‘I’m actually so impressed’: Woman orders custom dress from United Arab Emirates Instagram shop. Then the war breaks out
War broke out between the United States and Iran in February 2026, leading to widespread changes in how the Middle Eastern countries import and export goods. Thousands of textile manufacturers have felt the impact of strict sanctions and a restrictive trade embargo. On top of that, many businesses in the Middle East as a whole have been affected. Many luxury shops in Dubai, for instance, have idled in the face of the current U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.
But one woman received an item that she ordered—a custom “birthday” dress that she wanted to wear for a bridal event–in the mail after weeks of conflict. Brightyn (@brightynsletten), a fitness instructor in the Washington Metropolitan area, reviewed a custom dress that she almost thought she wouldn’t receive. That’s because she ordered the dress from an Instagram page before the war broke out.
In her video, she seemed happy and elated to receive her custom-fit dress, sharing additional insights with an audience of over 751,000 viewers. Viewers had a few critiques for her, though. For one, her lack of understanding of where the dress actually came from rubbed a few audience members the wrong way. Alongside that, some conclusions about both areas, while technically accurate, didn’t seem to differentiate why Dubai and Iran would individually struggle with exporting goods.
How did Brightyn order the dress?
Brightyn found a beautiful beige or cream colored dress from an Instagram shop, which she mentioned was either from “Dubai or Iran.” Later, she revealed that she ordered “The Perfect Birthday Dress” from Hananeh Couture.
Brightyn obviously had no idea that war would break out in the Middle East when she ordered it. But, it did. That ended up making the dress’s arrival at her doorstep more uncertain. Despite this, she continued waiting for it and discussing the arrival with a representative.
“ They sent my dress out, but they weren’t actually able to send it out because of everything going on, so they just kind of like somehow got it to Canada, like via their representative,” Brightyn said. “Then I had to contact this representative… to talk with them.”
She unpackaged the dress on her TikTok, later taking the opportunity to try it on so her audience could see what it looked like.
Brightyn mentions two different areas—with largely different trade restrictions
Brightyn mentioned two different locations that the dress could have come from—Iran and Dubai. While she said that there’s “a lot going down” over there for both geographic areas, there are entirely different trade limitations, tariffs, and embargos for each area.
Dubai is a city in the United Arab Emirates, which has significantly different trade agreements in place with the United States. For one, the United Arab Emirates is not subject to war-related sanctions. There may be additional costs and restrictions associated with the war, but trade wouldn’t necessarily be restricted because of it. In contrast, the United States currently has broad trade sanctions placed on Iran, which limit thousands of Iranian items from coming to the country.
Brightyn’s later confirmation that the dress came from Hananeh Couture ended up helping audience members know what country it shipped from—the United Arab Emirates. But her initial lack of knowledge did raise some questions from her audience.
Viewers, for instance, said that “Dubai and Iran are two very different places” when commenting on her video.
Brightyn’s review of the dress leads to a heated debate in the comments section
Brightyn decided to give an initial review of the dress, alongside some of her hesitations. While she loved it, she did think there was a chance it would be too wide for her.
“ It’s kind of like a nude beige color, and then there’s like this bead all over it and I mean, yeah, this looks how I was expecting… I just really hope it fits because I had to send my measurements so it looks a little wide, I’m not even gonna lie,” Brightyn said.
Commenters, though, found the review to be a little out of taste, especially since the dress was reportedly shipping from an unsafe area—regardless of whether it was from the United Arab Emirates or Iran.
“Gurrrl you keep on focusing on negative things and are blinded to the good points,” one commenter said. “The company is most likely in a war zone and still managed to get it to you. They could have just cancelled or in a worst case scenario, ghosted you and it’d still be valid because of the shipping conditions in the region nowadays.”
Brightyn receives some negative feedback and responds to it
Other commenters pointed out that Brightyn did not react well to negative feedback. In her comments section, the TikToker responded to a few different critiques of her video, offering her perspective.
One viewer specifically noted this, saying, “I’d be careful with your words, you’re showing a lot of defensiveness in your comments & it’s not a good look. You were being a bit negative in your concerns, & people are offering constructive criticism with how you also chose your words in regards to Iran.”
Brightyn responded, saying, “This is suppose[d] to be a fun video that’s exciting, it’s the negative people coming here who are the issue! I have nothing but sensitivity for everything going on. I communicated that with the makers of the dress & told them not to worry and be safe. Maybe people mistake this for negative but I wasn’t being negative.”
@brightynsletten I’m actually so impressed this also kinda feels like an artifact lol #dubai #wedding #iran #reception #2026wedding ♬ original sound – Brightyn
We’ve reached out to Brightyn via TikTok direct message and Hananeh Couture via email for more information.
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]
