Salama Alabbar: The Emirati Entrepreneur Behind Symphony & BySymphony

Dubai Mall houses hundreds of fashion retailers, but Symphony stands out as one built entirely around one entrepreneur’s specific read on what the market was missing. Salama Alabbar opened the boutique in 2008, and nearly two decades later it remains a reference point for how independent retail concepts can compete inside the world’s largest shopping destinations. In my experience following UAE retail, few Emirati-founded fashion brands have sustained a physical-and-digital presence this long. This profile covers her verified career milestones, Symphony, BySymphony, and the franchise partnerships that followed, drawn from her own on-record interviews.

Salama Alabbar is an Emirati entrepreneur who founded Symphony, a luxury fashion boutique in the Dubai Mall, in 2008, followed by the e-commerce platform BySymphony.com. She holds the Middle East franchise rights for the British label Temperley London and the media brand Buro 24/7, and has collaborated with Vogue Italia on the Vogue Dubai Fashion Experience. She is the daughter of Mohamed Alabbar, founder of Emaar Properties.

Who Is Salama Alabbar?

Salama Alabbar is an Emirati entrepreneur based in Dubai, working in luxury fashion retail and digital commerce. She’s best known as the founder of Symphony, a multi-brand boutique inside Dubai Mall, and BySymphony.com, its online counterpart. She is the daughter of Mohamed Alabbar, the businessman behind Emaar Properties, though her own ventures sit in a different industry, fashion retail rather than real estate.

Honestly, the family connection tends to dominate how she’s introduced in casual coverage. But her actual business record, nearly two decades running a boutique inside one of the world’s busiest malls, stands on its own.

Education & Early Career

Before Symphony, Salama Alabbar studied Business Administration and Finance, then worked as an analyst at Ernst & Young, one of the largest professional services firms globally. That analyst role gave her direct exposure to financial management and market analysis before she moved into retail entrepreneurship.

Founding Symphony – Dubai Mall Boutique (2008)

Symphony opened inside the Dubai Mall in 2008. In her interview with Vogue Arabia, Alabbar explained that she started the boutique because too many designers had no representation in Dubai at the time, and even the ones that did often weren’t stocking pieces she’d want to wear herself. That personal gap in the market became the starting point for the store’s curation approach.

The boutique built its identity around mixing established international names with regional designers. It skipped the single-brand model common in mall retail.

BySymphony – Taking Retail Online

BySymphony.com extended its physical boutique into e-commerce, allowing customers across the Middle East to shop the same curated mix without visiting Dubai Mall in person. The platform combined international labels like Alexander McQueen and Saint Laurent alongside regional designers such as Razan Alazzouni and Madiyah Al Sharqi, a pairing her interviews describe as one of the first of its kind in the region.

Fashion Franchise Partnerships

Alabbar holds Middle East franchise rights for Temperley London, a British luxury fashion label known for its bohemian-influenced designs, and for Buro 24/7, a fashion and lifestyle media brand. Securing regional franchise rights is a common way for local entrepreneurs to bring international labels into Gulf markets, and Symphony became the entry point for both.

I’ve seen this franchise-rights model work well across Gulf retail more broadly, not just in fashion. A local partner with an existing customer base tends to de-risk the brand’s entry into a new market.

Vogue Dubai Collaboration & Supporting Regional Designers

Alabbar collaborated with Vogue Italia on the Vogue Dubai Fashion Experience, bringing international fashion media attention to Dubai’s retail scene. Alongside that, BySymphony has featured regional designers like Razan Alazzouni and Madiyah Al Sharqi alongside global names, giving newer designers a retail platform they might not otherwise have access to.

Key Business Ventures

Five ventures. One consistent approach.

Her Business Approach in Practice

In her Savoir Flair interview, Alabbar credited much of Symphony’s success to paying close attention to what clients actually wanted, combined with her own personal taste in what she chose to stock. That approach shows up across her ventures. Symphony mixes global and regional designers rather than picking one lane. Online, BySymphony extends the same curation rather than replacing it. The franchise deals, meanwhile, bring in labels she judged would specifically resonate with a regional customer base.

In my experience covering UAE retail, franchise partnerships like these tend to work best when the local partner already has a defined customer base to introduce the brand to — which is closer to how Alabbar structured Symphony from the outset than a typical single-brand franchise rollout.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Salama Alabbar?

Salama Alabbar is an Emirati entrepreneur who founded Symphony, a luxury fashion boutique in Dubai Mall, in 2008, and later launched the e-commerce platform BySymphony.com. She also holds Middle East franchise rights for Temperley London and Buro 24/7.

What is Symphony?

Symphony is a multi-brand luxury fashion boutique inside the Dubai Mall, founded by Salama Alabbar in 2008. It curates a mix of international designers and emerging regional talent.

What is BySymphony?

BySymphony.com is the e-commerce platform Alabbar launched to extend Symphony’s retail concept online, reaching customers across the Middle East. It features both international labels and regional designers.

Is Salama Alabbar related to Mohamed Alabbar?

Yes, she is the daughter of Mohamed Alabbar, the Emirati businessman who founded Emaar Properties. Her own ventures are in fashion retail, a separate industry from her father’s real estate business.

What franchises does Salama Alabbar hold?

She holds Middle East franchise rights for Temperley London, a British luxury fashion brand, and Buro 24/7, a fashion and lifestyle media brand.

Conclusion

The boutique has lasted. Symphony’s staying power inside Dubai Mall, now well into its second decade, is the clearest evidence of Salama Alabbar’s business record. Between the boutique BySymphony and the franchise partnerships she built around it, her career reads less like an inherited business and more like a specific bet on regional fashion retail that happened to pay off.