GUEST EDIT | Mathilda Della Torre
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.
