A decade of creativity… "My legacy" It continues to consolidate Sharjah’s position "A city of crafts and folk arts"

Sharjah, 29 October / WAM / As the Irthi Contemporary Crafts Council celebrates its 10th anniversary, it continues to consolidate Sharjah’s position as the “City of Crafts and Folk Arts” within the Creative Cities Network of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), based on a long record of achievements in preserving the UAE’s craft heritage, empowering craftswomen, and enhancing international cooperation in the fields of design and creativity through qualitative programs and studies and global partnerships.

Over the past ten years, under the patronage of the wife of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah, Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Muhammad Al Qasimi, Chairwoman of the “Irthi” Council for Contemporary Crafts, the Council has witnessed a radical transformation from a local initiative aimed at reviving traditional crafts to a global platform that redefines crafts as tools for economic, cultural and social development that contributes to empowering craftswomen and enhancing the presence of traditional Emirati crafts on the global scene.

Within the framework of its goals to empower Emirati craftswomen and enhance their skills and artistic abilities, the “Irthi” Council for Contemporary Crafts launched the training program in Palestinian and Jordanian embroidery with the aim of teaching and training Emirati women on more than ten types of well-known stitches in this art, in cooperation with fashion designer Majda Abu Zaghlan.

Among the Council’s programs for social development, the Council launched the “Craft Exchange” program, which included training workshops to teach the craft of embroidery by benefiting from the experience of craftswomen from Pakistan who were trained by international fashion designer Ridwan Baig, with the aim of preparing a new generation of craftswomen and developing their skills in the field of embroidery and sewing. In return, “Irthi” worked to train Pakistani craftswomen in traditional Emirati crafts such as “Safifa” and “Tali.”

“Irthi” launched the Sadu Weaving Skills Exchange Program in Kuwait to train female craftswomen in Sadu weaving techniques, the traditional Arab art, which the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has included on the list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

To introduce its vision of empowering Emirati craftswomen and presenting local traditional crafts to the world, the “Irthi” Council concluded cooperation agreements with two of the largest design platforms in the world, namely the “Dezeen” platform and magazine specializing in architecture and design, and the “Design Miami” international design company.

As an embodiment of its keenness to introduce the world to the region’s craft cultural heritage, “Irthi” cooperated with “Design Miami” to display two new collections at the Design Miami International platform in Shanghai in 2021 that tell the story of the craft heritage of the UAE and the Gulf region, namely “Zenobia” and “Al-Thaya,” which incorporate “al-tali” and “wicker” into the displayed artworks.

As the exclusive and only digital partner from the Gulf countries for the “Design Miami” platform, “Irthi” launched three new collections on the platform to celebrate the tenth anniversary of its founding, which are the “Adham” collection in cooperation with the Mexican designer Ricardo Rendon, “Al-Moi” in cooperation with the designer Sheikha Bin Dhaher and the Spanish designer Adrian Salvador Candela, and “Zenobia” in cooperation with the international Lebanese designer Nada Debs.

In celebration of the UAE’s presence as a guest of honor at the London Design Fair in the British capital, London, in 2019, one of the largest design exhibitions in the world, “Irthi” launched 12 collections that include 78 artistic pieces of jewelry, decor, furniture, bags, and other creative and artistic artifacts using contemporary techniques that combined handicrafts and modern design, and formed the first production line for the “Irthi” Council.

As the only Arab entity that participated in the activities of “Milan Design Week” 2022 in the Italian city of Milan, the largest annual design event in the world, “Irthi” celebrated local Emirati crafts on the global stage, highlighting the Emirati experience in creative design through innovative collections, including “Al-Moi” and “Al-Nad”.

After the success of its participation in Milan Design Week, Irthi returned to participate in the 2023 edition to introduce the Italian and European audiences and visitors from around the world to the aesthetics of contemporary artworks inspired by Emirati heritage. It displayed new and innovative collections and designs at the Campi Auction House and received an invitation from the Italian Ministry of Culture and the Michelangelo Foundation to display the work of female craftswomen in the Italian Palazzo Litta.

At the Valencia Design Festival in Spain 2024, Irthi participated in the exhibition “Craft Links: Exploring Collaboration in Contemporary Crafts” as part of the “Time and Matter” project in cooperation with “Savage Studio” and the “Valencia Museum of Enlightenment and Modernity” with the aim of enhancing the presence of contemporary crafts in public awareness and reviewing the contribution of crafts and design in providing effective paths for development, especially in preserving traditional materials, techniques and manufacturing processes.

As the exclusive representative of the UAE Pavilion at Moscow Interior Design Week 2025 and the only Arab participant in the Russian capital, Moscow, Irthi’s participation reflected his commitment to preserving Emirati heritage and identity, in addition to supporting sustainability and empowering women to participate in shaping the features of global design. The works presented by Irthi embodied his vision of women craftsmen as partners in formulating a contemporary dialogue based on heritage, identity, and cultural roots, and his participation in discussion circles revolving around sustainability and transferring knowledge to all segments of society.

The tenth anniversary of the founding of “Erthi” coincides with the inclusion of Sharjah by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on the list of “City of Crafts and Folk Arts” within the Creative Cities Network, in recognition of the role of the Emirati “Tali” craft in preserving and sustaining intangible cultural heritage.

The efforts of the “Irthi” Council for Contemporary Crafts over the past decade were crowned with its direct contribution to achieving this historical achievement by preserving Emirati crafts and promoting them in major international platforms, festivals and exhibitions, in addition to documenting them through the implementation of programs and issuing studies and publications that tell their story and preserve them for future generations. “Irthi” continues its journey in sustaining and developing the craft heritage to tell its history in the language of the present and with a contemporary creative touch.

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