Army of 1: two passionate co-founders

Doha and Nissreen are the co-founders of the sporty-chic brand Army of 1, designed directly from Dubai. This brand is coming from outside the box, from a city where women are always overdressed. We love this bold approach, and we wanted to present you a bit more these two creative business women, who are providing us with their point of view about their partnership 😉

1. When have you met each other?

Doha : Nissreen and I met in Dubai 3 to 4 years ago through mutual friends. Our friendship grew gradually and materialized through working together.

2. Why have you decided to work together?

Doha : We both shared the same passion for design and the same esthetics of the label we wanted to create.

3. Isn’t hard sometimes to work as a team?

Doha : Yes and no; although it’s tempting for someone to want to carry out their vision from A to Z, but it’s crucial to have someone to bounce ideas off of and rely on through the ups and downs of the business. Army of 1 has grown, we hope to grown our team as well in order to keep up with the work load and to help us focus on the brand better.

Nissreen: I also think that we compliment each other.  We are a good team since Doha has a lot of qualities and skills that I depend on her for and vice versa.  In the end we have trust in each other and our ultimate goal is to make Army of 1 the best it can be. For that to happen team work is crucial.

4. How do you strike a balance?

Doha : Trust and practicality. It’s important to recognized your partner’s strength and value added to the business and apply the same to your own role in the company.

5. Why do you love working with your partner?

Doha : We love the design process the most. It’s always fun to conceptualize an idea from an inspiration,to sketches…until we have a cohesive collection.

6. According to you, what is her principal quality?

Doha : Her kindness and creativity.

Nissreen:  Her passion and dedication.

7. What does she bring to your own work?

Doha : She’s a master when it comes to perfecting a finished garment. She understands fit and she’s always working on making it better in our clothes.

Nissreen : Doha understands our market and has been successful in making our brand attractable to so many people.  She also has great taste and a great sense of style that she transmits to the clothes and collections.

8. Don’t she have a little fault?

Doha : As we all do! A working relationship is the hardest one, you have to separate the person from the way they conduct their business., but at the end, Army Of 1 is the result of our mutual hard work and commitment.

9. Today, are you more friends or partners?

Doha : We are both. I always tell her that I can be a better friend to her than if we were working together. As partners, we give each other space outside of the day to day work. As friends, we are there for each other all the time.

 Nissreen: I grew to know and understand Doha more by working with her everyday.  A partnership is similar to a marriage where you need to put effort in the relationship and have patience.  She is an amazing person and I love her so no matter what I hope that we always stay friends.

10. What is your best memory together?

Doha : Our launch event was a great success and a great reward to us after a year’s work to put out our first collection. Also, our most recent fashion presentation was produced like a fashion show and a lot went to it- the high was all worth it!

Discover their collection here