Mathilda Della Torre is a designer and activist whose work focuses on creating projects and campaigns that transition us to a sustainable, fair, and just society. She is the founder of Conversations From Calais, a global poster project aiming to re-humanise the refugee crisis, and recently published her first book Conversations From Calais: Sharing Refugee Stories. She is currently working as the UK Activism Manager at Ben & Jerry's leading their campaigns defending refugee and asylum seeker rights in the UK.
On the 18th of Jan we hosted Mathilda who introduced her newly-launched book, now available to purchase on ISHKAR here. We asked Mathilda her top picks at ISHKAR and why:
LAPIS INFINITE CHOKER
ISHKAR’s jewellery pieces are how I first came across the brand many many years ago and this necklace feels like the perfect encapsulation of why I love this brand so much. So much of the work that I do is about trying to change narratives and moving away from the typical stereotypes that are shared in mainstream media and in politics when we speak of countries such as Afghanistan (where this necklace is made). I also try and wear pieces that have a story that start a conversation, any kind of conversation, and imagine the conversations you could start wearing this necklace! You could talk about what has been happening in Afghanistan since 2021, about the power of ancestral traditions, about how we pass on craft to younger generations. About so much!
THE SIX CITIES KILIM
I love rugs. They make a home feel like a home you know? Because then people take their shoes off and sit on the floor and never want to leave - the dream. Like everything at ISHAKR the story behind it is one that can open up so many conversations. The team have described it so perfectly “When we think about forced migration we often think of cities like Lesvos, Lampedusa, or Calais; cities that make headlines for the influx of people seeking refuge in camps. In reality, many people will also end up in cities across Europe that are rarely included in this narrative. Cities like Schwennigen in Germany.” This way of framing forced migration as part of a common narrative and moving away from the stereotypes we always come across is what I try to do in my work everyday, but I’m not sure I’ve ever been able to do it in a way that is as beautiful as this one. Maybe one day!
MONA CROCHET VEST
I have a small obsession with anything crochet and with anything that you can layer over a large collar and this vest fits that brief very well. It feels like kids’ clothing in adult size which is always my outfit of choice. The story behind it is also so beautiful and Lamsa might be my new favourite word (I now know it means touch in Arabic). AND these vests support the livelihood of 50 Syrian and Lebanese women artisans in Lebanon, how incredible.
DESSERT COUPE
Alongside my small obsession with colourful clothes that look like they should be worn by kids instead of a 20 something year old woman, I have a small obsession with colourful tableware. I’m not the one to blame. It was very much passed on to me by mum and it is now very much encouraged by my brother who pretty much lives in charity shops and antique shops. I have so much respect for artisans who work with glass (it looks so difficult and mesmerizing at the same time), and these coupes are so perfectly imperfect. They feel like summer and seaside dinners and very long conversations around the dinner table, aka my heaven. All in all, I love them a lot.
The poppy is not just a flower. It is a lens through which we see how Afghanistan was shaped, exploited, and continually redefined. It tells the story of the nation itself.
If you’ve been wondering what the easiest way to hang a rug on a wall is, there are a few different approaches you can take. We’ve outlined four methods for hanging a flatweave rug safely and securely, without causing any damage to your piece.
You’ve probably never heard of this city in Afghanistan — but it shaped one of Persia’s greatest literary tragedies.
Having worked with our artisan partners for almost a decade now, they consistently meet the high bar we set for them. But in our quest for quality, we have learned some rough lessons along the way.
A collaboration with photographer and model Skye Jones, our new ring collection harnesses the beauty and power of horses, while paying homage to the rich history of Central Asian equestrian traditions.
They call it the heartland of the Taliban. But for over 3000 years it has been Zoroastrian, Buddhist, and Greek — long before the Kalashnikov was invented.
Ever wondered what the difference between a flatweave and a hand-knotted rug is? Keep reading to find out more about our Afghan rugs, and which one...
Blue is one of the rarest colours found in nature. Up until the 18th century, whether you were a Pharaoh or an artist, there was only one place you...
Before Michelangelo, before da Vinci—Herat was already shaping the world. This ancient city sparked a renaissance before Florence—a place most have never even heard of, let alone seen.
Just-landed: a limited collection of richly-decorated suzanis. Hand-embroidered by craftswomen from Uzbekistan on 100% cotton fabric with fine silk...
Three hours away from Kabul lies a place called Ghazni.
And what does it tell us about our society?
Around 17,000 people once worked in the trade; now there is only one company left, with no apprentices. It’s hard not to feel misty eyed about the loss of this tradition. After all, it's a story we’re familiar with.
Long before Rome’s power, Babylon’s hanging gardens, or the great palaces of Persepolis, there was ‘Balkh’—the shining jewel of the ancient world. ...
A shipment of one of our wooden Jali trays was recently held by Border Force. When we finally received the package, we unwrapped the packaging to find that Border Force had drilled a small hole through the tray.
The Kabul you haven’t heard of; where storytelling shapes its soul.
“I love my glasses and my husband wants to buy me some more. But I’m concerned about supporting a regime which is so oppressive to women. I’ve neve...
One reason we wanted a physical ISHKAR shop was so that we could host events, talks, supper clubs, screenings, exhibitions, etc. A place to join wi...
Ruby Elmhirst is a creative producer, working with sustainable and socially conscious designers, artists and brands on unique projects across an array of mediums. Originally from London, her family lives between rural Jamaica and New York. This contrast has vastly informed her mission to promote opportunity, acceptance, education and diversity within design. For this edit she shares her interior wishlist as we get into winter and spend more time indoors.
We spoke to Niloufar Edmonds, the curator of 'Bound for Life and Education: Sara Eshonturaeva and the Jadid Movement in Soviet Uzbekistan' about th...
