The Real Housewives of Dubai, a part of The Real Housewives franchise, follows the lives of six women residing in Dubai, but all of these women are behind businesses in addition to their role as a housewife on the show.
The six eponymous ‘housewives’, Caroline Stanbury, Chanel Ayan, Sara Al Madani, Lesa Milan, Nina Ali, and Caroline Brooks, run various businesses, ranging from clothing, shoes, make-up, skincare, to real estate, restaurants, and tech.
Here are the businesses of The Real Housewives of Dubai:
Caroline Stanbury
A few years ago, Caroline Stanbury started her own business called ‘Gift Library’, a store for luxury gifting solutions, which was later closed down for various reasons (gift-library.com now redirects to amara.com), during the time she was also featuring on Ladies of London. She now has her own shoe line that she proudly promotes among her other luxury brand items, she also runs a podcast called “Divorced Not Dead”. She is reportedly worth around $30 million.
Chanel Ayan
The Kenyan-born supermodel, a vibrant and bold personality on the show, has worked with the biggest brands as a world-famous supermodel, and also owns a very successful talent agency. Chanel Ayan is currently working on a tie-up with celebrity make-up artist, Tony Malt to develop a skincare and makeup line. The socialite is reportedly worth around $2-3 million.
Sara Al Madani
According to Sara Al Madani’s website, she is a fashion designer, restaurant owner, tech-preneur and entrepreneur. She was also selected as a board member of Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry and is also a board member of the UAE SME Council in the ministry of Economy of Dubai. Sara has a huge list of achievements and titles listed on her website, and is the only local national on the show.
Lesa Milan
Former Miss Jamaica, Lesa Milan is a fashion designer and entrepreneur. Milan is the founder and chief designer of luxury maternity fashion brand Mina Roe, which has found popularity among celebrities. She has held fashion shows exhibiting new pieces of her brand in various well-known locations in Dubai, and one of her fashion shows was featured on The Real Housewives of Dubai.
Nina Ali
More famously known as ‘Lipstick Mommy’ on Instagram, Nina Ali, the Lebanese-born UAE resident is the owner of a fruitcake business with an estimated net worth of $1-5 million, she is also reportedly involved in other businesses such as TR88HOUSE, a recreation centre, escape rooms and a tapas restaurant in Dubai.
Caroline Brooks
In 2010, Caroline relocated from Massachusetts to the UAE. She started her career in Dubai by serving as the marketing manager for her ex-husband’s group of companies. She then went on to become a successful real-estate director and has now expanded into the beauty sector with Glass House Salon & Spa, her very own luxury salon.
The Real Housewives of Dubai has been characterised as an opulent display of all things glamour and luxury, with a side of drama.
Before the show aired, the trailer caused major uproar among residents and citizens of the UAE, with many believing that the show would not accurately represent the people in the country.
Emirati commentator Majid Alamry took to Instagram to share his thoughts at the time, stating that the series “does not represent the real housewives of Dubai”.
“Now, my wife is a housewife, she does not dress like that in public, she does not speak in that manner and she has achieved a lot in her life. Yes, we are a tolerant country, but that does not mean that others can walk all over our morals and values,” he said.
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