Luxury brands today are tapping into the vast online market, expanding their e-commerce capabilities beyond the US, to Europe and Asia. Dia Diwan, a luxury lifestyle website, is doing just that as the Gateway to Middle East Chic. Dia Diwan is the brainchild of Rasha Khouri, an investment banker turned entrepreneur who believes there is a need to share the true spirit of the region, and offer a place to buy collections by Middle Eastern designers on-line. Now, whether you’re in Kuwait, Cairo or London, you can purchase online the latest Sarah’s Bag clutch or the Essa dress, be up to date on the trends in from the Middle East to international capitals, and read about new restaurants, shops, and designers. Ioubnan.info talked to Dia Diwan’s founder about the intricacies of building a website for the Middle East and the stresses and smiles that come with it.

iloubnan.info: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and the website you created Dia Diwan?
Rasha Khouri: Throughout my childhood in NY and my work experience in finance in London, I have maintained close ties to my roots. After completing my MBA at INSEAD, I decided to move to Lebanon to start a business focused on luxury goods and promoting the Middle East. After a few ideas and a few attempts, Dia Diwan was born. Dia Diwan is a portal catering to the lifestyle needs of trendy Middle Easterners around the world – showcasing all the exciting, promising and inspirational fashion, luxury, leisure, arts and culture the region has to offer. The region is steeped in creativity and I wanted to not only show that to our peers but also to create a space where discussion about the Middle East did not revolve around politics or oil prices, but on all the great things coming out of the region – coupled with a social edge.

How is it different to other websites in the region?
We are the first high-end luxury site for the region which focuses on regional trends. Our aim is to promote Arab peers. Dia Diwan is the only site to showcase and sell young design talent from the Middle East on a global platform. How exciting! In addition, we are the first to partner with experts in various fields – food, technology, culture – who blog for us on a weekly basis. We also carry a regional address book listing all the hip, trendy and underground places famous AND discreet in Arab cities. All these elements brings positive vibes and an awareness of what is going on, not to mention the ability to shop online in our Global Souk for the latest collections by Middle Eastern designers.

What was the hardest thing about building the site?
The hardest thing? That’s easy – I am no techie! A background in International Relations and working in finance didn’t prepare me for the world of HTML, PHP, MySQL and other fancy tech code. Moreover, understanding how to build a good site from both a design and usability angle proved to be a steep learning curve. However, I can now say that I am becoming an expert in coding! Another big challenge: working with a virtual team, from Dubai, to Saudi, to Lebanon, to London, to California. It is not easy when you have to deal with different time zones and different schedules, so you find yourself doing a lot of work at all hours of the day and night!

Are Middle Easterners ready for e-shopping?
The region is starting to show signs of comfort for e-shopping with the Gulf countries really picking up steam for e-commerce. I believe that with time, the confidence in online purchasing in the region will increase dramatically, especially as the region becomes more and more connected.

Now that you launched the e-commerce part of the site, what is the next step for Dia Diwan?
Where to start?! The Global Souk is just the tip of the iceberg. We believe Dia Diwan has great opportunities to expand and to offer not only fashion, but products related to art, literature and music. Watch this space – we hope our users enjoy what is to come.

www.diadiwan.com