'My Pen Is the Wing of a Bird' is an extraordinary anthology of fiction by Afghan women writers, published in Feb 2022 by MacLehose Press in the UK...
For the Print Sale for EMERGENCY 2022, some of the photographers are offering one-off prints as NFTs, some for the first time!Including Matthieu Paley, Glen Wilde & Michael Christopher Brown.
On the 15th of August 2021, Afghanistan fell to the Taliban. As the world looked on, ISHKAR launched a sale of photographic prints to raise money for EMERGENCY Hospitals in Afghanistan. Like you, thousands of generous people contributed.
One year later the world’s attention has moved on. However the situation in Afghanistan is getting worse and worse. We’ve teamed up with an amazing group of photographers to run the print sale again. This is our opportunity to show Afghanistan that we still care. That we have not forgotten. This is our chance to direct crucial aid to where it is needed most.
Our handmade shirts and soap stone bowls, photographed by Charles Thiefaine on the island of Socotra, Yemen. November 2021.
It’s been a whirlwind for Beirut. Lebanon’s capital has spent the past twenty years trying to rebuild itself and its identity. I grew up in a city ...
When Afghanistan fell to the Taliban we immediately paused trading with Afghanistan. After much deliberation, we have now taken the decision to con...
Selma Dabbagh is a British Palestinian lawyer, novelist and short story writer. We asked Selma which ISHKAR pieces are inspiring her this winter. See here selection here:
Now is not the time to stop reading, talking and thinking about Afghanistan. The situation continues to worsen by the day. So we've put together a few actions that you can take to make sure the world doesn't turn its back on Afghanistan, when it needs us all the most.
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Olivia Rose Empson
- 06.10.21
Mosul, a city in the North of Iraq, is gradually remembering the steps to a long forgotten tune. Once a vibrant area with art, coffee shops and lo...
Lebanese-Dutch Carmen Atiyah de Baets is CARMEN’s co-founder, a multifunctional guesthouse, kitchen, gallery and shop in the heart of Amsterdam.
Sicily is famous for its street food, from freshly cooked calamari to crisply fried panella. One of our favourite Sicilian streets are Arancini....
This summer we will be hosting different pop ups on London's Columbia Road, home to some of London's best restaurants, street bars and independent boutiques. Combine your pop up visit with some of these local highlights:
Ibi Ibrahim is an American Yemeni curator, artist, writer, filmmaker and musician.
Words by Shamayel, founder of Blingistan. Illustrations by Blingistan + Daughters of Witches.
How many of these five extraordinary women have you h...
We spoke with Blingistan founder, Shamayel, about the need for playful, bold, conversation starters that can change the narrative about Afghanistan.
We invited James Seaton, co-founder of TOAST, to cast his well trained design eye over our collection and to be our very first guest editor.
How, we are often asked, can a box of six glasses made in Afghanistan, one of the world’s poorest countries, be sold in London for £80? In this blog post we aim to show you who gets what and why.
This is the time for facts, not fear. This is the time for science, not rumours. This is the time for solidarity, not stigma. We are all in this together, and we can only stop it together.
A guest blog by Lucy Fisher I would like to hazard a guess that the first image which comes to mind when asked to think of Afghanistan is probably not a garden in full bloom, carefully tended to by a team of dedicated local gardeners. Despite the horrific turmoil...
A guest blog by Louis Prosser After almost four years of incalculable destruction and suffering in Yemen, you might think that the last sparks of beauty and creativity had been crushed. You would be wrong.Ibi Ibrahim is a 31-year-old artist working mainly in photography and film. He is Yemeni,...
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Fig 1. Babur gardens [source unknown]
Fig 2. One of the hospital's where Dr Jerry used to work[source unknown]
W...
‘I don’t care if you’re in Timbuktu,’ we might say. ‘You’ll be here tomorrow or else!’ Or perhaps, ‘He’s flirted with every girl from here to Timbuktu!’ It means something like God Knows Where, or A Million Miles Away.
'Bebinin, bebinin,' insisted Parsa. I was in the royal city of Esfahan, which the Persians call 'nesf-e jahan' ('half of the world'). In a cramped bazar beneath soaring domes and arches, I was in a world of carpets. 'Look, look: apache, apache!’ The word rang a bell (an American tribe?) but it took me a few seconds to see. It was a truly beautiful piece.
The Pin Project is an initiative ISHKAR launched on Kickstarter last year. We raised over £63,000 to provide jewellery training and work for displaced people living in Burkina Faso, Turkey, Jordan and Afghanistan.
Give a child a packet of crayons and tell them to draw a fantasy island, and they might well conjure up the Yemeni island of Soqotra.
As humans, we crave order. For many, productive work provides this structure. The world around us might be chaotic. But with work we can, at least at times, control what we do in a way we are rarely able in other parts of life.
At the beginning of this year, Flore and I found ourselves at the world trade fair for homewares, Maison et Objet in Paris. After a morning of walking through the colossal trade halls we were quite frankly bored of looking at objects. We were just about to escape and get a coffee when we came across Sebastian Cox’s stand.
Once a hipster trend, the desire for handmade goods has become thoroughly mainstream. It can be seen from the meteoric rise of Etsy, right through to proliferation of the word ‘artisan’ on products ranging from shoes to bread. Handmade products tend to be more expensive, and by no means assure better ‘quality’, so what’s all the fuss about?
As wedding season approaches, we have been getting an increasing number of exasperated customers asking when our most popular glasses will be back in stock again. Well, here's the honest answer – we have NO idea.
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Fig 1. Traces of Aleppo [source unknown]
Zaina Sabbagh bought her first wooden printing block when she was 14. Sh...
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