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The sixth edition of the Tanween Design Programme will culminate in a showcase within Downtown Editions, the new fair section of Downtown Design in November.

Presenting work of Alya Sultan Al Eghfeli, Hala Al Ani, Myrtille Labrune-Ronteix and Renad Hussein, at last year’s inaugural Downtown Editions, the fair’s platform for limited-edition and bespoke design, Tanween’s 2017-18 programme offered a thought-provoking glimpse into their future as designers, and indeed that of the UAE’s design scene.

"There is nowhere more fitting than Downtown Editions to launch the latest pieces of the Tanween Collection by Tashkeel,” says Lisa Ball-Lechgar, Deputy Director of Tashkeel. “Inspired by, designed and made in the UAE, the presence of the Tanween Collection at Downtown Editions each year marks the culmination of the Tanween professional development programme, giving emerging product designers the chance to debut their work in front of a truly international audience.”

Be it furniture that explored the process of salt creation that occurs naturally in the UAE landscape, a lamp derived from the everyday ritual of serving Arabic coffee or a table inspired by the importance of community, last year’s participants applied contemporary design to cultural storytelling, presenting an evocative showcase of regional design to international press and the region’s buyers that included designers specialising in hospitality projects, architects working on high-end residential projects and design-savvy consumers.

According to The Telegraph: ‘Downtown Design, and its new showcase dedicated to limited-edition design, Downtown Editions, is the place to spot both new and established Middle Eastern talent alongside the best of international design. Visitors are also able to commission bespoke pieces.’

At Downtown Editions 2019, Tanween will reveal the final works of the class of 2018-19: UAE-based designers, architect Abdulla Al Mulla, interior designer Lana El Samman and graphic designer Yara Habib, as they evolve their creative vocabulary, marrying it with the knowledge and skills they gain throughout the 2019 Tanween Design programme.

Established in 2013, Tanween is a professional development programme for UAE-based emerging designers, makers and artisans, providing access to a wide range of resources unique to the UAE, from locally based manufacturers, fabricators and artisans from Tashkeel’s Make Works UAE public platform.

Previous members of the Tanween design programme include designers such as Hamza Omari, Zeinab Alhashemi, Rand Abdul Jabbar and Aljoud Lootah who have since established critically acclaimed practices.