São Paulo – Arab perfume shop Al Zahra, in São Paulo, Brazil, which reopened last week under the name Al Ward, offers a wider range of products, including Amouage, a luxury brand from Oman. The revamped outlet is also designed to be an Arab culture space, including the décor and an Arab-style café.
The store was founded by the Brazilian architect and businesswoman Julia de Biase about four years ago. In a well-appointed section of the store, she sells her own Al Zahra perfume brand, made from natural Eastern ingredients including amber, vanilla, jasmine and musk. A new body cream was launched as of the store’s reopening.
Al Ward also sells perfume brands Asgharali, of Bahrain, and Hamid, of the UAE. Oman’s Amouage has its own gallery at a prime spot within the shop. According to Julia, this is one of the Middle East’s biggest high-end perfume brands, and a household name in the region as well as in Europe. The bottles are made from Crystal, with Swarovski crystal caps and 24-carat gold inlays.
Amouage works with traditional Arab perfumery ingredients, like sandal, oud, saffron and amber, combined with French and Western scents. Julia describes the bottles as works of art. Prices are in the BRL 1,700 to BRL 2,100 range. “Anyone who knows about perfume and perfume niches will be after the brand,” says Julia regarding the market potential for Amouage in Brazil.
Al Ward is a two-story shop. On the ground floor, apart from the perfumes, there’s also an aisle with roses from Giuliana Flores. The store’s old name (Al Zahra) means flower; the new one (Al Ward) means rose. A week from now, a café featuring Moroccan décor will open on the first floor, serving Arab and Turkish coffee and sweet and savory snacks, including date cakes. Another of Julia’s businesses is importing dates from Dubai.
On sale on the second floor will be décor and handicraft from the UAE, Morocco, Turkey and India. “After almost four years I had the insight to bring the culture of the Arab world into Brazil, to cater to the needs of my clients,” says Julia.
Here, the colorful Eastern-like setting is lined with rugs, scarves, kaftans, decorated plates, ceramic, lighting fixtures, chandeliers, etc. – everything’s for sale. The walls feature Arabic sayings, including excerpts from the Koran. “I want people to realize that the Arab world has a very rich culture that cannot be forgotten,” she says.
Quick facts
Al Ward
Website: http://www.itsalzahra.com/
Phone: +55 11 3857-7523
Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum