Design Fall 2004) magazine thinks he is one of the most formidable forces in international fashion placing him alongside people like Jim Gold, the 40-year-old CEO of New York City's luxury retailer Bergdorf Goodman and William Lauder (grandson of the late Estee Lauder), CEO of the $5 billion Estee Lauder beauty company. Bandana Tewari speaks to the Sheik who oscillates between spiritual ardour and dizzyingly glam pursuits.
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