The best places to shop in Kuwait

Fashion fix

Founded in 1956 as one of the first luxury retailers in Kuwait, AlOthman fashion is a comprehensive store with high-class women’s clothing. Despite its age, the store and its collection are by no means outdated: there are kaftans in earthy colors by the young Bahraini brand AKS, geometrically cut dresses by Georgian designer David Koma, and Oscar de la Renta dresses with eye-catching prices. In response to the pandemic, the store has expanded its collection of household items and now offers ceramics from Lebanese manufacturers, as well as leather travel bags from the domestic brand Dukkanii.

Handicraft household items

Set in a 1960s beachfront bungalow with a palm-lined garden, Zeri crafts offers a welcome break from the glittering shopping malls of the city center. After returning from nearly a decade of development work abroad, Kuwaiti owner Laila Al Hamad was inspired to recreate the craft revival she had seen in places like Cambodia and Yemen. Collaborating with international designers, he creates contemporary versions of traditional crafts from across the Persian Gulf. Standout pieces include orchard-patterned pillows and striking mubkhar incense sticks.

Market life

Central Kuwait Souq Al Mubarakiya is one of the oldest in the country. This maze-like market underwent an elegant makeover in the 1990s, but is still the domain of keffiyah-wearing men sipping tea and locals stocking up on spices, oud perfumes and gold. At its heart there is a terrace with bougainvillea fringes Bait Ahmed Cafe is the perfect place for karak chai: black tea with cardamom and milk. The ramshackle shop inside offers some of the market’s best finds, such as quirky enamel kettles, clay jugs and wicker baskets.

Sustainable stationery

Paper and nest was opened in Kipco Tower Mall in 2014 by Kuwaiti graphic designer Fudh Al Ateeqi, but is currently in the process of moving to a new location. Meanwhile, its stationery, graphic posters and accessories, such as leather laptop cases from Swedish brand Printworks, illustrated notebooks from France and Japanese cellophane tape, are available online. Al Ateeqi is committed to sustainability through its plastic-free policy and offers reusable household items including a rainbow of stainless steel water bottles from S’well and ripstop nylon bags from San Francisco-based Baggu.

New works

Taking its name from the Arabic word for alchemy, Studio Khemia’e puts chemical reactions first in its results. In a half-converted apartment on the roof of a 1960s shopping mall, photographer Huda Abdulmughni opened Kuwait’s first community darkroom for making cyanotype prints and developing analog film. On the other hand, artist Talah Al Sayer conducts dyeing workshops using natural ingredients such as saffron and osage orange. Some of them grow in the adjacent courtyard, and others (such as avocado seeds and onion peels) are kitchen scraps.