The Lebanese, Sierra Leone raised, Hussein Hammoud is a loving father of two who loves what he does at Al Yasra. As Head of Marketing, he has been working closely on all new brand launches, and creating success for existing ones, which is no small task.
Drawing his inspiration from stories of people who don’t take NO for an answer, Hussein explains that you must realize when to accept that a matter is not moving forward in your favor, but also, don’t give up until you’ve explored all options. This is likely to be the reason that Hussein is so successful at what he does!
Hussein has an advertising agency background; he spent most of his career with Impact BBDO in Kuwait, handling different brands from different industries. In 2019, he took a leap of faith and went on a freelancing consultancy journey, which is when he undertook a three-month consultancy role with Al Yasra. He was then offered a full-time role which he gladly accepted. He tells us it “… continues to be a fun ride. It’s a wonderful experience filled with brands and stories that I have grown very fond of and feel very close to.”
Although Hussein tells us that he is not a fashionable person (and that he just learned what a cardigan is) we are certain that isn’t true! One of the reasons he joined Al Yasra was because of his love for the brand Cole Haan which the company franchises in Kuwait. He also shares that he loves marketing and that he is excited by the fashion industry because of the competitive nature of the market, the ever-changing dynamics of customer behavior and how you need to adapt your strategy to tackle all of the above.
“Al Yasra don’t bring just any brands to Kuwait, we make sure that all brands we have are enhancing people’s lives not only from a fashion point of view, but also overall lifestyle. This starts from the moment you are born with our beautiful French brand, Petit Bateau, which is made using organic cotton allowing babies to sleep more peacefully at night. All the way to the MaxMara Teddy coat, which is a timeless piece that moves from one generation to another,” explains Hussein.
The other brands that are close to Hussein’s heart are Icoona and ISAIA. Hussein was a member of the committee working on the initiation of the Icoona brand, defining its ethos and launching it. As the name suggests, Icoona (meaning icon in Arabic), is a house of iconic and innovative brands. He shares that every brand that is onboarded has a story to tell, thus allowing people to express and celebrate their individuality. For example, Hampton Road, is a brand with a story behind it, the USA designer upcycles clutches from original designer scarves.
ISAIA, on the other hand, is a recently launched Italian luxury menswear brand which Hussein is particularly fond of. Founded in Naples in 1920, ISAIA is recognized by its tiny red coral logo, which is a good-luck charm in Naples. The ISAIA gentleman believes in uniqueness and his clothing expresses the most harmonious and natural representation of his personality.
What is the latest at Al Yasra Fashion you may ask? Hussein talks to us about one of the key initiatives at Al Yasra Fashion, which is the investment in research to understand our customers better, benchmark against competition, and gain greater awareness of the key brands compared to those of the competition. The aim is that with this level of insight the company will be able to reach customers with the right and relevant message and of course to enhance and improve the customer experience and engagement. The brand is working on adding value to customers, which is exactly what we at bazaar love to hear!
There are many more cool, new brands coming to Al Yasra Fashion we hear! We can’t share yet, but we definitely recommend that you keep your ears open and eyes peeled, you will definitely want to be the first to know!
It is not often that you find someone who is so passionate about what he does and is great at it too! We are so excited to follow Hussein’s journey and all the fabulous initiatives that he is bringing to Al Yasra Fashion.
Stay current with all the fashion updates at Al Yasra by following @alyasra on Instagram! For any additional information, you can call or WhatsApp +965 1820012.
