Shop of the new: Dubai website Vesmasina offers edgy alternatives

Andrea Ercegovic, left, and Reem Abdullah, the founders of the newly-launched shopping portal vesmasina.com. Pawan Singh / The National

Punky, festive and quirky are three words that describe Vesmasina.com – a home-grown online retail portal that promises to be different from the others in the region.

Capitalising on the growing shift towards online shopping in the GCC, Dubai-based best friends Emirati Reem Abdullah and Croatian Andrea Ercegovic launched the website with distinctive, hard-to-find brands such as Wildfox, Unif, Lazy Oaf and Miista, all known for their originality and creativity.

While most of UAE's online shoppers are loyal to websites such as Namshi.com, the girls behind Vesmasina.com claim that their unique selling point is what they stock.

The wide range of products on Vesmasina.com include tops emblazoned with tongue-in-cheek slogans, chunky accessories, embellished footwear and floral hemp headbands. Each item is quirky and a far cry from the high-street brands usually offered on such sites, so if it’s a rucksack decorated with eyes and a set of teeth, or brogues covered in mermaid-like sea green sequins that you're after, look no further.

See more: Top 5 finds on Vesmasina.com

“The other sites are more mainstream,” says Ercegovic. “We specialise more in hard-to-find brands, almost boutique-like, that are unique.” Abdullah adds: “Our website is good for when you want to get that one thing that will differentiate you from others. We carry a lot of established brands and upcoming labels, from the United States, Australia and Europe, as well as our own line,” says Abdullah.

Also available is the duo’s self-designed collection, which incorporates a logo specially created in collaboration with a Croatian street artist.

“He put a pen to paper to create a hybrid logo of what represents us,” says Abdullah. “It’s a mix of a parrot and a human, and it’s very ­vintage-inspired.”

Their collection is as edgy as the international labels stocked on the site, and boasts wardrobe staples such as loose tees, sweatshirts and bomber jackets, all manufactured in Europe. Each features the distinctive ­Vešmašina logo, along with trendy motifs.

“The line is very casual, it’s all streetwear,” says Ercegovic. “We designed them to be pieces that are comfortable, and can take you from day to night, for when those times when you don’t know what to what to wear and can just throw something on,” she explains.

Though most of the garments fall under the womenswear umbrella, Vešmašina is by no means a girls-only fashion destination.

“We have some cool unisex pieces that we like to play with, especially with our own line,” says Abdullah.

Ercegovic believes online retail is fast becoming the preferred means of shopping.

“First, it’s a better price point if you shop online, because physical retailers need to rent out space,” she says.

“Second, people today are too busy, maybe they go to malls to hang out or walk around, but you feel too exhausted to shop, so why not do it from the comfort of your own home?”

• Vesmasina.com ships UAE orders within three working days; cash on delivery across the GCC