You open an abaya store, follow successful brands, and notice a specific design trending everywhere and driving sales. The decision seems easy: offer a similar design at a lower price and capitalise on the existing demand. But what happens when dozens of stores offer the exact same abaya? And how do you convince a customer to buy from you if she finds no clear difference between your product and those of your competitors?

This is one of the most prominent issues discussed by Walid Al-Ammari, fabric merchant and owner of "Hamour", during his appearance on the Namat Podcast, in an episode titled (Do Not Copy: The Secret of a Successful Abaya Brand).

Drawing from his experience in the fabric market and his dealings with abaya business owners, Al-Ammari spoke about common mistakes made when starting out, the importance of choosing the right fabrics, when to buy wholesale, and how to build a brand that does not rely on price slashing or chasing viral trends.

Here are seven lessons you can benefit from when launching an abaya project or growing an existing store.

1. Differentiation | Do Not Start with the Design Everyone Sells

A trending product might help you understand what the market is looking for, but it does not give your brand its own identity. When designs, fabrics, and presentations are all alike, comparing stores becomes easier, and price plays a much bigger role in the purchase decision.

Speaking about the brands he has seen succeed, Walid Al-Ammari linked their success to innovation, good marketing, and the way products are presented, while criticising those who copy competitors' designs and even their store experience.

However, standing out does not necessarily mean inventing an entirely new type of abaya. It could start by targeting a niche that struggles to find suitable options, introducing a unique fabric, or refining subtle details that make the design more functional for a specific use.

Al-Ammari cited the example of a store that chose unconventional colours in the abaya market. Although these colours might not have suited mainstream tastes, the store found customers actively seeking them. He also pointed to opportunities in specialised categories, such as overhead abayas, where certain customer segments find their needs underserved.

What can you put into practice? Before approving your first collection, ask yourself: Who is the customer I am designing for? What problem is she unable to find a suitable solution to? And what will make her remember my brand instead of simply comparing prices?

2. Materials | Fabric Quality Is Part of the Brand's Reputation

A fabric may look beautiful when purchased, but its true quality emerges during tailoring, regular wear, and laundering. That is why relying solely on the name of the material or its country of origin is not enough to judge it.

Al-Ammari explained that fabric names can vary in meaning from one merchant to another, and that two materials carrying the same name do not necessarily deliver the same quality. He highlighted issues that may surface later, such as colour fading, hair and dust clinging to the fabric, or handling difficulties during cutting and tailoring.

The importance of these details becomes evident when an abaya brand builds its reputation on a certain level of quality; a customer accustomed to a specific standard of fabric may feel disappointed if the quality drops, even if the price becomes cheaper.

Among the experiences Al-Ammari shared was a business owner who decided to try lower-cost fabrics despite being warned, only to face pushback from his customers because the product no longer met their expectations of the brand.

What can you put into practice? Do not settle for just looking at a fabric swatch. Test cutting, tailoring, and washing it according to the appropriate care instructions, and inspect its colourfastness, feel, and drape. When comparing suppliers, weigh fabric quality and supply consistency alongside price.

3. Getting Started | Test Multiple Fabrics Before Buying in Bulk

One of the decisions that can place the most strain on an abaya project's budget is purchasing large quantities of fabric before knowing which products customers will actually demand.

Walid Al-Ammari advises beginners to buy in small, varied quantities rather than purchasing full rolls of limited varieties. The idea is to test multiple fabrics and designs, and then scale up purchases of the products that prove to have genuine demand.

When you buy a large quantity of a single fabric and the design does not take off, you may find a significant portion of your capital tied up in inventory that is hard to move. Test batches, on the other hand, give you the opportunity to learn and adjust your collection without a heavy financial commitment.

Al-Ammari also discussed the importance of reserving part of the project budget for other expenses rather than spending it entirely on stock, as the store will need to cover operational costs, marketing, and unexpected expenses that may not have been accounted for from the outset.

What can you put into practice? Start with a limited collection of designs and fabrics, and monitor which products receive actual orders, what common questions arise about them, and the reasons for exchanges or returns. Once clear indicators emerge, increase quantities gradually instead of making bulk purchases based on assumptions alone.

4. Pricing | Do Not Lower Product Quality to Please Every Customer

"Your price is too high" is a phrase any abaya business owner might hear, especially when offering premium fabrics or designs that require more effort in development and tailoring. But does that really mean the price is inappropriate?

Al-Ammari believes that compromising quality in response to every price objection can harm the brand in the long run, particularly when customers originally chose it for a specific standard of fabric and design.

Conversely, this does not mean a high price is always justified. Pricing requires an understanding of product costs, the target audience, and the value the customer receives in exchange for the amount paid.

When setting the price of an abaya, calculate the cost of fabric, tailoring, embellishments, packaging, operations, and marketing, and then determine the profit margin you require. After that, evaluate whether the target customer sees clear value in the product that justifies its price.

