Sister Act

Ten years ago, sisters Maryam and Muna Saeed took a leap of faith to launch their very own abaya brand Al Mraikn, which creates modern designs to empower women to feel confident in themselves

- OLIVIA MORRIS

Can you talk us through your career? Al Mraikn is a family business between two sisters. We established our company to create abayas and dresses by myself and my sister Muna in 2011. We started our company from scratch. It was hard for two ladies to create a working environment of their own without anyone’s support, taking the huge risk of becoming businesswomen. But we believed in one another and we managed to create our own company and own line. We started with a small shop and four employees. From there it began to grow into creating our own factory, joining the biggest fashion events and becoming partners in huge e-commerce websites and working with influencers and bloggers.

What inspired you to start your own fashion brand with your sister? My sister Muna is my biggest inspiration. In our business, I’m the heart and she is the brain. Our secret of having a successful career and brand is that we keep our divisions separated – I do the designs and she is the CEO. Our divisions are separate, yet we are also connected.

How has your brand evolved since it launched? Our business evolved because we focus on four main factors – communication, commitment, division and keeping up with changes. We are always open to new ideas, new journeys and never afraid to take new risks. In any business taking risks might be a huge step to take but by believing in one another and having confidence in our work we evolved.