Design platform Exil Collective has launched its first collection at Dubai Design Week to spotlight work by both up-and-coming and established Lebanese designers.
Exil Collective's online platform features designs by over 20 independent studios in Lebanon, made by artisans and craftspeople that are also based in the country.
Top image: a head-shaped flower vase is among the Exil Collective products. Above: Youssef Bassil's pieces include a lamp
Among the products exhibited in the Downtown Design section of the 2021 Dubai Design Week were brass ashtrays and lamps by Youssef Bassil, sand-cast aluminium car sculptures by Antoine Guekjian and a globe-shaped, modular night light by Laetitia Jbeily.
"Exil is a bit of an incubator, which is the point because design in Lebanon is usually very expensive and luxury," co-founder Bassil told Dezeen. "We wanted to break this mould, we wanted to invite designers from students all the way up to very established designers such as Marc Baroud."
A combined vase and mirror is filled with flowers
Each designer was given a spec sheet outlining the parameters for the weight, cost, materials and dimensions of the products so that the designs wouldn't be too expensive to ship when bought from the Exil website.
This resulted in pieces in materials and designs that aren't usually associated with Lebanon, including colourful tufted mats designed by RADCAT.
Handtufted coasters by RADCAT come in various colours
"The rugs, and t...