Real Feedback Means Everything
When you start something new, you never really know how people will respond. I launched Minalkhaleej with passion, yes, and a deep belief in quality, comfort, and cultural elegance. But it was still a new brand. I expected to wait a while before hearing anything, maybe a few polite compliments from family or a friend or two buying out of kindness.
But what happened surprised me. Almost immediately, I began receiving messages that were different. Women from Baghdad, Basra, Dubai, and even London were not just buying. They were coming back for more. They were recommending Minalkhaleej to their sisters, their cousins, their neighbors. They were bringing photos of my pieces into their tailors and saying, “I want something like this.”
And the reason? Always the same: the quality.
This blog post is about what goes into that quality, the fabric, the design, the craftsmanship, and how, despite the early stage of our brand, Minalkhaleej is already being recognized as a top choice for high quality abayas in Iraq and beyond.
Listening to the Market: Real Women, Real Praise
The most rewarding messages I get are from women I have never met. One wrote to say her sister wore the abaya she bought from me to a wedding, and three women asked her where she got it. Another told me her mother, who normally sticks to one old familiar tailor, had asked for two more of the same cut she bought from Minalkhaleej.
Then there are the girls who have worn abayas for years, who know exactly how the sleeve should fall and what it means when a fabric is too shiny or too soft, and they are saying they can tell this is something different. That kind of feedback matters.
It is what keeps me going. Because behind every compliment is a whole world of effort that often goes unseen.
The Search for the Perfect Fabric
Let me be honest. Finding the right fabric for abayas is not simple.
People often ask me,
Is it Korean nida? as if that automatically means quality.
And yes, Korean nida is what we often use, but even within that category, there are levels. There is the low grade nida that creases quickly and fades. There is the one that feels soft to the touch but clings in all the wrong places. There is nida from different factories, different finishes, and even different shades of black.
That was one of the biggest surprises for me. I thought black was black. It turns out it is not. Some blacks are warm toned, others have a bluish hue. Some shine under light, others remain matte. The difference is subtle to the eye, but obvious when the abaya is worn, especially in daylight or evening events.
I spent weeks testing samples, holding them up in natural light, rubbing them between my fingers, even washing and ironing them multiple times to see what would hold. I didn’t just want something that looked good in a photo. I wanted something that still looked new after ten wears. Something that could survive an Iraqi summer and a UAE shopping trip.
In the end, we selected only a handful of materials. The best Korean nida among them, along with a couple of specialty weaves that drape beautifully. That is the fabric you feel when you wear Minalkhaleej.
I have used Nida as an example, but it is the same for all the fabric I use, whether its from Indonesia or India. Honestly, we even use fabric from China (they seem to be the best at doing the patterned ones)- and the fabric store owner now knows not to ask if I want cheap or high quality, he just takes me to the best quality.
Design Dreams vs Fabric Reality
Of course, choosing the right material is only half the journey. The rest comes when you try to bring a vision to life and reality humbles you.
There have been designs I loved on paper. I could see the shape clearly in my mind. But the moment we started stitching, it fell apart. Either the fabric was too stiff to move the way I wanted, or it lost structure when we cut it a certain way. One time, a beautiful embroidered design I created sat perfectly on one fabric, but looked completely off when we tried it in another. It was like trying to force two people into a relationship that just did not work.
I learned the hard way that design cannot be separated from fabric. What works for a structured coat style abaya might not suit a floaty evening one. And even within the same design, changing a single thread of material changes the way the whole piece moves.
These mistakes cost time. They cost money. But they also teach you. You begin to develop an instinct. You learn how a shoulder seam should sit, how a sleeve should fall, and how to balance comfort with elegance. And most importantly, you learn not to rush.
Negotiating with Purpose: Value Without Compromise
As a business owner, of course I have to think about cost. But never at the expense of quality.
I have had suppliers suggest cheaper alternatives, and I have turned them down. I have visited workshops that offered lower prices, but I walked out when I saw the stitching was not clean or the staff looked rushed. Quality has a price. But so does compromise. And the price of disappointing a customer who trusted you with her money, her image, her confidence? That is too high.
Still, I work hard to negotiate the best prices I can for the top tier fabric and tailoring. I do it so that when someone in Baghdad or Sulaymaniyah or London opens their parcel, they feel they received more than they paid for. That is what builds trust. That is what creates repeat customers.
The Power of Word of Mouth
Marketing is important. I know that. I am working on it. But let me tell you, no Instagram ad or fancy photoshoot compares to a woman telling her friend, “I bought mine from Minalkhaleej and I love it.”
Word of mouth is what built this brand in the beginning, and it is still what fuels it. Every time someone recommends us, every time someone reposts a photo in one of our abayas, it builds a community that feels real and rooted.
Not Just Iraq: A Growing Presence
Although Baghdad is where we saw the first wave of love, Minalkhaleej is growing beyond Iraq.
We now have repeat customers in the UAE, women who know abayas and are used to top tier Gulf tailoring. And we have buyers in the UK, where modest fashion is often either very traditional or very westernised. These women tell me that what they love about Minalkhaleej is how we combine the two: modern but modest, elegant but easy to wear.
It feels surreal sometimes. To know that a piece we made in a quiet studio in the Gulf is now being worn at an engagement party in Najaf or a graduation in Manchester.
Conclusion: Building a Reputation That Lasts
We are still new. We are still learning. But one thing has become clear: Minalkhaleej is becoming known for producing the best quality abayas in Iraq and beyond.
It is not a title we gave ourselves. It is something we are hearing, more and more, from the people who matter most, our customers.
We will continue to push our quality higher. We will continue to listen, adjust, and improve. And most of all, we will continue to build a brand that women trust not just to look good, but to feel right.
Because at the end of the day, that is what matters most.
Ready to experience the quality for yourself?
If you’re looking for a high quality abaya in Iraq, the UK, or anywhere in the world, we invite you to explore what Minalkhaleej has to offer.
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