Where culture and tradition is merged with art and design, we are met with Amani Al-Thuwaini, one of Al Tujjar’s most talented emerging business leaders.
Amani Al-Thuwaini studied architecture at Kuwait University, and specialized in fine arts to obtain her master's degree from Goldsmiths University of London. From a young age, she expressed her creativity through creating artwork. She found her passion in drawing and was influenced by Soviet fairytales that were often full of intricate illustrations with themes of love and marriage. Amani is a daughter of a Ukrainian mother and a Kuwaiti father, and had spent her childhood in Ukraine before moving to Kuwait. The two cultures merged in the form of different works of art and design.
The “dazza" is an important part of Kuwaiti culture when it comes to marriage. It is a box of gifts that the groom-to-be gifts his fiancée before marriage as a sign of commitment and love. When Amani was engaged herself, she was surprised when she received it considering she did not know much about this tradition, but it only expanded her curiosity towards learning more about its historic significance. Therefore, she presented her MFA fine art grad show exhibition artworks that represent different moments in the history of dazza and its generational development. The beginning of its story began simply with coins, later evolving into a wooden box containing a plethora of fabrics and essential oils. Soon after, the dazza had reached its final form of today which expresses the value of its contents predominantly with international brands. Today, Amani believes that the dazza seems to have lost its value as a personalized precious piece for the bride and it is no longer a object that is passed down for generations. Therefore, she conducted numerous studies on this subject and its cause until she reached an understanding about the market of the dazza in Kuwait. She was then able to show the historical timeline of the dazza’s evolution through her art exhibition.
During her studies, Amani worked in many fields to gain experience and financial support. She worked once in a bakery, furniture stores as well as shoe and clothing stores. She also worked as an architect, interior designer and visual merchandizer. These experiences resulted in an appreciation for the value of things and whole lot of skill set. After completing her MFA fine art in London, one of her mentors inspired her to enter the dazza market because she obtained extensive experience in it, was able to identify the shortcomings, and had a passion for reviving this precious piece. Therefore, Amani left her job and pursued her passion, creating DazzaLab.
Amani believes that artists and designers are the ones who create change and transformation and shape the culture. Therefore, the goal is to create a dazza piece that is used not only during the event of displaying gifts and floral arrangements, but also as a furniture piece that is used by the bride in her home. In her career, she follows the philosophy of love as it is the basis of everything she works on. She also believes in the values of quality, craft, and originality, treating each employee as a contributor to the transformation that she aims to achieve. Amani Al-Thuwaini aspires to reach a larger number of clients who value and appreciate the story behind a bespoke piece of dazza that is locally designed and produced. She aims to collaborate with other artists both in Kuwait and abroad.
Amani Al-Thuwaini encourages today’s youth to work hard towards achieving their goals and encourages them to always ask questions. She urges them to appreciate the value of things and be aware of what to consume on a daily basis, either material or immaterial consumption