With impressively talented and inventive designers making big waves in the industry, Amman is proving to be a capital to keep an eye on. Tania Haddad is one of the reasons why.
Founder of the almost eponymous Tania George label, the Jordanian designer teamed up with Ikea to give birth to a spirited collection of colourful and handmade accessories. The Swedish furniture retailer has called on creatives from the world’s four corners to design items weaving local craftsmanship and traditions into statement pieces and contemporary everyday objects.
Yellow Taxis, satellite dishes, water tanks and laundry lines; all are there to remind you of the very vibrant lifestyle people lead in the Hashemite Kingdom’s capital. Touring the old quarters of the city through the hand-embroidered set of blankets and cushion covers, the designs map and highlight the unique viewpoints and landmarks of the country’s rich culture and scenery.
In a conversation with Haddad, she strongly emphasised on the importance of Amman in her works in general, a city that constantly inspires her whilst also “highlighting the things we do differently here, like basically telling the stories of our daily life in Jordan through these fabrics.”
“When it came to this collection, IKEA was already working with the River Foundation and needed a local designer to give a meaning to spring in Jordan and through this line. Everybody involved loved working on this project probably because of how relatable it was everyone, including myself. You can see that from the outcome of the product, you can feel the love that went into it and that transpires through the items.”
Not only local but also mainly ethical, the handcrafted details are made by skilled artisans working for the Jordan River Foundation – a social business that opens jobs for Jordanian women and women refugees in the region which only again mirrors how multifaceted this new line seeks to be.
To shop the new LOKALT collection: ikea.com
