According to Business Research Insights¹, the global embroidery market is projected to reach USD 2.62 billion by 2033, driven largely by rising demand for personalised and embellished apparel. But unlike ready-to-wear, tailoring and embroidery is where personalisation meets craft, and in the UAE, that craft runs deep. From hand-embroidered abayas in Satwa to computerised threadwork for corporate clients, ladies tailoring and embroidery combines cultural tradition with commercial scale. Female Emiratis spend 43% of their income on shopping , three times more than expatriates, as reported by Emirates Woman².
The demand cuts across cultures, calendars, and dress codes.
The UAE's population is 88.5% expatriate, according to the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation³, creating a clientele that spans South Asian, Arab, African, and Western fashion traditions, each with its own embroidery heritage. The Chalhoub Group⁴ reports that the UAE accounts for 56% of the entire GCC luxury market, and luxury fashion in the region grew 11% in Q1 2025. Whether the brief is a zardozi-embellished lehenga for a South Asian bride, a hand-stitched jalabiya for Eid, a beadwork evening gown for a gala, or monogrammed corporate blouses at volume, the work in this market never dries up.
Who is this for?
1410.95 - Ladies Wears Tailoring & Embroidery
Under this activity, you are in the business of custom tailoring and embroidery for women, measuring, cutting, fitting, finishing, and embellishing garments to individual client specifications. This covers bespoke dresses, blouses, skirts, suits, abayas, kaftans, and all forms of decorative needlework including hand embroidery, machine embroidery, beadwork, and appliqué.
There are limits to what this activity covers. It excludes the manufacture of wearing apparel of fur skins (except headgear), footwear, wearing apparel of rubber or plastics not assembled by stitching but merely sealed together, leather sports gloves and sports headgear, safety headgear (except sports headgear), fire-resistant and protective safety clothing, and the repair of wearing apparel.
In practice: if the garment is cut, stitched, and embellished for a specific client, you're in scope. Mass manufacturing, retail, and men's tailoring are each a different business.
Third-Party Approval:
No third-party approval is required for this business activity.
Anti-Money Laundering Compliance:
This business activity is exempt from AML compliance requirements.
Reference
¹ Business Research Insights — Embroidery Market Size, Share, Forecast, 2033 — https://www.businessresearchinsights.com/market-reports/embroidery-market-117549
² Emirates Woman / Shedd — Women's Shopping Habits in the UAE Revealed — https://emirateswoman.com/womens-shopping-habits-dubai-revealed/
³ Wikipedia — Demographics of the United Arab Emirates (citing UAE Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Authority data, 88.5% expatriate population as of 2024) — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_the_United_Arab_Emirates
⁴ Chalhoub Group — GCC Personal Luxury 2024: Unstoppable — https://www.chalhoubgroup.com/en/media/324/gcc-personal-luxury-market-defies-global-trends-with-6-growth-reaching-usd-128-billion-in-2024
