We never set out to be in magazines. We set out to get decent boards to local skaters at a fair price. But the story of UAE skateboarding keeps getting picked up, and that's a win for every skater here. This is where we keep track of it.
GQ Middle East: Built by Skaters, for Skaters
A partner feature presented by Gooder, on how Maysam and Ali El Ali went from figuring out Dubai "one curb and handrail at a time" to opening an indoor park at Alserkal Avenue. Habibi Skate Shop gets a shout as "an established name in Dubai's skate community."
"The biggest challenge wasn't designing obstacles. It was designing an atmosphere."
Dubairen (WeChat): a living room for youth culture
October 2026. A Chinese-language guide to Dubai dropped by Gooder, sat down with Maysam, and wrote about the fountain, the pizza, the coffee, Habibi Skate Shop, and why we're not into influencer walk-throughs.
My Dubai Stories
March 2026. Dubai's official My Dubai channel filmed Maysam on growing up as one of the city's first-generation skaters and how that turned into Habibi.
Skateistan: Citizen of Skateistan
April 2026. Skateistan introduced Maysam as a long-time friend who helped build their first skatepark in Kabul, and asked people to join him as a Citizen of Skateistan. More on that in its own post.
Wio Bank
May 2026. A short film on resilience, tenacity and the refusal to quit, and how skating shaped the way Maysam builds and leads.
Gorilla Spots
May 2026. Gorilla Energy UAE caught Maysam skating for their Gorilla Spots series. "A pillar of the Dubai skate scene. Still out here doing it."
971 Originals: Still Standing
May 2026. A series on Dubai founders working through real pressure, in real time.
The Karak Conversations
December 2024. Maysam sat down with The Karak and World of Gunk on The Dhow, and used it to announce what would become Gooder.
Ruby Pseudo: Meet Maysam, Habibi Skate Shop
February 2023. UK outlet Ruby Pseudo caught up with Maysam after 25 years of skating in Dubai and Habibi's first year: backing a skate NGO in Pakistan, sponsoring a five-person team, paying skaters to take part in more than 20 events, and walking away from an Olympic qualifier partnership that didn't sit right.
"Skateboarding has quite literally saved my life."
VICE: You Can't Skate in Public in Dubai, But That Doesn't Stop Skaters
January 2022. VICE France looked at how Dubai's skaters keep going while more and more of the city goes private, with an English version following in February. Maysam talks about the street spots that disappeared, why Abu Dhabi is the Barcelona of the Middle East, the We Are Blood trip, and why a shop that represents the region matters. Plus the one rule of the scene: skate, don't be a jerk, and you're family.
Read it on VICE · VICE France (French)
Hypebeast: On the Ground in Dubai's Booming Skate Scene
October 2021. One of the first big international pieces on the UAE scene, including the early years of documenting skaters across Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon.
Want to talk to us?
Press, brands and filmers: email hello@habibiskateshop.com or grab our press kit. Or just come skate. Habibi Skate Shop is inside Gooder, Alserkal Avenue.
