Designer Interview
39 Froen
My interest in art and design started in early age when I was a child, playing with watercolors. However it wasn't until back in 1998, I enrolled in some community classes in the summer break to learn to paint and…
Could you please tell us more about your art and design background? What made you become an artist/designer? Have you always wanted to be a designer?
My interest in art and design started in early age when I was a child, playing with watercolors. However it wasn't until back in 1998, I enrolled in some community classes in the summer break to learn to paint and design. That was the start of my journey .
I always wanted to be a jewellery designer, the tipping point for me was winning the awards in 2007/2008 that made purse it professionally and follow my dream.
The awards:
First place, earring category, Tahitian Pearl Trophy International 2008‣ First Place, earring category & First Place Tahitian Pearl Trophy National(MENA, Turkey Cyprus and Greece 2007)
Second Place, bracelet category, Tahitian Pearl Trophy National (MENA, Turkey Cyprus and Greece 2007)
Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
Hairaat is a Fine Jewellery House based in Qatar. Founded in 2011 by Nada Khamis Al -Sulaiti an international award winning Qatari Designer. The designer drew her inspiration from the Arabian Gulf heritage and the Islamic culture, infused with western styles. Hairaat jewellery pieces are designed in-house & produced in the finest workshops around the Globe.
Since 2011, HAIRAAT has been a private jeweller specializing in bespoke/made to ensure pieces of Fine Jewellery. In 2015 HAIRAAT will move to semi bespoke and retail.
Hairaat’s first flagship boutique will open in the fourth quarter of 2015 in the Gate Mall in Qatar
What is "design" for you?
I see design the utilization of materials in fine jewellery that transforms different raw materials ( precious, uncommon, inexpensive) to a High Jewellery piece.
It's what makes the piece wearable and functional.
What kinds of works do you like designing most?
special, unique and complex pieces
What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
Rings, its very difficult to design a ring as its small and needs a lot of precision.
What was the first thing you designed for a company?
toi moi ring in natural pearls and pink diamonds
What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
My favorite metal is rose gold, while my favorite stone is opals and I enjoy using 3D printing to create new cuts for my stones ( I did that for opals)
When do you feel the most creative?
late at night before I go to sleep or when I'm stressed with loads of work
Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
Visual balance and colors harmony
What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
designing is a very enthusiastic act for me that gives happiness and joy
What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
Its an indescribable feeling of happiness mixed with fear as I await my clientele approval of the finished pieces.
What makes a design successful?
The happiness and satisfaction of my clientele who commissioned the piece since I work working predominantly with bespoke designs
When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
The usability of the piece
The visual balance
The commercialization of the piece
From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
The designer should always seek a way a sustainable way in creating their design as the cycle starts with the design
How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
The change is very rapid now, we would see new materials that would replace some of the old ones with the advance of technology.
When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?
Feb 24-28, 2015 Doha- Qatar
I'm looking to exhibit in the same exhibition next year
Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
Culture and Heritage is source of my inspiration, the main is The Qatari, Arabic and Islamic as that connects with my roots and that get infused with the Western as that where I learned the trade and I'm highly influenced by it.
How would you describe your design style? What made you explore more this style and what are the main characteristics of your style? What's your approach to design?
Feminine and bold as that reflects my personality and style
Where do you live? Do you feel the cultural heritage of your country affects your designs? What are the pros and cons during designing as a result of living in your country?
Doha, Qatar. I'm highly influenced by the Qatari cultural heritage and those elements can be sensed in most of my design and my signature.
That gave a competitive edge with the rest of the designers around me, however cause the jewellery industry in Qatar is mostly retail this limits me from exploring and exchanging thought with different designers
How do you work with companies?
I only design for Hairaat Fine Jewellery as I'm the founder and the creative director
What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?
They need to be very clear and know exactly what they are looking for.
A good designer would be able to work with the company's budget limitation without limiting the creativity offering to it.
Can you talk a little about your design process?
I like to take my time in research and development to explore different materials and ways to delivering my creations.
1. Research ( travel, reading books, interview with clienteles, etc)
2. Development of the concept
3. First sketch of design
4. Check the design with my workshop, stone buyer and modify
5. Finale design
What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?
tissue paper
pen
clay
wires
and anything that I can use to visualize my design
Can you describe a day in your life?
I wakeup get dressed to go to work
I spend 8 hours working in a semi government company
I go out with friends
I go to my private office for Hairaat Fine Jewellery
I go out for dinner with family or friends
Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?
If you have a dream don't you ever let go of it, try your best and then some more, because you can make it. everything is possible you just need to believe in yourself and be passionate about what you do
From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
being a jewellery designer have raised the bar for me really! I became very picky with my choices that a negative part because people around might not be able to afford my taste when I judge jewellery.
The positive part of being a designer is that made appreciate everything I see as I know the effort that was put for to come to light. I changed my perspective
What is your "golden rule" in design?
The golden rule is that there are no rule, the sky is your limit and unleash your creativity
What skills are most important for a designer?
creativity
Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?
old pen and paper that's it.
sometimes some clay
Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
I put three hours a day for designing when I have a commission
How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
depending on the object really, some will take a month or six months.
it depends on the size and complexity of the piece
What is the most frequently asked question to you, as a designer?
How did you became a jewellery designer?
Can you teach jewellery design?
What was your most important job experience?
Every day I learn new thing, its the collective effort that I learn day in and day out
Who are some of your clients?
private clientele
What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?
bespoke pieces, because it allows me to explore new things and interact with people to make something special only for them
What are your future plans? What is next for you?
I'm opening my first flagship boutique in Qatar and I hope to go Regionally then Internationally to make Hairaat Fine Jewellery one of the world’s most recognized jewellery brands
Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
Currently myself, however we are growing very fast now.
Do you have any works-in-progress being designed that you would like to talk about?
I'm working on developing the signature collection for Hairaat Fine Jewellery that is inspired by the sea and we are using natural material from the Qatari environment. We are very excited and looking forward to launching soon
How can people contact you?
info@hairaat.com
