Young Saudi entrepreneurs are taking creative ideas and turning them into small profitable businesses. With a simple T-shirt, the following young men and women jump-started their careers by adding a local touch to their creations.

Away from video games, hanging in the streets with friends and watching TV, Yousef Darandary, 16, and Malek Darandary, 14, already have their own business by selling T-shirts in their own store.

The two brothers — along with the support of their mother — own cozy Camel, a small T-shirt outlet located at Jeddah’s Hamad Al-Jasir Street. The idea of establishing the store was to provide Yousef and Malek with a business that would build their future and enhance their business sense.

Lina Mokhtar, Yousef and Malek’s mother and a marketing manager, said that the idea came after not having enough time to watch over her kids due to her long working hours. “I had to come up with an alternative solution to create a safe environment for my sons,” she said.

Lina wants her children to grow up to be a successful businessmen and to shape their careers and personalities rather than wasting their time on TV and video games.

“We started to make our own business couple of years ago. We used to sell stuff like lemonade, that’s how we started to have customers,” said Malek.

Yousef is also happy that he and his brother Malek are receiving a monthly salary and a bonus sometimes; it depends on the sales percentages. “It is nice to have our own business. We feel that the store is like our second home,” said Malek.

Yousef and Malek are bringing in different T-shirt brands and selling them at the store.

The two brothers work shifts so they can study and do their homework. Yousef is the manager and he is the one who looks after everything. However, Malek, considering his young age, is not allowed to stay at the store after Isha prayer.

The orders come from Yousef’s recommendations and his customer’s demands. “For the moment we are printing ‘I Love KSA’ T-shirts. We are trying to expand our business and we are hoping to open more branches,” said Yousef.

***

The first thing that comes to mind when reading the word “noon” might be 12 o’clock. However, “noon” is also the 25th letter of the Arabic alphabet, the beginning verse of Surat Al-Qalm in the Holy Quran, and a new T-shirt brand by Saudi entrepreneurs Ahmed Hafiz, 27, his brother Mahmoud Hafiz, 23, and their cousin Mohammed Zahid, 24.

The idea of creating a brand around Arabic culture to customers was supported by Ahmed and Mahmoud’s father and Mohammed’s maternal uncle, Abdul Qadir Hafiz. With so many clothing items in Saudi Arabia exhibiting English-language designs (“No Fear”) and popular American iconography, the Hafiz brothers and Zahid have found a niche playing with local iconography in the Arabic language. One T-shirt depicts a camel wearing sunglasses in front of a background of Arabic text. Another is the Saudi map in profile.

“You can see that our T-shirts are written in Arabic and most of them are designed in calligraphy. Some also might carry Arabic proverbs and words about peace. We want our language to be present in all of our designs,” he added.

The concept of Noon is to remind Saudis of their rich heritage in a funky way that appeals to younger Arabs. Noon’s first retail store, located at Jeddah’s Al-Basateen shopping center, was launched in June 2007.

“We started our business from scratch,” said Ahmed. “All designs are made in Jeddah with a design team led by our creative director, Ibraheem Abbar. We are trying to have a variety in what we present and we want to maintain a certain image for our products. We have limited quantity and have seasonal collections.”

The dynamic trio attended Dubai Fashion Week recently and was approached by retailers there.

“A major department store approached us to sign a contract of launching Noon at their stores in Dubai and Lebanon,” said Mahmoud. “Now, we are selling Noon at the best department stores in the Arabian Gulf.”

“Unfortunately, some people don’t trust the Saudi or the Arabian product in general. Hopefully, in the future, we will reach higher levels to meet all needs,” added Ahmed.

***

As an admirer for modern art, Arwa Sallam, a 21-year-old student at King Abdul Aziz University, developed her drawing skills since she was a child. Arwa, decided to turn her hobby into a small business trying to make a name for herself.

One month ago, Arwa started to draw on T-shirts upon the requests of her family and friends. Then, she decided to have more customers by receiving orders at her aunt Aisha Sallam’s Badya boutique in Tahlia shopping center.

“It’s been only one month and I am already receiving a lot of orders. I also have been offered a deal to draw 50 to 100 T-shirts for one store,” Arwa said. “I developed my drawing skills and I have participated in many art exhibitions,” she added. “I don’t want my father to pay for everything. So, the customers buy whatever T-shirt and design they want and I draw the exact picture.”

Arwa uses special colors for her drawings on clothes that do not fade away for a long time. She charges between SR50 to SR100 for a single T-shirt.

“I hope to expand my business in the future and have my own store. I want this to be my job because I love what I am doing,” added Arwa.

She can be reached on 0542290811.