Bessan Ismail has spent years building credibility across the Arab world—through music, acting, and a digital presence that bridges Syrian heritage with UAE ambition. On Thursday, that cultural capital translated into a concrete retail partnership: Max Fashion named her the face of its Ramadan 2026 collection.
The announcement from Dubai positions the Landmark Group-owned retailer squarely in the competitive Ramadan fashion market. With 830 stores across 16 countries, Max Fashion is betting that Ismail’s authenticity will resonate with families preparing for the holy month—and that her image will move linen-blend garments off shelves at price points the company describes as “accessible” without citing specific figures.
Ramadan retail matters. Families across the Middle East spend heavily during the season on coordinated outfits for gatherings, evening prayers, and Eid celebrations. Max Fashion, which launched in the UAE in 2004, has built its business model on capturing that mid-market segment—shoppers who want festive style without premium price tags.
This year’s collection leans heavily on neutral palettes. Soft whites, warm beiges, and gentle metallic accents run through the range, which spans sizing from babies to adults. The fabrics are predominantly linen blends, chosen for breathability in the region’s climate while maintaining what the company calls an “elevated touch.” Delicate embellishments add festive detail suitable for both daytime and evening wear.
The design philosophy centres on coordinated family dressing—parents and children in complementary silhouettes that feel cohesive without being matchy. It’s a strategy that acknowledges how regional families shop: often together, often for multiple generations at once, and often with an eye toward group photos and social media documentation of celebrations.
Haroon Rasheed, Senior Head of Marketing at Landmark Group, framed the Ismail partnership around shared values rather than star power alone. “Ramadan is a deeply meaningful time for families across the region, and at Max Fashion, we always aim to create collections that reflect that sense of togetherness,” he said. “Partnering with Bessan Ismail felt like a natural choice. She represents authenticity, ambition, and cultural pride, which resonate strongly with our customers. At the same time, we remain committed to ensuring that beautifully designed, occasion-ready fashion remains accessible to everyone, especially during a season when families are preparing for multiple celebrations.”
That emphasis on accessibility reflects the competitive pressure Max Fashion faces. International fast-fashion chains have expanded aggressively across the Gulf in recent years, while regional players compete for the same middle-income shoppers. Differentiating on price while maintaining quality perception becomes crucial—hence the focus on fabric quality and thoughtful design details even at value price points.
For Ismail, the partnership represents a crossover moment from entertainment into commercial fashion. Syrian artists navigating careers in the UAE often balance cultural authenticity with commercial appeal, and brand partnerships offer both income and visibility. Her response to the collaboration leaned personal: “Ramadan is such a special time for me. It’s about family, reflection, and celebrating beautiful moments together,” she said. “Partnering with Max Fashion feels very natural because it’s a brand that truly connects with people. I’m so happy to be the face of this year’s Ramadan collection and to represent styles that feel elegant, comfortable, and true to who I am.”
The language around the partnership repeatedly circles back to authenticity—a word that appears throughout Max Fashion’s messaging. In practice, that translates to avoiding overtly Western influences in favour of silhouettes and styling that feel regionally appropriate. The collection avoids dramatic embellishments or avant-garde cuts, instead offering updated versions of garments families already understand and wear.
Celebrity endorsements in regional retail have intensified over the past five years. As social media influence has grown, fashion brands across the Middle East have increasingly turned to singers, actors, and digital creators to front seasonal campaigns. The strategy works when the celebrity’s audience aligns with the brand’s target customer—in this case, young families and women in their twenties through forties who follow Ismail’s music and see her as culturally relatable rather than aspirationally distant.
Max Fashion’s broader footprint extends across the Middle East, North Africa, South East Asia, and India. The brand operates as part of Landmark Group, one of the region’s largest retail conglomerates, which provides supply chain scale and purchasing power that smaller competitors struggle to match. That infrastructure allows Max Fashion to keep prices down while maintaining consistent stock levels—critical during high-volume seasons like Ramadan when demand spikes sharply.
The collection launched both in physical stores and online at maxfashion.com, reflecting the hybrid shopping behaviour that has become standard in the region. Customers often browse online before visiting stores to see fabrics in person, or they order multiple sizes for home try-ons—behaviours the retailer has adapted to through flexible return policies and inventory distribution.
Timing matters here. The announcement arrived on 27 February, giving families roughly three weeks to shop before Ramadan begins in late March. That window allows for early browsing, multiple shopping trips, and last-minute additions as the holy month approaches. Retailers who announce too early risk losing momentum; those who wait too long miss the early planners who want first pick of inventory.
What remains to be seen is whether Ismail’s image will translate into measurable sales lift. Celebrity partnerships generate buzz and social media engagement, but converting that attention into in-store purchases requires the product itself to deliver on the promises the marketing makes. The collection’s success will likely hinge on whether the quality justifies the “elevated” positioning and whether the price points genuinely feel accessible to the families Max Fashion is courting.
For now, the partnership positions both brand and celebrity within a specific cultural moment—one where Arab identity, family values, and commercial fashion intersect during the year’s most significant retail season. Whether that intersection drives revenue will become clear once Ramadan shopping reaches its peak in the coming weeks.