ZAHDEI WORLD is a space where objects hold playful visions, evoking sweet memories or (zah)deidreams. In reimagining the future of craft, we see it not as an added value but as an inherent part of life, a return to its original essence.

We collaborate directly with predominantly female artists in the MENA region, engaging in true co-creation where everyone is an integral part of the process.

All of our creations are carefully handcrafted in limited quantities. We embrace custom and limited edition productions, honouring the ever-changing nature of these rare craft traditions. ZAHDEI WORLD also serves as a research space, supported by the Play Studio Fund, contributing to the evolution of artistic expressions.

Craft has always been a playful process, a blend of what's on hand and the potential it holds. It's a dance between daily life, conversations, seasons, and boundless human imagination.

Mass manufacturing stifled the natural evolution of creations born from makers' playfulness and curiousity. In our talks with artisans, we discovered their hesitation to try new ideas, fearing a market unresponsive to change. This has led to the gradual fading of craft practices worldwide as they don't have the proper space to evolve with time.

ZAHDEI WORLD believes that at the core of craft is playfulness. Through our products and process, we aim to revive this space. We allocate a portion of our sales to playtime (in the form of an artisan micro-loan) - a space where our partners receive financial support to experiment and evolve their generational practices freely, as intended.

When we were working on the first prototype of the Persian inlaying (known as 'khatam') bags, I would place the colours of the different khatam designs together, to see what would go together. I asked my partner artisans to get involved and see what they think as they are the ones making these beautiful pieces.

They both giggled and told me that in their 20 years of work they had never looked at colours like this. It must be said that in local markets, the approach with this technique has not changed for over many decades - with majority of makers sticking to only producing intricate home decorative items with the traditional colour palette of gold, brown & black.

A few weeks later after our first production our partners created a new design with playful colours for future Gombad bags with their own intiative, a technique that was never tried before. This was the start of our Play Studio and we can't wait to share this journey.