A few days ago I found out one of my friends (Abdulwahab Alansari) has the strangest/coolest/wtf/successful/creative local business which I thought would be amazing to share as an example of how local businesses don’t have to be all about cupcakes and burgers.
My friend manufactures cheer leading outfits in Kuwait for the UK market.
I thought he was pulling my leg at first but turns out it’s true. Back when he was in university in Liverpool he used to coach their gymnastics and cheerleading team and he was really good at it helping them go from an average team to a team that would come in first place in two out of the three annual competitions. Cheerleading kits in the UK were very over priced and of low quality so he did some research and decided to manufacture his own kits so he could help out his team. Ironically though, his team only placed an order for kits just 8 months back… after supplying over 5,000 kits over a period of 2 years to other universities and private clubs. In fact his small Kuwait based business now supplies 30-50% of UK universities and well over 30 private clubs. His clients include all the universities in Liverpool as well as the big ivy league unis in the UK like Oxford University.
Sebs Cheer Apparel don’t design outfits although they do help teams with elements of their design. Their main focus is manufacturing the outfits with the fabrics ordered from suppliers in LA, China and sometimes Kuwait. The outfits are all manufactured locally and then shipped to the various teams in the UK.
The name “Seb” was Wahabs alter ego and what most people in the “cheer world” knew him as. It’s that recognition that got him his first 10 clients since coaches and athletes he worked with respected him as an athlete and knew he would do a good job of getting efficient kits out. The business started off small with him supplying people he knew but soon word of mouth spread and more and more universities wanted to do business with him.
So there you have it, an interesting and successful small Kuwaiti business that doesn’t involve cupcakes. If you want to find out more about his business you can check out the following links:
34 replies on “Kuwaiti Business: Sebs Cheer Apparel”
Smart man.
Very smart. A very good example of a business that involves passion, understanding the market and competing globally.
Good luck Mr. Abdulwahab Al-Ansari, very proud of you although I don’t know you 🙂
Mabrook Seb, so refreshing to see local talent not drowned in Cupcakes.
im gonna open a cupcake store at the avenues
… somebody might stab your cupcake.
haha
Impressive!
Just wondering does the tag say ‘Made in Kuwait’?
Something you don’t get to see very often. I purchased a memrobilia T-shirt from Hard Rock in Rome, which was made in UAE!!
I mean, c’mon now, isn’t everything supposed to be made in China?
Yes the labels do say Made in Kuwait! As does our site!
According to FedEx we are their only company client that exports out of Kuwait – everyone else imports to Kuwait!
Nice to know our products are good enough to compete with American and European companies!
Thanks for all the kind words!
Good job Mr Abduwahab! =)
True entrepreneur knows no boundaries…
Isnt this illegal in Kuwait?
How is manufacturing uniforms illegal in Kuwait?
In italy and europe this is ok to wear tight clothes for women, but I dont think so here in kuwait im seeing
I have been here for 1 year only.
“In italy and europe this is ok to wear tight clothes for women”
*facepalm*
LOL
True. Have to say, the exposure of body parts in demoralizing.
Simple, don’t wear a cheer leading outfit at the avenues.
Or do you just believe Kuwaitis in general shouldn’t manufacture anything that exposes body parts? So basically it should be illegal for Kuwaitis to manufacture tank tops, short skirts, lingerie, underwear, swimsuits etc..
Actually they might as well all be banned from the market right?
There’s something funny about burka cheerleader outfits.
i don’t believe it until i meet those cheerleaders 😀
Way cool. 🙂
Oxford university is not an “ivy league” university… its apart of the Russell Group.
Petty sniping. We all knew what he meant.
“The term Ivy League also has connotations of academic excellence, selectivity in admissions, and social elitism.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivy_League
Well done Mark.
You searched hard to justify your use of the term there.
No UK University would ever describe themselves as “Ivy league”.
First link in google and I don’t give a fuck if a UK university would call themselves Ivy League or not honestly
I’m still trying to visualize a Kuwaiti guy in a cheerleading uniform…..trying…..trying…..I bet he’s pretty flexible 😛
Ivy League schools are only US based and they include: Cornell, Brown, Dartmouth, Harvard, Princeton, And Yale.
Yes
The two guys in front ruined the whole picture…
True. Ivy only exists in the US
I was the one that referred to Oxford and Liverpool uni as ‘ivy leagues’, not Mark.
Having graduated from Liverpool University i am very aware of the differences between the Russell Group Vs. Red brick Vs. Ivy league, especially in relation to GEOGRAPHY!
However 98% of people i’ve spoken to in the past have never heard of the phrases red brick and / or Russell Group so i use the term ivy league with heavy air quotes.
As in, the ‘ivy leagues’ of the UK.
Apologies for any upset this may have caused 😉
I love how the entire purpose of this article (sharing ideas, celebrating Kuwaiti talent and showing us something available on the market) has been discarded so that something as petty and inconsequential as: Ivy League? Not Ivy League? can be discussed instead. As Wahab mentioned, more people are familiar with this term, rather than Russell Group for example, so in this instance Ivy League, used loosely, is completely understandable. I would elaborate more if I felt I was addressing sane humans, but seeing as it is highly likely that I am NOT addressing anyone of minute importance, suffice it to say that Seb’s talent is unquestionable and as a Liverpool graduate myself, I am immensely proud.
Interesting! Good luck to Abdulwahab
Kuwait needs more people like Abdulwahab AlAnsari, who think outside the box and don’t limit themselves to what Kuwait society defines as a typically “appropriate” small business.
It’s important to find diversity and explore other means of expanding oneself outside the four walls of what is expected. I respect that, and respect the success he has achieved internationally. Bravo!
Nitpickers are wasting their time with mediocre details, because the idea of being successful; especially successful internationally; must be extremely intimidating to them.
Don’t pay attention to them Seb. aim higher.. I for one am proud of you.. and glad you didn’t waste your creative energy on another boring old cupcake store.