I’ve been in Dubai for long enough to know its best spots and its tourist traps. I have friends visit often enough to know the difference between a flimsy Dubai souvenir and a gift that actually could carry a lot of meaning.
After watching a few friends struggle to find the perfect souvenir to take home to friends from Dubai, I had a lightbulb moment and figured I have it right in my hands!
Here I have a UAE-grown brand, a product that’s durable as it gets, and the ability to engrave it with anything! Personalising Loch Life bottles from the beginning was a main point that made our brand unique. I thought why not turn that into showing some UAE pride and creating the perfect souvenir?
That’s exactly what I set out to do. I created Loch’s ‘With Love, from Dubai’ collection. It’s quite literally a message in a bottle! Featuring a lovely design of the city’s skyline, the bottles can be any of colours or sizes. And the feedback has been great ever since. But I’m just happy my friends aren’t sending home these t-shirts with those really thick collars and bad prints anymore. It’s not fitting (pardon the pun) to present this city to people who’ve never been like that. I have nothing against the cute finds at Deira or Bur Dubai. We just need more trendy alternatives that tell a fuller story.
In fact, this collection says more about this city that I had imagined. One friend said it’s the perfect souvenir because it captures the spirit of Dubai: it’s durable, it’s stylish, and it’s a reminder to stay hydrated in the UAE’s heat!
