five: products i love!

Products reimagining culture and heritage in the contemporary

One of the most cruel forms of abuse is when a society can make you feel who you’re has lesser value. For a lot of us growing up in the global north that was often the case. All of us at some point in our lives have been manipulated to think our cultures have less to offer this world. We’ve been conditioned to not see the wealth we’ve been sitting on this whole time. Our culture. Our heritage. Our tradition.

I will always support art, culture and products that celebrates that pride. Creatively drawing from the beauty of our cultures and translating it into the contemporary. I adore seeing the incredible things people are making around the world, and I thought I’d share some of my favourites with you every month or so, because I think its so important to support excellence and create an encouraging environment so even more emerge!

The lesson for all us is we need more of this. More ingenuity in taking all that we are and translating it into the now. Not fetishising the past either. But imagining the new. The below are inspirations that have got us started.

Tacapae Art and Olive Oil by El Seed

I sat with Tunisian artist El Seed at his Al Serkal studio in Dubai. The famous artist/calligrapher behind some of the most iconic pieces across the world such as “PERCEPTION”. We had an hour catch up about art and culture. He unfurled from under the table this gorgeous pink box. It looked like an Apple product. The matt box seductively pealed open to reveal a gorgeous bottle with his signature hand painted calligraphy on it.

He tells me this is Art and Oil. “Inside is the highest grade olive oil from my ancestral farm in Gabes, Tunisia. I’ve encased it in a bespoke bottle and hand painted it”.

This product was everything we discussed. He took olive oil, an ancestral heirloom and symbol of his people, and encased it in the highest art. Because that’s exactly what our heirlooms are. Treasures that deserve to be preserved and valued.

This is such a special product not only because of the quality of oil, but what the fusion between heirloom and art represents.

Qasimi

If there’s one clothing brand I’ve worn the most this year its probably Qasimi. Qasimi blends chic fashion with notes of culture. Taking traditional Arab silhouettes and creatively reimagining them. Qasimi has made me feel I can wear arabesque motifs casually every day or even at the most glamorous events.

My favourite piece is a bowling shirt but with the patterns from a shamagh (arab turban) embossed onto it. The patterns don’t stick out at first, but with a subtle turn into the light these patterns glimmer. I love thinking of this as an analogy of how our culture might not visible from face value, but shines clearly through when light hits it.

Diaspora Co

Sana set out to liberate probably the one industry with the longest legacy of colonialism. The Spice Trade. The British, French and Dutch over the last 400ish years rapped and pillaged most of Asia in pursuit of spice. It stole 1 trillion dollars from India alone. Real life Dune kinda shit.

Diaspora Co is a south asian owned business that seeks to untangle the spice trade from exploitation of labour and land. They source the highest grade spices from across south asia, paying their farmers significantly more and insuring practises that do not damage the land. This is real revolutionary shit, and they’ve done a great job. We’re working on something really exciting soon, can’t wait to share!

Sarah Musa’s Mini Keffiyah’s

Half Palestinian and half Korean designer Sarah Musa has been one of the most outspoken voices since October 7th. Her kefiyyah’s have been the unofficial costumes of the resistence.

Personally I am obsessed with her mini kefiyyah neck scarves which allow us to keep a bit of Palestine with us everywhere we go. The full kefiyyah’s can be cumbersome on a hot day, but these mini neck scarves look chic, cool but deliver the same powerful message. Free Palestine.

ALL proceeds go to Palestine.

Anaabu

One of my favourite south east asian brands for the last decade. Its kinda mad to me that brands like Anaabu stay isolated to people from Malaysia. The contemporary interpretations on traditional Malaysian dress are so frikken cool they deserve to have a global audience. Yet this kind of talent stays isolated and hidden to south east asia. I laugh when I see how basic some clothing brands here are that try similar things. On the other side of the world, they’re already living in the future.

Ana is inspired by a fusion between Japan and Malaysia. The cuts are clean, minimal and sophisticated. Wearing them makes me feel like a poet.