Jordan, On My Mind

 

“There is a need for handmade elements and a need to focus on crafts, especially in a non-industrial country like Jordan, where we can stand out by our heritage”.

Jordanian designer and humanitarian Lama Hourani has been creating since 2000. Her pieces are designed as a delicate balance of emotion and contemporary design. Lama travels as a source of inspiration and uses elements of each journey as the main seeds of inspiration for each collection. However, as you can see throughout her body of work, she maintains a distinct Jordanian flavor, purposefully reminiscent of her country’s cultural and physical landscape, and typography. Her work can be seen as subtly flavorful. Natural textures and references to architecture float through her artistry. What is particularly interesting is the very subtle marriage of her Jordanian design style with her various geographical inspiration points: Japan, Rio, Central America and various plots throughout the globe’s design influence can be distinctly seen in each collection. The calligraphy seen on her jewelry is not actually script; it is a style that she has created and individualized herself!

As a result of her artistic work’s humanitarian efforts, Lama was named a Young Global Leader by The World Economic Forum in 2012. All of the packaging for Lama’s pieces are produced from recycled materials by the Royal Society for Conservation of Nature in line with Human Rights laws.  Additionally, Lama steadfastly maintains her workshop in Jordan, employing Jordanians with disabilities and outsourcing to underprivileged women. The artisans she employs with fair wage and labor rights regulations in her workshop have a reach that extends to support over twenty families in Amman, Jordan.

“Behind each jewelry piece there is a story that extends from the very beginning of the inspiration process where there is a spot in the world that triggered that particular design…”

 

All images Courtesy of Lama Hourani.