First launched at Amman Design Week in October 2019. This collection started with a series of contemporary motifs inspired by the narrative and talismanic qualities of traditional Palestinian embroidery commissioned by El-Malak to Beirut based Studio Kawakeb.
Here these designs are interpreted in ceramics where the embroidery motifs are used for their binding qualities to attach the layers of clay to each other. The motifs drape the clay from a larger volume to create shapes inspired by historical vessels. The ceramics are handmade in Dubai by Xeina Al Malki.
About the Artist
Faissal El-Malak is a Palestinian artist and designer brought up between Montreal, Canada and Qatar. Prior to moving back to the region to launch his fashion brand in Dubai, he trained as a fashion designer in Paris’ Atelier Chardon Savard.
El-Malak’s approach to self-expression and embodiment of contemporary Arab identity and diaspora is core to his central practice, which is agnostic towards genre and medium. He has earned several accolades for his work in fashion and design and is the first Palestinian fashion designer to be acquired by the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. El-Malak is currently further exploring the body as a medium through movement, singing and healing.
