A Historical Overview of Kuwait's Fabric & Tailoring Market

Preamble

Before delving into our main topic of men's dishdasha tailoring shops in Kuwait, let's briefly discuss the history of the local Kuwaiti fabric market. The area currently known as Blockat, located in the Qibla district of Kuwait City, opposite to Mubarak Al-Kabeer Street and adjacent to Abdul Aziz Hamad Al-Saqr Street, is a textile marketplace that brings together tailors, fabric shops, and sewing stores specializing in bespoke tailoring under one roof, catering to both men and women. 

Blockat or the Fabric Souk is considered the epicenter of tailors in Kuwait, a vibrant sewing market where citizens and designers interact with tailoring workshops. The majority of Kuwaitis visit these fabric shops to purchase textile materials and have their clothes custom tailored to fit.

Government Initiative and Ownership

The Kuwaiti government designed and constructed a series of commercial complexes and named it "Blockat," which translates to “A Series of Blocks” that houses a large number of commercial shops and offices in the capital district of Kuwait specializing in textiles, fabrics, curtains, blankets, tailoring, and more. 

These shops were sold to citizens in the 1960’s to support the local economy, and each shop has its own individual ownership title or deed. Today, a significant percentage of these shops offer fabric delivery services or home tailoring services to their customers. An online platform is also available to provide customers with all their fabric and tailoring needs from the comfort of their homes, even allowing them to schedule appointments with tailors for dishdasha tailoring in Kuwait.

Formation of Owners' Associations:

After the sale of all the commercial shops, the owners of each commercial block (1, 2, 3, 4, & 5) established an owners' association or guild in 1966. Subsequently, additional Blocks and complexes were built, and each shop would consist of a basement for storage, a ground-floor shop for retail, a mezzanine for additional space, and a first-floor office typically reserved for the manager or owner. All commercial units were sold to citizens through the Kuwaiti Savings & Investment Bank, known as the Kuwait Credit Bank, which is a government-owned institution.

Evolution and Demographics:

Over the years, many of these commercial units have been acquired and invested by a series of nationalities or residents typically of Iranian, Indian, and Pakistani descent, with a managerial administration often shared with Kuwaiti, Egyptian, Syrian, or Lebanese shareholders. The largest block in Blockat is known as the "Grand Fabric Market" or Blockat 2 which is considered the most historic. Unfortunately, the Blockat buildings currently lack central air conditioning, restrooms, and elevators. 

Although individual shops have installed their own toilets, elevators, and air conditioning systems - the Blockat buildings lack a facility management system. Blockat needs to have a major uplift of renovations or modifications for the building's facade as well as upscaling its interior decorations, however the issue still remains as there is no single owner for the entire Blockat complex.

Safety Concerns and Specialization:

Until this date, the fabric and tailoring blocks in Blockat do not have a unified fire extinguishing system for the entire complex, which likely results in an unsafe working environment or poses a safety concern for visitors and employees. Each block has a specific field or specialization that is known by Kuwaiti who are visiting a tailor shop. For example, Blockat 2 houses shops that mainly specialize in men's and women's clothing as well as men’s tailoring and fabrics for both genders. 

On the other hand, you will witness that Block 3 focuses on wholesale textiles and retail fabric markets. And Block 4 has many shops that specialize in selling tailoring supplies. Lastly, Block 1 caters to women's fabrics & female fashion designers. In conclusion, the Blockat is a vibrant fabric and tailoring market that remains the primary focus for tailors in Kuwait.