We talked to Mihriban Akgül, who has crowned her interest in fashion from a young age and her long experience in the sector with The Madlen Store Dubai brand, about the establishment story of the brand and the secret of its success.
Can you tell about yourself? Who is Mihriban Akgül?
I’m Mihriban Akgül. I am the founder of The Madlen Store Dubai. I am a young investor mother. The Madlen Store Dubai is a concept store brand. We are a company that only represents Turkish designer brands in Dubai. Before, I had my own store in Nişantaşı, Turkey. I have a total of 10 years of textile experience.
How is the establishment story of The Madlen Store Dubai brand?
The Madlen Store Dubai establishment phase was a bit of a challenge. The process took a long time for me because I decided to settle in Dubai with my family. I have been coming and going to Dubai for many years and I always dreamed of living there. My family and close circle know my interest in fashion from a young age. We settled down for good in December last year. Frankly, I was intrigued by the fashion industry in Dubai. I haven’t seen Turkish brands here much and we felt the lack of this and established The Madlen Store Dubai brand.
Did you expect this much attention?
We entered the Dubai sector with big brands such as Sagaza, Gigis and Kidsofheart in Turkey. Frankly, we did not expect that it would attract so much attention and demand at first, but we received a response that exceeded our expectations and we are very happy about it.
How does it feel to promote Turkish designer brands?
It is very proud to introduce our Turkish designer brands in Dubai. We are currently attending the monthly Dubai Shopping Festival. We have some big shopping mall projects ahead of us. We have now opened our first sales shop. We have a child concept and it gets a lot of attention here.
I think your brand has a special meaning for you…
Yes! The name The Madlen Store Dubai means a lot to me because Madlen is my daughter’s name. I have a 5-year-old daughter and it gives me great pride and happiness to have her name on the brand. I believe in the luck of his name.
You are both a business woman and a mother… You show the power of women. Is this easy?
Being a mother and building a brand from scratch at the same time has never been easy. I work 12 hours a day, but if a woman wants, she can be both a business woman, a mother and a wife. I strongly believe in the power of women. Women can achieve anything they want. I am a person who follows his dreams. Success is always in one’s own hands. Success for me has been planned, stable, taking the right steps and working hard.
Lasly, what do you want to say?
We have bigger dreams about The Madlen Store Dubai. We plan to reach our goals in the future.
