Choosing kandura fabric for a UAE summer

Weight first: light and crisp, or quarter-structured

Our labels use two words for weight. "Light and crisp" falls with the body and keeps its shape — what you want at midday. "Quarter-structured", as on Al Jawhara, stands a little prouder and reads more formal; lovely in an air-conditioned majlis, a touch heavier under the sun.

The Japanese cloth: soft, cool, and silent

Most of our Japanese fabrics come from Toyobo, and we describe them as they are: soft, light, cool, and carrying no rustling sound as you move. Royal, Triple K and C818 are all from that family, and they are the everyday summer kandura.

Jumeirah, for the heat specifically

Jumeirah is named after the district on the sea. It is a soft cloth that falls with real fluidity, and we consider it the best suited of anything we carry to summer heat. If you want one place to start, start there.

Choose the summer colours, not the winter ones

Semiramis comes as two separate ranges: Summer Colours and Winter Colours. The difference is not only cosmetic — pale shades reflect light and stay cooler, and a cream white hides dust far better than a bright optic white.

The two properties that matter most in heat

Every fabric we carry is described as non-clinging and crease-resistant. The first is what keeps cloth off the skin as you perspire; the second is what keeps a thawb tidy from morning to the end of the day. In winter they are pleasant. In summer they are the whole difference.

How many metres you need

Every piece we sell is 3.5 m, which is one thawb. Most of our cloths are described as best suited to the Emirati cut; Al Jawhara suits the Kuwaiti, Emirati and Qatari cuts alike.

Where to start

Signature is the everyday range, Premium the more finely woven one. Both hold fabrics that work in summer — the difference is in the hand and the price, not in how they cope with the heat.