Arabic Gift Wraps By Kalimaaty Created By Murdoch Dubai MBA Alumnus

Kalimaaty, which started as an in-class project for the MBA program at Murdoch University Dubai, turned out to be a success story for Samha Ferdosiyan. ‘Kalimaaty’ which means ‘My Words’ in Arabic, is the first ever Arabic gift wrapping paper in the UAE and is now being sold in major stores such as Virgin Mega Stores across the UAE, Galleries Lafayette, Jewels in Mercato, and Dubai Duty Free, as well as, in department and souvenir stores in hotels, hospitals and touristic venues in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Al-Ain.

The beauty of Kalimaaty lies in its designs which offer its clients an opportunity to be expressive with words and poems in Arabic as they wrap gifts for those that they love. The calligraphic nature of the Arabic letters makes the words into beautiful artistic designs. While the Arabic words appeal to Arabic speakers who desire gift wrap in their own language, the beauty of the shape of the words appeals to even those who do not speak Arabic.

For her MBA Entrepreneurship project, Samha identified a gap in the market for personalised gift wraps. Having done numerous studies in consumer behaviour, she said, “Occasions are endless throughout the year and to feature a personalised Arabic message on gift wrap is a whole new concept. Even people who can’t speak the language will appreciate the beauty of the calligraphic letters.”