Read ‘The Future Generations Issue’ – Note from the editor

Welcome to ‘The Future Generations’ Issue. This month we explore the efforts of a new generation of designers whose works – although appealing across the board – are specifically geared towards paving a new path for future creatives and ensuring a more positive and impactful industry.

In one of our interviews, Emirati designer Omar Al Gurg talks about the importance of designing with a positive attitude and making a change in the world, however big or small. “What attracted me the most was the idea and possibility of making a difference in the world through design,” he told me. “My motivation is always to create a positive difference in people’s lives, and my goal is an ongoing one of designing with a happy attitude.”

He also added that young creatives today should not shy away from carving their own paths and sharing their unique perspectives. “I hope that the younger generation is starting to look more inward when it comes to their inspirations. It’s great that we have a lot to learn from that [which] surrounds us, but it’s also important not to lose your identity when it comes to creating something new and introducing it to the world,” he said.

And while young designers are looking to the future, they are equally conscious about preserving and honouring the past. “We believe that life as a creative living in Italy inculcates values of preservation of cultural heritage and masterpieces created in the past. This environment teaches you to revere the past and makes you want to conserve it and foster it,” said Kaisha Davierwalla, co-founder of online collectible design gallery Vaspaar, who, along with her partner, is working with a younger generation of design collectors from their base in Milan.

In other parts of the magazine, we speak to UAE-born and -raised Amad Mian, who has co-founded an organisation called Dastaangoi in his native Pakistan, which he hopes will help shift the narrative around the country and garner cultural exchange while also placing Pakistan’s remarkable art scene on the global map.

“With artists’ residencies and [exhibitions], we aim to showcase a different side to Pakistan that most are, unfortunately, unaware of: a side that is more creative and more human. We also continue to tell stories around the global south and are slowly building a base for collectors of Pakistani art globally,” Mian explained.

In other news, we have now opened the entries for the identity Design Awards, where both regional and international practices and designers are able to submit their projects for the first time. I am also excited to announce the new Product Design category, which I am sure will see a plethora of outstanding works. You can visit our Awards portal on identity.ae to learn more.

Read the issue here.