Afghanistan's Glassblowing Legacy
Every piece in our glassware collection is made by the last remaining glassblowers in Afghanistan - Ghulam Sekhi and his small team of master craftsmen in Herat, Afghanistan.
For more than two thousand years, Herat's distinctive coloured glass has been traded along the length of the Silk Road. However, consecutive conflicts, as well as the recent Taliban takeover, have resulted in increased isolation from global trade markets, putting the craft under threat.
We have been working with these artisans since 2016 to help ensure this tradition continues to survive and evolve for future generations.
In February of this year, we were delighted to acquire funding to increase capacity for our glassblowers. With this support, they will be able to increase production, improve their workshop facilities, and in turn prevent this ancient art from dying out in Afghanistan.
We are so pleased to see the difference this grant has already made in just a few months' time.
Educating the next generation of glassblowers
In April, two apprentices were recruited to join the workshop and have begun their six-month glassblowing training.
Our recent large glassware order has allowed them lots of practice, learning to blow tumblers, carafes, as well as more difficult pieces like vases, dessert coupes, and candlesticks.
Bringing in new apprentices will help to pass these skills outside of the family and onto the next generation, so that this ancient craft, unlike other glassblowing techniques, doesn't die out.
Building a new glass workshop
A new workshop has been secured in Herat, and the glassblowers have just moved in.
Once the kilns have been built, they'll continue their work in a larger space, complete with a range of new tools and equipment. This will allow for safer handling of the glass, as well as more room for production and storage.
Designs in development
We believe that by supporting generations-old traditions, we can also push inherited knowledge forward and create something new.
That's why as well as continuing to produce our signature glassware, we also have an exciting new product line in development with the artisans in Herat - our very first lighting collection, featuring an array of hand-blown glass lampshades.
More will be illuminated in the autumn...
