KIMAIAN began the way most things that matter begin: not with a business plan, but with a conversation. Angela and Farah had known each other for years — they’d met through work, drifted apart, and reconnected in one of those moments where you realise some friendships are not subject to time. They were talking, as they often did, about what they couldn’t find.
Not about what was missing in the market — neither of them thought in those terms. They were talking about what they wanted to wear. Pieces that were genuinely handmade, not just labelled that way. Pieces made with Dubai’s craft — the depth of embroidery, the quality of fabric, the attention to finishing that you feel when you hold something well-made — but available to women in France, in Germany, in Belgium, in the UK, who had no straightforward way to access them.
The name
KIMAIAN is not an acronym and not a word in any single language. It is a sound the two founders arrived at together — something that felt right for a brand that existed between cultures, between countries, between the Japanese elegance of the kimono and the modest grace of the abaya. A name that is neither fully French nor fully Arabic nor fully anything else, which felt honest for what they were making.
The process
Every KIMAIAN piece begins with fabric selection. This is not a quick decision. The texture, the weight, the drape when held up to light, the opacity against different skin tones — all of it is considered before a single cut is made. Embellishments — beads, crystals, gold thread, mother-of-pearl — are sourced separately and applied by hand. The embroidery is not printed or pressed. It is placed.
The limited edition commitment
When Angela and Farah decided that each KIMAIAN model would be produced once, in limited quantities, and retired when sold out, it was not a scarcity tactic. It was a structural reflection of how handmade work actually functions. You cannot scale craft without losing it. So they chose not to scale it. Each piece — the Niya, the Camélia, the Leyla — carries a name and a story. When it is gone, it is gone.
Where the pieces are made
Dubai. Specifically, the hands of women who have been working with fabric, needle, and bead for most of their lives. The city has long been a centre of this kind of artisanship — a place where the Gulf’s tradition of elaborate textile work meets the materials and influences of the wider world. KIMAIAN is rooted there, and the pieces are shipped from there — via France for European customers — to wherever in the world someone wants them.
What comes next
New collections are released when they are ready, not on a seasonal schedule. You can stay close to what KIMAIAN is making by joining the mailing list — which is also where early access to new pieces is announced first.