According to the Chalhoub Group¹, the GCC personal luxury market reached USD 12.8 billion in 2024, up 6% year-on-year while the global luxury market declined by 2%. Fashion accounts for 43% of that spend, and in Q1 2025, luxury fashion in the region grew a further 11%. The Bain & Company - Altagamma Luxury Study² confirms the trend: the Middle East is luxury's brightest performing region globally, growing 4%–6% in 2025 while Europe and China contracted. Bespoke tailoring is at the centre of this, brands like Ermenegildo Zegna and Brioni are opening dedicated made-to-measure men's boutiques in Dubai to meet rising demand.
That's where the opportunity is brewing, and the clientele is already here.
As reported by Gulf News³, Dubai welcomed a record 19.59 million international overnight visitors in 2025, citing the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism. The UAE accounts for 56% of the entire GCC luxury market¹. Every executive, every wedding, every gala is a potential commission, and bespoke suits in Dubai range from AED 1,500 to over AED 8,000.
Who is this for?
Dubai hosts some of the finest bespoke tailoring outside Savile Row, and demand is only growing. Whether you're fitting executives or dressing grooms, it starts with a Meydan Free Zone trade license.
1410.92 - Men tailoring
Under this activity, you are in the business of custom tailoring for men: measuring, cutting, fitting, and finishing garments to individual client specifications. This covers bespoke suits, made-to-measure shirts, trousers, jackets, formal wear, traditional wear, and alterations.
There are boundaries to this activity, however. 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: this activity covers the tape measure to the final stitch. Step into mass production, retail, or women's tailoring, and you're looking at a different activity code.
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 Chalhoub Group — GCC Personal Luxury 2024: Unstoppable — https://www.chalhoubgroup.com/gccpersonalluxury
² Bain & Company / Altagamma — Luxury Goods Worldwide Market Study 2025 — https://www.bain.com/insights/finding-a-new-longevity-for-luxury/
³ Gulf News — Dubai Tourism Hits Record as 19.59M International Visitors Arrive in 2025 — https://gulfnews.com/business/tourism/dubai-tourism-hits-record-as-1959m-international-visitors-arrive-in-2025-1.500437381
