Fashion
Where to buy abayas in Dubai, at every budget
Deira souks and Meena Bazaar for cheap abayas, Hanayen and Mauzan at Dubai Mall for a polished everyday piece, Abaya Mall in Mirdif for the widest choice with tailors on site. Spend AED 300 to 600 on good nida and you will actually wear it.
Where to buy an abaya in Dubai depends on your budget. For cheap, go to Deira (Naif Souk and Al Manal Centre) or Meena Bazaar in Bur Dubai and bargain. For a polished everyday piece, Hanayen and Mauzan at Dubai Mall are the safe names. For the widest choice under one roof with tailors on site, drive to Abaya Mall in Mirdif. A good everyday abaya in nida sits around AED 300 to 600 at the time of writing, and that is where most people should spend.
One honest note first. I do not wear an abaya day to day. What I know first-hand is the festive side of modest dressing in Dubai: the Ramadan and Eid trunk shows, the kaftans, the sets I actually wore to iftars. The price ladder below is what the shops charge, not what I have paid, so check before you go.
Where to buy cheap abayas in Dubai
Old Deira is the budget end. Naif Souk has rows of small shops selling plain and embroidered abayas, and Al Manal Centre, a small mall of about 120 shops on Deira Street near Baniyas Square (Green Line), has a whole cluster of abaya and shayla shops, some with tailoring in-house. Across the creek, Meena Bazaar in Bur Dubai mixes ready abayas with tailors who will copy a photo. Expect starting prices of roughly AED 80 to 150 at stalls, and never accept the first number: a polite counter-offer is expected, and buying two gets you a better deal than buying one. Check the seams and the lining before you pay, because at this price the fabric is often fine and the finishing is not.
Which malls have the best abaya shops?
- Hanayen: the biggest name, with shops at Dubai Mall (second floor, near Galeries Lafayette), Mall of the Emirates, City Centre Mirdif, City Centre Deira and Dubai Outlet Mall. Plain black to laser-cut and embroidered, fixed prices, reliable tailoring.
- Mauzan: an Emirati house on the second floor of Dubai Mall, also in Jumeirah. Softer fabrics, beadwork, more feminine cuts. Prices start in the high hundreds and climb.
- DAS Collection: designer abayas from two Emirati sisters, with a Jumeirah boutique. This is the occasion end of the market and the one I have not shopped myself; it is on my list for an Emirati wedding invitation.
- Abaya Mall, Mirdif: three storeys in Mirdif with around a hundred abaya shops among some 250 in total, plus salons and tailors. Go here if you want to try on thirty styles in an afternoon.
Can you get an abaya custom made in Dubai?
Yes, and it is often better value than a boutique piece. Tailors in Meena Bazaar will make one to your measurements from a photo; allow roughly a week, and longer in the run-up to Eid when every tailor in Bur Dubai is buried in orders. Abaya Mall has tailoring shops inside the building, and several quote a turnaround of a day or two for adjustments. I have not tested the 24-hour promise myself, so ask for a date in writing. Bring the fabric if you have it, a clear picture of the cut, and wear the shoes you will wear with it so the hem is measured properly.
What fabric should an abaya be?
Nida is the standard: a soft, matte crepe that drapes, hides creases and does not cling. Ask for a lighter weight for summer, because a heavy black nida in August is a sauna. Linen blends work for daytime but crease. For occasions, look at chiffon or organza overlays on a lined base. Whatever the fabric, check three things: a proper lining under anything sheer, neat even stitching on the inside seams, and a hem that clears the floor by an inch or two so you can walk on marble and gravel without tripping.
How much should an abaya cost in Dubai?
| Type | Where | Rough price (AED) |
|---|---|---|
| Souk basic | Naif, Al Manal, Meena Bazaar | 80 to 150 |
| Everyday, good nida | Hanayen, Abaya Mall, tailors | 300 to 600 |
| Boutique | Mauzan, better Abaya Mall shops | 700 to 2,000 |
| Designer occasion | DAS and similar | 2,000 and up |
Those are ranges at the time of writing. The AED 300 to 600 band is the sweet spot: good fabric, a proper finish and a cut you will reach for every day. Bargaining works at the souks and with independent tailors; mall boutiques are fixed price.
Ramadan and Eid dressing: kaftans, abayas and what I actually wore
This is the part of modest dressing I can speak to. The festive season in Dubai has its own shopping circuit, and it starts a month before Ramadan. In January 2025 I shot the Ramadan Edition collection by Faiza Rehman for Signature Studio Dubai ahead of their one-day show at Sofitel Downtown. In February I wore Layla Chatoor at the Boulevard One Ramadan Trunk Show in the Address Sky View ballroom, alongside Amna Arshad's kaftans and Haseens. In March I wore Mahgul's Sea Pearl set, a floaty chiffon kaftan-style kurti over raw silk trousers, for Ramadan, a Viola outfit getting ready for an iftar, and a Begum set from Boulevard One on Eid itself. I was also at DKNY's Ramadan and Eid collection event.
What I learned from a season of it: a kaftan is the iftar and Eid answer, not an abaya. It is loose enough to eat in, covered enough for a mixed iftar table, and it photographs well. Keep a lightweight abaya for the everyday and for anything hosted by Emirati friends, where it is the respectful default. For Eid lunch, a printed kaftan or a kurti-and-trouser set in chiffon or silk beats a heavy embroidered piece, because Eid in Dubai is usually warm and you will be moving between houses all day.
Disclosure: Signature Studio Dubai, Layla Chatoor, Mahgul, Viola, Boulevard One and DKNY invited me or gifted these pieces. My opinion is my own.
What I would skip
- A heavy polyester black abaya bought for the price. You will not wear it after May.
- Sheer fabric without a lining, at any price.
- Buying an occasion abaya without trying it with heels. The hem is everything.
- Paying boutique money for plain nida. Save that for embroidery or a cut you cannot get from a tailor.
For what to wear under and over it through the year, read what to wear in Dubai as a woman. If the abaya is for a wedding, what to wear to a wedding in Dubai covers the Emirati rules, and where to buy Indian clothes in Dubai has the full festive pop-up calendar.
All my Fashion guides · Brands: work with me on fashion.
