If you were stuck in particularly bad traffic in the Downtown area on Thursday evening‭, ‬blame a certain Swedish retailer for plastering Dubai's highways with ads inviting the city to celebrate the opening of its new flagship store in Dubai Mall‭. ‬H&M‭, ‬the fast fashion retailer that's not quite Zara‭, ‬not quite Shein‭, ‬is on a mission to reclaim its stake as the cool girl's fashion go-to‭. ‬

The world's second-biggest publicly traded fashion retailer‭, ‬H&M has‭, ‬of late‭, ‬floundered between Zara's more premium positioning‭ (‬the Spanish rival is currently selling a hot pink surfboard designed by Balenciaga's Pierpaolo Piccioli for Dh12,999‭), ‬and the race to the bottom in pricing led by the likes of Shein and Temu‭ (‬spin a wheel‭, ‬pay‭ ‬next to nothing‭). ‬Now‭, ‬the retailer wants to remind you what made it cool in the first place and why its middle ground positioning offers a sartorial sweet spot below some of Zara's decidedly punchy price-tags for quality significantly higher than the Sheins of the world‭. ‬A catwalk show‭ ‬-‭ ‬its first in seven years‭ ‬-‭ ‬took place at London Fashion Week last month‭, ‬designed to reassociate H&M with fashion beyond basics‭. ‬And a Middle East-resonant campaign starring Palestinian-Chilean singer Elyanna heralds a strong Holiday collection that lands this weekend‭.‬

Arguably H&M's biggest asset is its physical store footprint‭ ‬-‭ ‬over 4,000‭ ‬retail locations worldwide‭, ‬with around 78‭ ‬in the GCC‭, ‬operated by Alshaya Group‭. ‬Just last week Shein attempted to‭ ‬open physical sites in the capital of fashion‭, ‬Paris‭, ‬but the French said‭ ‬“Non”‭. ‬Thus‭, ‬if you're H&M and your stores are your biggest asset‭, ‬they'd better be good‭. ‬Hence the marketing around H&M's two newly revamped UAE flagships opening this month‭, ‬in Dubai Mall and Mall of the Emirates‭. ‬To celebrate‭, ‬the Burj Khalifa was turned H&M red‭, ‬the first 300‭ ‬guests were given mystery boxes containing gift cards worth up to Dh1,000‭, ‬beauty gift bags valued at Dh600‭, ‬the chance to customise limited edition pieces‭, ‬and experience new interactive fitting rooms and self-checkout‭. ‬The‭ ‬Dubai Mall opening also introduced buzzy beauty brands including By Mina Al Sheikhly‭, ‬Noha Nabil Beauty‭, ‬BELLA‭, ‬GLOSSY and NYX‭,‬‭ ‬catnip to the Gen-Z customer H&M needs to win over‭. ‬

Globally‭, ‬around 250‭ ‬H&M stores are undergoing a total rebuild‭, ‬making them‭ ‬more boutique-like‭, ‬with open space rather than the jam-packed rails and dingy lighting that dates so many retail dinosaurs‭. ‬Because despite the growth of ecommerce‭, ‬it turns out that customers do still love to shop in person‭, ‬as evidenced by days of queues at value chain Primark's recent opening in Kuwait‭. ‬Once fondly referred to as‭ ‬'Primarni'‭ ‬by the fashion press‭, ‬an illusion to the Irish retailer's Armani-like fashion influence at rock bottom prices‭, ‬Primark is opening three stores in the UAE next year‭, ‬also operated by Alshaya Group‭. ‬

All that's missing now in the retail revolution is a strong‭, ‬fashion-credible homegrown player to challenge the market‭. ‬H&M's Swedish‭, ‬Zara is from Spain‭, ‬Primark is Irish‭. ‬Where's the UAE equivalent‭? ‬The Giving Movement is certainly a challenger‭, ‬but I'd argue it leans to lifestyle rather than fashion‭. ‬Speaking to‭ ‬Vogue Business‭ ‬last week‭, ‬Dubai-based influencer and fashion entrepreneur Karen Wazen‭, ‬announcing the expansion of her accessories retail concept across Egypt‭, ‬said‭, ‬“For years‭, ‬we‭ [‬consumers in the Middle East‭] ‬were infatuated with anything from the West‭. ‬That's changing now‭. ‬You see it in fashion‭, ‬food and beverage‭, ‬beauty‭ ‬-‭ ‬it's our time‭.‬”‭ ‬But until a Middle Eastern contender challenges the world's fast fashion players‭, ‬H&M has a shiny new store‭, ‬and we're all invited‭.‬

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