DUBAI — Dunhill is making its biggest Middle East play yet with the opening of a new boutique in Dubai Mall that the British heritage brand sees as a beachhead for regional expansion.
The move comes as the brand, under creative director Simon Holloway, is building what he calls “momentum” with a string of high-profile openings including Selfridges and Harrods in London. Now, partnering with Dubai-based Timeless Group of Companies, Dunhill is betting that its London playbook will translate to the Gulf.
“We have a very large Middle Eastern community in London, so this does feel very familiar to us as a type of client,” Holloway told WWD in Dubai for the opening. “We see opening in Dubai very much as an extension of that community, extending from London and into the heart of the Middle East.”
The Dubai store offers something few luxury menswear brands can match: ready-to-wear, made-to-measure, and full bespoke tailoring under one roof. To support the push, Dunhill added two cutters to its London atelier at Bourdon House, one specifically chosen for existing Middle Eastern client relationships.
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It’s part of what Holloway describes as surging global demand for personalization. “We find that there is an incredibly discerning client who really appreciates the level of the breadth of the fabric offer,” he said.
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The made-to-order services extend beyond tailoring to footwear and leather goods.
But Holloway expects the real volume driver won’t be bespoke suits, it will be refined casual pieces. Think double-faced driving jackets and butter-soft French lambskin bombers, both pulled from 120-year-old archive designs.
“That’s definitely an iconic item for Dunhill that really speaks to this client, because it’s sort of dressy and casual at the same time,” he said. Also expected to be popular in the region are the Davies hybrid sneaker-boot, oversized holdalls, Scottish cashmere scarves. Dunhill’s signature neutral palette — camels, taupes, oatmeals — will resonate strongly in the region.
Holloway confirmed a major expansion of Dunhill’s “gift and game” hard luxury category, which will arrive in Dubai in the coming months. The lineup includes leather-boxed backgammon sets, a luxury Jenga-style tower game with a hidden lighter, a handcrafted English bicycle wrapped in hand-stitched leather, plus barware and desk accessories.
It’s all part of Holloway’s nearly three-year mission to “retell the broader tale of Dunhill” through what he calls invisible innovation. In particular, Holloway has been successful taking heritage British fabrics like tweeds and flannels and engineering them at half-weight for modern comfort while maintaining traditional hand-tailoring techniques.
“Our long-term strategy for Dunhill is to restate Dunhill globally in its beautiful, timeless classicism,” Holloway said, adding that more store openings are in the pipeline.
The brand shows its fall 2026 collection in Milan this January.