Lebanese Designer Alexandra Hakim using Natural Resources to make Jewelry

Lebanese designer Alexandra Hakim has revealed her natural approach to her sustainable jewelry brand.

The mastermind behind the label Alexandra Hakim, told Arab News that she started the brand as a student, finding inspiration from materials in her studio such as sandpaper and matchsticks in ashtrays.

The jewelry maker tried to recreate the elements and turn them into wearable sparkly jewels to give each item a “different and completely unique touch.

She said: “I made my first collection at school based on matchsticks and I found beauty in the way that they are consumed every time in different ways. I took those fragile wooden pieces and I tried to transform them into earrings and create unique pieces of playful earrings and necklaces.”

Hakim also speaks to local workers in Lebanon to support different crafts.

“I have talked to fishermen, farmers, and different craftsmen about their work, and I try to integrate it into mine. So, for example, I would take any rubbish that a fisherman I met called Bob would find in his nets – because there is barely any fish left in the sea today. So, I made a collection based on that.

“I also used pearls to make the connection between the rubbish from the sea and the jewels,” she added.

Describing her brand as a mix of luxury and contemporary jewelry, Hakim said: “I feel like my brand is about inclusivity, sustainability. It’s about making jewelry that is good for the planet. It’s about limiting waste and making women and men feel empowered.”

One of her most recent collections, the “Good Karma Capsule,” was based on horoscopes.

“I asked people around me from different backgrounds and places if they wanted their portraits taken depending on their horoscopes. So, I found a Scorpio, a Gemini, and it all kind of came together.

“People felt so empowered wearing their horoscope and felt like the earrings were a lucky charm and a token of positivity,” she added.

www.alexandrahakim.co

source/content: arabnews.com

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BRITISH / SPAIN / LEBANESE

Majeda Khoury : Chef & Founder – Syrian Sunflower

Majeda Khoury. Chef. Syrian Human rights and Feminist activist.

Syrian migrant, one of her early decisions in London was to join a refugee cooking group run by social enterprise Migrateful. It brings together Londoners and refugees to learn recipes and share a meal.

She gives one or two classes a week, teaching simple but beautiful meals that can be reproduced at home

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pix: anqacollective.org

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UNITED KINGDOM / SYRIAN-BRITISH

Nabil Nayal – Fashion Designer

Nabil El-Nayal (aka) Nabil Nayal. Fashion Designer.

Founder , ready-to-wear fashion brand ‘Nabil Nayal’

Education:

  • Ph.D : in Fashion, Manchester Metropolitan University, Fashion Institute
  • Masters – Royal College of Arts
  • B.A. (Hons) – Fashion, Manchester Metropolitan (2008)

Awards/ Honours :

  • Royal Society of Arts Award 2008
  • Graduate Fashion Week ‘Best Womenswear’ Award 2008
  • British Fashion Council MA Scholarship Award – for the Royal College of Arts 2008
  • Crown Paint 2009 (interior design competition)
  • Harrods Launches 2010
  • Fashion Fringe Semi-Finalist 2011
  • LVMH Prize shortlist 2015
  • LVMH Prize finalist 2017
  • BFC Fashion Trust Grant and Mentoring 2019

www.nabilnayal.com

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pix: buro247.me

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UNITED KINGDOM / SYRIAN / BRITISH ARAB