Privacy Policy
Cultured Apparel is a Dubai-born streetwear label. We only collect what we need to sell you something, ship it to you, and stay in touch — nothing more.
Who we are
Cultured Apparel (referred to in this document as "we", "us", "our", or "Cultured") is a UAE-based apparel business owned and operated by Cultured Apparel Online Seller, licensed in the Emirate of Dubai under trade licence number 1621300.
We operate as an online-only seller with no public storefront — all correspondence is handled by email at zaid.karawani@gmail.com. This Privacy Policy explains how we handle personal information collected through our website cultured.the7th.shop (the "Site"), our Instagram account @cultured_apparel, at pop-ups and retail events, and in the course of any interaction between you and us.
What we collect
Information you give us directly
- Order information: full name, delivery address, billing address, email address, phone number, and payment details (payment card data is processed by our payment providers — see below — and never stored on our servers).
- Account information: if you create a Cultured account, we store your login credentials, saved addresses, wishlist, and order history.
- Marketing preferences: if you sign up for our waitlist or newsletter, we store your email address and the fact that you consented.
- Correspondence: when you contact us via email, WhatsApp, Instagram DM, or contact form, we keep a record of that conversation so we can help you.
Information collected automatically
- Device and browsing data: IP address, browser type, device type, operating system, referring URL, pages viewed, time on page, and general geographic location (city-level).
- Cookies and similar technologies: we use first-party cookies to keep you logged in and remember your cart, and third-party cookies from analytics and advertising partners (Google Analytics, Meta Pixel, TikTok Pixel) to understand how our Site performs and to show relevant ads on other platforms.
Why we use it
- To process and fulfil your order — collect payment, package, ship, and confirm delivery.
- To provide customer service — answer questions, handle returns and refunds, resolve issues.
- To send transactional emails — order confirmation, shipping notifications, delivery updates, refund confirmations. These are required for the sale and you cannot opt out of them (but you can delete your account, which stops future transactional emails since we won't have any future orders).
- To send marketing communications — new drops, restocks, pop-up events, waitlist launches. Only if you've opted in. You can unsubscribe from any marketing email at any time using the link in that email.
- To improve the Site and our products — analyse how customers use the Site, what fits sell out first, which pages load slowly.
- To prevent fraud and abuse — detect suspicious payment activity, chargebacks, or account takeovers.
- To comply with the law — respond to court orders, tax authority requests, and other legal obligations under UAE law.
Who we share it with
We do not sell your personal information. We share it only with the third parties who help us run the business, and only the minimum needed for them to do their job:
- Payment processors — Shopify Payments (Stripe), Ziina, and any cash-on-delivery courier partners handle your payment. They receive your name, address, and payment details but never the full picture of your browsing behaviour.
- Shipping partners — Shiplifier (a Dubai-based courier aggregator) and its underlying couriers (Aramex, Fetchr, DHL Express, and others assigned per destination) receive your name, delivery address, and phone number so they can deliver your order.
- Email marketing platform — Klaviyo (or Shopify Email) stores your email address and marketing preferences.
- Analytics and advertising providers — Google Analytics 4, Meta (Facebook + Instagram), TikTok. They receive anonymised device and browsing data. If you're logged into their platforms while browsing our Site, they may correlate your visit with your account there.
- E-commerce platform — Shopify Inc. (Canada) hosts our store, checkout, and customer records. Shopify is bound by its own privacy policy and holds the data on servers primarily in the United States.
- Hosting provider — Hostinger International hosts our marketing pages.
- Government authorities — if legally compelled by UAE Federal Tax Authority, Dubai Police, or a court of competent jurisdiction.
Where we store it
Because we use Shopify and other international service providers, your personal data may be transferred outside the UAE, primarily to servers in the European Union, the United States, or Canada. All of our providers are contractually required to protect your data at a standard equivalent to UAE law.
How long we keep it
- Order records: 7 years after purchase (required by UAE tax law).
- Account information: until you delete your account.
- Marketing preferences: until you unsubscribe.
- Analytics data: 26 months (Google Analytics default).
- Support conversations: 3 years after last message.
Your rights
Under UAE Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021 on Personal Data Protection (PDPL) and, if you are shipping to the EU, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), you have the right to:
- Ask what personal information we hold about you
- Correct it if it's wrong
- Delete it (subject to our legal obligation to retain order records)
- Withdraw consent for marketing at any time
- Object to certain processing
- Receive a portable copy of your data
- Lodge a complaint with the UAE Data Office or your local data protection authority
To exercise any of these rights, email us at the address below. We'll respond within 30 days.
Data security
We use industry-standard security measures: HTTPS/TLS encryption in transit, encrypted database storage, restricted admin access, and regular security patches. No system is 100% secure, but if a breach affecting your data ever occurs, we'll notify you and the relevant authorities within 72 hours as required by UAE PDPL.
Children
Our Site is intended for customers aged 15 and above (per our brand's stated audience). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child under 13 has provided information to us, contact us and we will delete it immediately.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time. Material changes will be announced by email (if you have an account) and posted on this page. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page tells you when the most recent version took effect.