For the 9th edition of the Middle East Emergent Designer Prize, High Jewelry Maison Van Cleef & Arpels, in partnership with Tashkeel, announces the winner: Moufida Mohideen.

Cultivating talent across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar and Kuwait, the Van Cleef & Arpels Middle East Emergent Designer Prize aims to encourage and support designers to elevate their ideas to reality. This year’s theme, Renewal, aims to reinforce the importance of sustainable approaches to creation, highlighting the use of materials that are sourced locally and in an ethical manner.

The judging panel consisted of representatives of Van Cleef & Arpels and Tashkeel as well as leading light of the Saudi Arabia contemporary design sector, the interior architect and design mentor Nawaf Nahar Al Nassar. Together, they chose ‘Ascension’ by Moufida Mohideen as the winner. Inspired by the Desert Rose crystal formations that appear during Springtime, the sculptural book stand seeks to symbolise everlasting growth. Designed with two locally sourced materials – the humble Damas wood and the magnificent Mother of Pearl, ‘Ascension’ narrates an earthly, homegrown tale of the Arabian desert.

Lisa Ball-Lechgar, Deputy Director of Tashkeel, said: “Now in its ninth edition, this extraordinary initiative has developed a formidable reputation for identifying rising talents destined to play a prominent role in the region’s dynamic design scene. After a great deal of deliberation and discussion, the jury – which included leading design expert Nawaf Nahar Al Nassar – selected Moufida Mohideen for a bold design with a strong narrative. ‘Ascension’ is an impassioned call to protect and preserve the rich environment of the Arabian Gulf and to respect all that nature provides.”

About Moufida Mohideen, 2022 Winner, Van Cleef & Arpels Middle East Emergent Designer Prize

Moufida Mohideen, a 20-year-old emerging designer, is pursuing her Bachelor’s in Interior Architecture and Design at the University of Sharjah. Her interests lean towards Biophilic Design and Biomimicry.

A passionate environment advocate, Moufida Mohideen believes it is the duty of all designers to explore the potential of natural materials around them.

Having grown up in the UAE surrounded by creativity, in her prize submission the University of Sharjah undergraduate chose to marry two contrasting raw materials within a design that challenges the conventional notion of a book stand.

“It has been a very rewarding, roller- coaster ride,” says Moufida Mohideen. “This journey has allowed me to learn. I am still at university so it has given me a taste of what’s to come in my career.”

Moving forward, Moufida shall continue to imbibe sustainable values in her design practice and plans to further explore the fields of material research and product design. As an up-and-coming Interior Architect and Designer, she dreams of creating spaces that inspire creativity human well- being and sustainability.

About the Van Cleef & Arpels Emergent Designer Prize

Established in 2013, Van Cleef & Arpels Middle East Emergent Designer Prize is presented in partnership with Tashkeel. It seeks to nurture emerging talent across the GCC and create global awareness by highlighting the region’s best designs.

Each year, emerging designers who are resident in the GCC countries are invited to submit proposals for functional products that embody a particular theme, which can be interpreted through materials, forms, functions, and techniques.

The designer behind the winning product will receive a seven-day trip to Paris to attend courses led by the acclaimed Mains d’Or, master craftsmen in high jewelry creation, at the exclusive L’ECOLE Van Cleef & Arpels, an institute dedicated to accentuating the methods behind the world of jewelry creation and watchmaking.