Sayidaty, a weekly Arabic and monthly English women’s magazine, opened its first coffee shop — Sayidaty Café — on April 29 at City Walk in Dubai.
The opening ceremony coincided with the 8th edition of Arab Fashion Week. The event was attended by prominent personalities from the Arab Fashion Council, the UAE-based holding company Meraas and umbrella company Umdasch Group, as well as public figures and journalists from various Arab and international media outlets.
Sayidaty Café, located in building 1422, is a new project that underlines the diversity of the Sayidaty magazine and website, which operate under the Saudi Research and Marketing Group.
Mohammed Fahad Al-Harthi, editor in chief of Sayidaty and Arrajol magazines, said the café will be “an exceptional platform with fresh and innovative facilities for intellectuals and elites.”
The multifunctional venue will host seminars, and serve as a film set for programs and a space for introducing new projects.
“It will be a melting pot for everyone and anyone interested in the fashion, style and services sectors, an original concept in the Middle East and North Africa region,” Al-Harthi said.
“We are delighted that the Sayidaty Café project was launched a week after the About Her Global Forum, which was held at George Washington University. In recent years, Sayidaty was able to introduce and integrate a new concept in the media scene with the provision of services through content usage, and the forging of various economic and social partnerships for expanding prospects,” he added.
Highlighting the achievements of the print magazine, he said: “It was the first Arabic publication to be featured on a daily show — Rotana Al-Khalijia, the first to launch an e-commerce website (Al-Mall), and the only outlet that pioneered an economic partnership with the National Commercial Bank, aiming to discover and support young female entrepreneurs. This is in addition to producing and presenting the live fashion coverage Arabic series ‘Front Row’ on Twitter, and most recently, becoming the most-followed Arabic publication on Instagram.”
Al-Harthi thanked the project’s partners, namely, the Arab Fashion Council, Meraas and Umdasch Group.
Jacob Abrian, founder and CEO of the Arab Fashion Council, who attended the opening ceremony, said: “The 1422 is our gift to all women. Not only does it contain the finest choices of high-end evening dresses, ready-to-wear clothes, accessories, cosmetics, luxury perfumes and high-tech gadgets, but now, people can enjoy a special culinary experience at Sayidaty café. With its unique design and integrated technology, this venue provides a perfect platform to host a full-length fashion week featuring designer creations from all around the world. It will be the official platform of the Arab Fashion Week, where customers can shop directly from the catwalk.”