Last week, I introduced darUSHA. Today I bring you an interview with the delightful store owner, Hiba. I’m sure by the end of the interview you will be as entranced by her as I am.

DarUSHA is an unusual name, does it have any significance to you?

Well “Usha” is the nickname of my beloved daughter. And “Dar” is for house/ room in Arabic, which I thought would be perfect to convey the cozy, homey feel of the place.

What inspired you to start your store? When did you first open?

You know Zahra, I just wore the “hijab” a couple of years ago. And i just found it difficult to find me suitable clothes, or even a decent long top to wear with my jeans. It wasn’t until a recent vacation to explore India that I ran into an Indian designer who insisted on inviting me to his fashion show. When I went there, I was pleasantly shocked to see some really amazing pieces, I was introduced to the “Kurta“, “Kurti“- conservative embroidered tunics of different style and lengths that would look just great worn over jeans, and I just thought “Wow! I definately should bring some of those back home with me“. That’s how the idea of darUSHA was born. I opened the store a year ago but the formal openeing was only last May.

What clientel do you cater to?

My first collection ever was dedicated to girls with “hijab“. But then my sisters and friends were outraged that i didn’t think of them too. So I expanded my collection to satisfy all tastes. I’m also open to suggestions, as one of my customers asked me to get some flowy loose dresses that she can wear when she gets pregnant. I did, and they were a success!

What are some of the leading brands? Where are you brands from and how do you select which merchendise to bring in?

My most treasured brand is Anju Modi from India, amd Geisha Designs. I also like dealing with new fresh talents, not necessarily big names in the industry. Moreover, we recently started penetrating and acquiring from the American designer market- this collection will be availabe this fall.

To stand out from the rest, I only order very limited quantities of each style to maintain the level of exclusivity. I don’t like it when i see someone wearing what I wear, and I treat my customers the same way. I have pieces in the store that only comes in single editions, and that way my customers feel that each item they buy is special.

Our latest addition to darUSHA are the accessories. We are proud to present the luxurious Vita bracelets, as worn by celebrities worldwide. The special things about these bracelets is that it looks great even with the tiniest wrist ever as they don’t slide over the hand but the 24kt gold buckle closes up to lightly hug even the smallest hands.

What is the one thing you wished you knew before opening the store? Any words of advice for future store ownes?

God has blessed me by making the set-up of this store a very smooth ride. I was very lucky to have my cousin offer me this perfect space. It really fit what i had in mind, a small exclusive haven away from the conventional, overly commercialized shopping malls. It was a dream come true- Love you Marami!

I really can’t offer any piece of advice to future store owners as I am an amateur myself. But I can tell you this; always be passionate about whatever you do and you’ll do fine. I quit my boring day job because I finally found something I’m excited about, something I love doing- It’s truly a blessing!

What is the most memorable experience you’ve had since opnening your store?

Oh I get excited over the simplest things *smiles*

- The first costumer that ever set foot to the store when first opened, I still remember her name, that was exciting!

- The first time Mom saw a stranger at a dinner party wearing one of my outfits, she barely held her tongue not to go over to her and proudly announce “That’s from my daughter’s shop”!. Same thing happened to my sister who saw a colleague in her workplace wearing something of mine, only my sister couldn’t help but comment “What a lovely dress!”. “Thanks”, she replied, “It’s from darUSHA”. My family was proud of me and it was then that I first realized that I’d built a name of darUSHA and strangers are actually buying my stuff- not just friends & members of family!

- The first time i sold to customers outside of Kuwait. They had saw pictures of my collection and wanted some. I don’t do that, but they just insisted I ship it out to them. I got a call later from them telling me how happy they were with the outfits and that they were the envy of their friends!

What future plans do you have for darUSHA?

Now that’s an embarrassing question as i don’t have any! If I see a good opportunity- like for example the accessories line-, I’ll take it. Otherwise I’m quite satisfied with what I have. Everyone is pushing me to open a branch in one of the big shopping malls but I refuse to do so. This is exactly what i imagined my shop to be, a welcoming cozy space to friends and customers tuck away in this antique house. I just love it, and hope your readers will love it too.

Describe darUSHA in 3 words.

Only 3 words?!! Well, alright:

Exclusive. Different. Unique.

Join the darUSHA group on Facebook today!

Kuwait-Style.com thanks darUSHA for the generous interview. Knowing you are doing your family proud is reward enough but I still wish you all the best.

It’s wonderful and inspiring that so many women in Kuwait are finding the strength to follow their dreams instead of being chained to a day job. Congratulations on a fabulous store, Hiba, and I wish you all the success in the world!