A creative new venue in Dubai Design District is set to take your customisation needs to a whole new level.
The Name will open doors to the public on Sunday. The "social spot" blends the idea of a concept store with a cafe, offering a space where customers can try out speciality coffees and bites, or place orders for bespoke customised products.
The concept is the brainchild of Rayan Toufic Daouk, whose family has been in the customisation and gifting business for decades, he tells The National.
“I’ve had the idea for a showroom for personalised products, with a coffee shop, for a while now. And, when you think of a place for creatives, you immediately think of Dubai Design District,” he says.
“Any of the products you see here, you can customise. Whether it’s your initials or a brand or logo, we can do it. The idea is to change it from ‘The Name’ to ‘Your Name’.”
The Name is currently home to eight brands: Lexon, Pantone, Pitaka, Korin, Lund London, Gingko Design, Sol and Hugo Boss. The result is a range of eccentric products, including T-shirts and hoodies (available in more than 40 colours), Bluetooth speakers, umbrellas, creative lamps, reusable coffee mugs and water bottles.
Daouk adds that customers will also be given a great degree of control over the customisation they want. Those wanting to personalise a T-shirt for a gift, for example, will be given options from embroidery to glow-in-the-dark additions.
Meanwhile, for those wanting to stop by for a bite to eat, the cafe is a minimalistic, grey space, with pops of colour through Pantone mugs, kitchenware and merchandise. Customers ordering a cuppa will be asked what their colour of the day is, and served the beverage in a cup in the hue of their choice.
On the menu is a range of speciality coffee, from lattes to the manually made V60. Those wanting a bite to eat will find Mediterranean-inspired dishes with a Levantine touch.
The smoked pastrami and cheddar sandwich, green and grains salad, cheese manakish, turkey and brie sandwich, super vegan burger and freshly baked flatbread with spicy black Angus beef and labneh are some favourites.
For those who prefer something sweeter, there’s the chocolate peanut butter cake, almond orange pudding and Rice Krispies chocolate waffles.
By combining the idea of a cafe and a shop, Daouk hopes that The Name can become an outlet and a cosy space for creative people in the UAE. “It’s a hub where you can create your own art,” he says.
Scroll through the gallery below for six products you can customise at The Name:
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A radio and Bluetooth speaker from Lexon, designed to evoke nostalgia. All images by Pawan Singh / The National -
A foldable lamp from Gingko Design. -
Pantone mugs and waterbottles in specific colour shades. -
Gingko Mi Square Pocket Bluetooth Speaker. -
Pitaka offers a range of mobile phone and tablet covers, made from carbon fibre. -
T-shirts in a range of colours can be personalised.