This value could lie in fabric quality, fit, design uniqueness, or service standard. What matters is that it is genuine value the customer can actually perceive, rather than mere marketing jargon.

What can you put into practice? If your price is high compared to competitors, do not immediately lower it. Review your costs first, then examine how your product’s benefits are explained and presented. If you wish to offer a budget-friendly line, ensure you clearly communicate the differences between it and your other collections without undermining customer expectations.

To dive deeper into calculating product costs and profit margins, read the article on how to price a product on the Salla blog.

5. Production | Test the Workshop Before Committing to Large Quantities

Even if you choose an excellent fabric, the final quality of the abaya also depends on the cutting, tailoring, sizing, and finishing. That is why agreeing with a workshop based on price or promises alone is not enough.

When asked about choosing the right tailor or workshop, Al-Ammari's primary advice was testing. He noted that working with individual tailors or small workshops can be ideal at the beginning, as they are often willing to produce limited runs that allow the business owner to test quality.

Start with a physical sample of the design, check the sizing and finishing details, and keep clear specifications that can be referenced for repeat production. A successful first sample is not enough if the workshop cannot maintain the same standard across subsequent orders.

What can you put into practice? Prepare a reference sample for each design, specifying the fabric type, measurements, required details, and quality acceptance criteria. As you scale production, inspect samples from new batches before putting them up for sale.

6. E-Commerce | Help the Customer Experience What She Cannot Touch

Buying an abaya online is different from trying it on in-store. The customer cannot touch the fabric, check its weight and texture, or see how it moves, and she may hesitate to purchase if the photos and descriptions are inadequate.

Walid Al-Ammari faced a similar challenge when selling fabrics online. He mentioned that he launched his online store on Salla during the COVID-19 pandemic, despite his prior hesitation about the feasibility of selling a product that fundamentally relies on touch and physical inspection.

To overcome this hurdle, he relied on filming videos explaining the fabrics, noting in the episode that his store features visual guides for hundreds of products. He also offered sample swatch catalogues that customers could order to inspect the fabrics firsthand.

The lesson an abaya store can take away is not necessarily to provide similar swatch kits, but rather to narrow the gap between what the customer expects and what will actually arrive.

You can film the abaya in motion, highlight sleeve details and cuts, clarify the fabric's nature, opacity, and care instructions, alongside providing a clear size chart. The more accurate the information, the more confident the buying decision becomes.

What can you put into practice? Review one of your product pages and ask: Can the customer understand the abaya’s look, approximate texture, and fit from the information provided? If the answer is no, start by improving the photos, video, and descriptions before spending more on driving new traffic.

7. Growth | Do Not Let One Campaign's Success Dictate Your Next Purchases

A particular design might generate high sales after going viral on social media, making it seem like the right move is to immediately purchase large quantities of it. However, trending products do not necessarily maintain the same level of demand over time.

Al-Ammari spoke about how quickly certain fabric and design trends spread, and how an innovative idea can turn an overlooked fabric into a product everyone is seeking. On the other hand, he explained that when a design spreads across a vast number of stores, its uniqueness diminishes over time.

That is why it is essential to distinguish between a temporary spike in demand and sustainable growth you can continue to build upon.

Track the performance of each design individually, rather than relying solely on total sales. Monitor inventory turnover speed, repeat purchases, returns, and net profitability after expenses. If sales of a particular design slow down, it might be wiser to adjust its price, revamp its presentation, or clear out the remaining stock rather than leaving capital tied up in it.

Al-Ammari also emphasised the importance of addressing stagnant inventory instead of holding onto it for years, as the funds tied up in it can prevent the merchant from purchasing fresh products that better match demand.

What can you put into practice? Schedule a periodic review of your product assortment: What is worth reordering? What needs improvement? And what should be discontinued? Base your expansion decisions on sustained product performance, not on the success of a single ad.

From an Abaya Store to a Memorable Brand

Walid Al-Ammari’s experience blends deep material knowledge with a practical understanding of what abaya business owners encounter. The key takeaway, however, is that building a successful brand is not just about design. It is a series of interconnected decisions that begin with understanding the customer and selecting the product, extend through manufacturing quality, pricing, and presentation, and culminate in inventory management and maintaining customer trust.

Standing out does not mean everything you offer must be entirely novel; it means knowing who you are selling to, why that customer chooses you, and how to preserve the very reason she trusted your brand in the first place.

If you are preparing to launch your project, you can create your online store via Salla and start showcasing your first collection, then refine your products and shopping experience based on what you learn from your customers.

Source: Episode (Do Not Copy: The Secret of a Successful Abaya Brand) from the Namat Podcast, hosted by Walid Al-Ammari, fabric merchant and owner of (Hamour). This article was prepared based on the episode's transcript, with ideas reorganised and practical steps added for merchants.