Sure, shopping is fun, but there is just something about possessing that perfect gown with a click of a button and anxiously waiting for it to arrive packaged at your doorstep. It always feels like a gift from an anonymous fan, even though you just paid a hefty sum for it, but somehow paying up online doesn’t feel as real as handing in the cash at the store.

If you, like us, love online shopping and the anticipation that follows, even though you chose everything about the garment, then you need to check the latest addition to e-shopping in the Middle East: DIA-Style online boutique.

Dia-Style has a collection of designers that range from 7 for All Mankind, Dr. Martens and Citizens of Humanity to Zuhair Mourad, Fendi, Emilio Pucci and a collection of vintage Chanel goodies.

Because playing dress up is always fun, Dia-Style allows users to browse through the products available and style their own outfits down to the shades that will go with it. So if you can afford designer goodies, or if you’re just looking for inspiration and fun styling an outfit off established designer products, check out their “Play” section

19TwentyThree had a friendly chat with founder and CEO Rasha Khouri on how the idea came about, who her favorite designer is and summer 2013 staples.

Tell us a bit about your background and education.

Fashion has always been one of my passions.  Though initially my career led me to a different direction, working in the investment-banking sector in New York, I was later able to fuse my interest in fashion and business as a luxury goods analyst in London.  Whilst I enjoyed my time working within a corporate environment I always had in mind that I wanted to create and shape my own business. I did an MBA which equipped me with the tools [to do so].

How did the idea of DIA-Style evolve and become what it is today?

I launched my first e-commerce business in 2010 [Dia-Boutique] and saw that women from the Middle East were more comfortable with shopping online. I saw that there was a gap in [this] market for on-season, on-trend luxury fashion online.  So I had the idea of bringing the very best luxury shops from Europe onto one online destination so our shoppers could easily search for everything, be it by designer or by product category and then really see the best selection available.

For example, we have over 110 pairs of new season Christian Louboutin shoes online [and] 303 pieces of ready-to-wear [garments] from Dolce & Gabbana.  Consumers from the Middle East and particularly Egypt are strong followers of fashion and appreciate global trends.

Tell us how a regular day at DIA-style is like?

There isn’t really a typical day.  On my way to work, I read Women’s Wear Daily on my iPad, it’s a daily newspaper that keeps me up to date with the latest global fashion business news so I can hit the ground running when I get into the office.  After I get into the office I might meet some designers, new partners, potential investors or maybe attend a marketing seminar or technology conference.  This week it’s completely different; I’m in Riyadh speaking to students and a fashion and design school and then looking forward to participating in The New Arab Women Forum in Beirut where I’m part of a panel sharing our experiences as entrepreneurs with other women in the region.

What were the main obstacles you faced when you first started out?

The question we most often heard was, “where can we find your store?”

Tell us a bit about your DIA-Style team

Our team is young and cosmopolitan, made up of seven different nationalities from four continents, which is a real asset. Our marketing, communications and social media team all come from ‘pure’ fashion backgrounds and have worked in-house at luxury fashion brands and websites in both Arabic and English.  Our translation team is based in Lebanon and our developers in Palestine.

How do you pick the partners to put on the website?

We only work with the most reputable online stores in the world who we know can take online payments securely and ship fast and use the most diligent courier companies in the Middle East.  We look to partner with stores that have the best buying teams and who select the best pieces from the designers to make sure what we have on our site is really the best. We also make sure [to] have many [online] exclusive pieces as well as exclusive pieces [that are] not available in the Middle East.

Who is your favorite designer on DIA-style?  

That’s a tough one as we have about 1,200 designers on the site. If I have to narrow it down to one it would be Lanvin.

Who is your favorite all time fashion designer?  

Coco Chanel who I admire as much for her style, as for her business acumen.  She really understood what branding was all about way before the manuals were written.

Who is your fashion icon? 

Grace Coddington, her sense of style has shaped fashion for decades. If you haven’t seen the film about American Vogue The September Issue, I recommend the chance to see her in action.

Do you have a lot of Egyptian clients?

Yes, Egypt is a country that is one of the most internet savvy in the Middle East.

What is one fashion essential for summer 2013? 

A mini size leather shoulder bag in a summer bright or monochrome.

One fashion item you cannot live without… 

My Jimmy Choo heels.

How do you see the future of fashion and Arab fashion designers?

Very bright, there are some incredible designers out there.  I was just at the London Fashion week show of Kuwaiti designer Tahir Sultan. There are some great fashion schools in the Middle East who are nurturing talent in the region.  In Egypt you have the Fashion Design Centre, Esmod in Dubai and Lebanon, Dar Al Hekma in Riyadh, and the VCU University in Qatar.  The world-renowned London College of Fashion also holds short courses in Dubai now.

Do you think Arab designers can one day compete with fashion icons like Chanel and Dior?

Sure and I am always proud to see Elie Saab and Georges Chakra on the red carpet alongside Chanel and Dior gowns by Karl Lagerfeld and Raf Simons. It is also really interesting to see designers from brands outside the Middle East taking inspiration from our rich and diverse culture. At London Fashion Week this spring Marios Schwab collaborated with Tunisian contemporary artist Nja Mahdaoui [to embellish the clothes with] exquisite Arabic calligraphy.

Does DIA-style have any surprises up their sleeve?

Yes we’ll be partnering with more exciting brands, we launched Harrods fashion online last week to bring even more on-trend and on-season fashion to the site. We also went onto Instagram last week.  We’ll keep you up-to-date with other surprises.