$6.8 billion..Dolce & Gabbana tapped in

Last week, Dolce & Gabbana made bold but strategic move in years when the Italian fashion house launched its first collection on abayas and hijabs. High-end fashion is booming in the Middle East, women from wealthy oil states have long expressed their flair for fashion with pricey handbags and shoes, visible when worn with an abaya and hijab.

Many of these women are already consumers of designer apparel, often wearing luxury brands including head-to-toe underneath their modest abayas, viewable in the privacy of their homes or among other women.

Management consultancy Bain recently reported that sales of personal luxury goods in the Middle East hit 8.7 billion in 2015 up from 6.8 billion. Yes, I said billion!