Startup of the Week: Komait: Helping fashion lovers make the best choices

RIYADH: Nothing feels better than knowing you look good and receiving praise from others on your sense of style.
We are always making fashion choices; after all, we have to get dressed every day. Style is a very personal matter and is always changing based on our mood, surroundings, and what is happening in our lives. Taking advice from a personal shopper like Hussain Komait can make our fashion dilemmas that much easier to solve.
Komait, founder of Komait Shopping and Retail, came up with his idea to become a personal shopper while studying and working in the fashion industry in France. He worked as a sales consultant with some of the biggest brands in fashion and met with clients from all over the world who were seeking professional fashion advice.
“I really enjoyed working at Louis Vuitton and before that training at Dior and Yves Saint Laurent,” Komait said. “But at some point, you feel like you are only reflecting a specific brand’s vision when you work there, not your own. So, I realized that if I want to share my very own vision with fashion lovers, I’d have to work solo.”
Komait was inspired by the movie “The Devil Wears Prada” to create his own account: Khaleeji Wears Prada.
“The name was reflective of what I loved in fashion at that age. I absolutely loved the movie! It is, after all, one of the main reasons why I was inspired to come to Paris and study fashion in the first place,” he said.
“As for the Khaleeji part — I am extremely proud of Gulf Arab heritage and culture, and I have been trying to reflect that in everything I do. So, I wanted to add an element that not only other ‘khaleeji’ fashion lovers could relate to but also act as a window for anyone who wanted to understand what the region’s fashion culture looks like.”
Komait later changed his company’s name to his family name and realized that people seemed to interact more with it than with the original version. “It feels better now and more personal to me,” he said.
Komait traded his career in economics for one in the fashion industry.
He enjoys beauty, elegance and passionate craftsmanship, and his clients appreciate unique and high-end fashion. In his own words, they are people “who want fashion tips and who wish to obtain new or limited-edition hard-to-get pieces that also match their own personal style.”
“I believe that the elegance of your mind reflects on your appearance,” he said.
What makes Komait’s company special is his extensive background in fashion and the company’s location, which is based in the fashion capital of the world, Paris. “I have been around since 2014, providing clients with rare and hard-to-find goods at the best prices, thanks to my relationships with colleagues and friends in the industry. Additionally, we provide unique fashion goods of non-European origin, such as Turkish, American, and Australian. Moreover, our team speaks Arabic, English and French fluently.”
Komait mentioned how the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has been a challenge for him and has affected his business.
“My work did experience a hiccup, as French boutiques were closed for quite a long time due to the quarantine regulations. However, I did manage to find my way around that issue, and through my good relationships with contacts and key players in the industry, I obtained most of the pieces I was looking for with ease.”
Komait is aiming to expand within the upcoming years. “I’d like to include new aspiring designers from all over the world. I want to build a diversified fashion and styling platform for all those who love unique fashion and enjoy exploring new fashion cultures from around the globe.”
He said that his goal is to expand the scope of his services, build a creative atelier and start visualizing his own designs on big runways worldwide.