Amid the shimmering lights and striking architecture of Dubai Design District, Dubai Design Week returns for its 11th edition. More than a decade on, the event marks not only the city's growing prowess as a global design destination but also its ability to stand strong and confident on its own-shaped by homegrown talent and a deepening sense of cultural identity.

The event, held under the patronage of Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairperson of the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, brings together designers and creatives to exchange ideas, collaborate, and explore how design can shape a better shared future in an increasingly sustainability-driven world.

Its diverse programme spans installations, exhibitions, talks, workshops, a bustling marketplace, the contemporary design fair Downtown Design, and Editions-the region's first limited-edition art and design fair that has quickly become a marker of regional creative ambition.

Among this year's highlights is Tashkeel, founded in 2008 by Sheikha Lateefa bint Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum as a studio and gallery for visual artists and designers. Under its flagship programme Tanween, established in 2013, Tashkeel brings together nine UAE-based designers who spend nearly a year developing functional innovations that address sustainability challenges through design.

Tashkeel will launch the Tanween Collection 2025 at Downtown Design 2025, featuring products that celebrate material experimentation and environmental consciousness. This year's collection features prominent names such as Hessa Al Ghandi, Sketch & Space Studio (Amna Alshamsi & Hanan Rafiee), Tasneem Al Nabhani, Jasim Alnaqbi and more. From finding inspiration in leftover pieces of fabric to discarded metal, the collections enmesh modern sustainability with Emirati traditions in thoughtfully crafted design narratives.

Sarah Al Dulaimi, an Iraqi-British artist, designer, and architect whose cross-disciplinary practice transforms everyday techniques into fresh, playful creations, explains,“For me, sustainability is not a design aesthetic, but a responsibility to address real-world problems. I chose to work with fabric because fast fashion remains one of the most urgent sustainability issues, and I wanted to respond to it at a local scale. My collection 'Oculus' was made using discarded chiffon offcuts from abaya tailors in Madinat Zayed, Abu Dhabi.”

A collaboration she credits Tanween's programme for.“My participation opened doors to collaboration with government entities and leaders in the UAE sustainable fabric market, who helped guide my research. During this investigation, I found myself in Madinat Zayed's tailor shops during the peak of Eid season, simply spending time with the tailors who work there daily. I learnt a lot from their skillset and advice, and we collaborated for the majority of the program to develop the idea.”

Dulaimi strongly believes that working with fabric waste doesn't have to look rustic or recycled; it can also hold beauty and refinement if worked with correctly, and be deserving of a place in the luxury design market.

“Oculus is a metaphor for that moment of reveal. When turned off, it is a pitch-black, mystical circle, revealing nothing. When the light is switched on, an array of colours appears that you would never expect. It's a metaphor for identity, privacy, and presence within Emirati and Arab culture.”

Another designer, Jassim Alnaqbi, founder of Taqseem Studio, says he draws inspiration from scrapyards across the UAE.“I saw mountains of discarded metal, materials once full of potential but now forgotten. Despite the country producing over 5 million tonnes of industrial waste annually, much of this metal remains underutilised.” He adds that he wanted to give that material a second life. What began as an observation quickly became a mission to elevate something often overlooked into something special. Just as heirlooms are given new meaning through generations, he began repurposing stainless steel and electroplating it to resemble brass.

His collection Haila reflects Emirati heritage through its form, language, and story.“The design draws from the cardamom-shaped bangle known as 'حبة الهيل,' an iconic piece of Emirati jewellery inspired by nature. Even the name Haila carries layers of meaning in Arabic: wealth, fragrance, abundance, and femininity,” he adds.

Alnaqbi emphasises gold is much more than ornamentation; it's a form of security, captured in the saying“الذهب زينه و خزينه” (Gold is both adorned and treasured). This duality sits at the heart of Haila, which transforms the language of jewellery into a functional, sculptural object that embodies beauty, memory, and value.

Similarly, Hessa Al Ghandi, an Emirati interior designer and founder of Hessa Archives, says she focuses on rhythm and instinct rather than replication, while drawing on her Emirati heritage.“The forms echo the movement of light, the flow of wind, and the organic balance found in Emirati landscapes. I imagined what my great-aunt and grandmother would have done, and I followed the same path. The word Lamah (لمّه) itself means a gathering - a moment that brings people and stories together - and the piece carries that same spirit of connection, memory, and belonging,” she explains.

Looking forward, these projects aim to contribute tangibly to the global creative space. Al Ghandi says she hopes her work adds a voice that feels familiar to the UAE's design identity - one that celebrates material honesty and memory.“Our design identity is still forming, and if Lamah can remind others to look closer at what is already here, then it has done its part.”

Echoing her sentiments, Alnaqbi says his collections represent a growing voice within Emirati design - one that sees heritage not as something to preserve behind glass, but as a living source of innovation. A reminder that tradition can be a guide, not a constraint.

With this year's theme being 'Community', the collections in the programme truly resonate with it. As Al Dulaimi rightly puts it,“The future of design lies in empathy, collaboration, and rethinking what we choose to value.”

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