Sheikh Abdulrahman Al Madani, Dubai’s First Tailor, Dies Aged 97

Sheikh Abdulrahman Al Shafie Al Madani, recognized as the first professional tailor in Dubai, has died at the age of 97. His passing concludes an eight-decade career that transitioned from a single workshop in the pre-union era to a prominent regional retail group. Eight Decades of Craftsmanship Al Madani began his career in tailoring more than 80 years ago, establishing National Tailors during a period when Dubai’s commercial landscape was centered around the creek. He is credited with introducing structured, bespoke tailoring techniques to the local market at a time when most garments were handmade within households or by traveling merchants. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, Al Madani’s workshop became a fixture of the Bur Dubai textile district. His business catered to the city’s early merchant families and leadership, providing the traditional Emirati kandura with a level of precision that defined the standards for formal national dress in the burgeoning emirate. From Workshop to Retail Group The legacy of Sheikh Abdulrahman Al Madani extends beyond the sewing machine. The original tailoring business served as the foundation for the Al Madani Group, a diversified…