The Irthi Contemporary Crafts Council has paired Bedouin craftswomen in the UAE with international artists to create items that can be sold to a global market.
From its base in Sharjah ? one of the seven Emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates ? the Irthi Contemporary Crafts Council oversaw the creation of the collection to give local female makers the means to support themselves through their craft.
The collection is based on a series of collaborations, including this one with studio Lél
The collection consists of items made by collaborations between 12 international designers and studios to create 12 distinct product lines.
"We worked with around 40 artisans, Bedouin women living on the east coast of Sharjah, but they only know their craft. They don't really know anything about product design," said the Irthi Contemporary Crafts Council's curator Farah Nasri. "We thought the best way to impart that knowledge is to really get designers on board and get them to share ideas and skills," she told Dezeen.
Irthi aims to bring new life to ancient techniques such as safeefah weaving
One of the collaborations saw American weaver Jennifer Zurick and the Emirati artisans apply the generations-old technique of safeefah ? where palm leaves are woven together to create baskets and rugs ? to a range of earthy-toned, bohemian handbags.
Zurick, who usually works within the Native American tradition of weaving black willow bark, previously cast her designs in ...