Loai Nassem and Mona Al-Haddad — founders and owners of thobe-boutique Lomar — are not only husband and wife, they’re also colleagues with a mission to redesign Saudi thobes “to enable Saudi men to love what they wear and be proud and comfortable with their national dress.”
“I was bored of wearing the same thobe everyday. Wearing Western clothes, I was used to changing styles, but I loved our traditional thobes,” said Nassem, speaking about what inspired him to set up Lomar Thobe. Nassem was referring to when he returned to the Kingdom after finishing a graphic design degree in the US.
Nassem suggested ideas for thobes to tailors, who were unable to provide him exactly with what he wanted. With the help of his wife, he employed a tailor, purchased some sewing equipment and sketched a few designs. The thobes became popular and finally Nasser left work at an advertising agency and devoted his time to running Lomar Thobe with his wife, who has a degree in business from the King Abdul Aziz University in Jeddah.
It took them two years to study the market. After selling thobes to around 200 customers from home, the couple now has over 7,000 customers from both the Kingdom and other Gulf countries. Lomar Thobe also has branches in Jeddah and Riyadh and provides home deliveries to addresses in the Kingdom and other Gulf countries.
Lomar is not an Arabic or English word. It is simply a combination of the beginning of Loai’s name and the beginning of the name of his friend Marwan, who inspired him to set up the business. The company’s philosophy is to redefine thobes in a way to attract older generations and fulfill the taste of younger people.
“They cost around SR450 and are therefore unaffordable to young people. The majority of our customers are aged between 25 and 45,” said Nassem, adding that people generally come and buy thobes for special occasions.
He added that men come with their wives and families to buy thobes and that many fathers wear the same thobes as their children on special occasions, especially during Ramadan and on weddings. Lomar Thobe also provides customers with an option to have writing on their thobes; this is usually done in either Persian or Ottoman fonts.
At Lomar Thobe, customers have a range of fabrics, styles and colors to choose from. Fabrics include heavy material to wear in winter to cotton for the summer. Some thobes are suitable for business meetings, whereas others are ideal for relaxing in with one’s family and friends. Others are designed for flexible movement, especially when performing prayers.
Nassem said that even foreigners find his designs appealing. “It could be a revolution. We don’t mind if the idea catches on and other companies start to replicate what we’re doing. It’s good to see society being open to change,” he added.
Lomar Thobe is also known to integrate metal zips on children’s thobes. “On the arms we’ve added a stretch type of material to make children’s thobes comfortable to play in,” said Al-Haddad, adding that there is room for innovation and creativity in making children’s thobes. The company also undertakes periodical surveys to collect feedback and comments from their customers.
Nassem mentioned the famous proverb: Behind every successful man is a woman. “This is indeed true. Without my wife I’m sure I wouldn’t be able to reach this far on my own. Pleasing all these customers has not been easy, but once you’re determined to do something and know who to trust in taking opinions from then nothing else matters,” said Nassem.
According to the couple, many of Lomar customers believe that thobes are a national pride. They are glad to finally have an opportunity to not wear typically plain white thobes and instead wear stylish thobes made in a contemporary style.
Customers intending to purchase a Lomar Thobe can provide Lomar tailors with a sample of their own thobes to ensure their Lomar Thobe is of the perfect size. Lomar Thobe’s Jeddah store is located on Al-Rawdah Street next to the Banque Saudi Fransi, the Riyadh branch is on Suliman Al-Hamdan Street. For further information visit www.lomarthobe.com.
