COLOURFUL & QUIRKY
Loboand products are currently available on their website loboand. com, although the brand is looking to work with retailers in the future
Notebooks, trays, handbags, coasters, pillowcases and teaboxes. The products themselves are as different as they get, but when they lie in front of you, you can’t help but notice how similar they look. There’s the use of bright colours, boxed inside thick dark lines. And then there’s the fact that they all seem to capture a scene — or the essence — of the UAE in vibrant shades. Caricatures of men and women are showcased in traditional Middle Eastern attire, while camels and even some of the UAE’S most famous attractions, such as the Burj Khalifa, are stamped across in bright hues. It couldn’t be more obvious that the products — all created by newly opened design brand Loboand — are inspired by the vibrant lifestyle of the UAE.
“J ust l ook at Dubai,” gushes Siddharthanni “Sidd” Lobo, founder, when asked about her inspiration. “It’s such a melting pot of culture. You can go anywhere and see elegant women in hijabs, drinking cups of tea under gorgeous modern buildings. There is a wonderful contrast everywhere.”
Coming from Sidd, this is high praise indeed. The marketing, advertising and branding professional was born in Malaysia, and has seen the world, travelling extensively and living in India, Malaysia, the Netherlands and Germany before deciding to settle down in the UAE with her husband six years ago. But her years of travel only convinced her that starting Loboand was the right thing to do — and the UAE, the right place to do it in.
“My travels have exposed me to different cultures and designs, and I’ve always been a bit of a design freak,” she confesses. “So every time my husband and I would travel, we would pick up design pieces from different countries. I always had the idea of doing something in design, and when I came to Dubai, I thought there’ no better place to explore the idea more thoroughly.”
It was the UAE’S budding design s cene t hat convinced her, with communities such as Dubai Design District. After spending about a year and a half toying with the idea and researching its potential, Sidd decided to take the leap of faith, and the official l aunch of Loboand took place on August 18.
“When I was looking into the market, I couldn’t help but feel that the traditional part of design is quite mature here. You have the best talent, and there is so much going on in the traditional art scene. Which is why we decided to take Arab designs and give them a contemporary spin. It was a bit of a niche idea and that’s how we got started.”
Along with wanting Loboand to showcase contemporary Arab culture, Sidd was keen on it being a made- inDubai brand. It was not easy, she admits, and it did take a while to establish the necessary connections and relationships; but today, she works with a team of designers who have a wide range of talents from graphic design to calligraphy. Sidd likes to relay her own inspiration to the team, although the designers are given their space to explore other ideas. Once designs are created and approved by Sidd, it’s all a matter of understanding which design adapts to which product. Samples are made, and the products are finally ready to be produced — all in the UAE.
“Also, wherever possible, we try to be sustainable,” says Sidd, and this is another winning feature about the brand. Jute, canvas and brown paper packaging are widely used and all the wooden products are completely handmade.
“It’s a bit like going back to the basics f or us, ” e xplai ns Si dd. “Being sustainable and environmentallyconscious is slowly making its way into the UAE. For example, when I came to the region five years ago, it would have been almost impossible to find genuine organic products, but today everything has changed! In the same way, there are more and more brands jumping onto the sustainable bandwagon.”
“Moreover, for me, this is a personal decision. If I can create something, without harming the planet, why have it any other way? You’d be paying a much bigger price eventually. I believe that we are what we eat, what we do, and what we sell. If these products weren’tsomethingibelievein, I wouldn’t want my name on them.”
Theproductsarepricedcompetitively, which a notebook costing Dh35 and coasters costing Dh10 a piece, and are available through their website although Loboand is in the process of tying up with retailers. The products are currently grouped under home and décor, dining, gifting, accessories and customisation, and make for wonderful keepsakes or souvenirs. And while it has been receiving a lot of positive attention from locals and expats alike, Sidd says that their audience is primarily tourists who want to take a piece of the Middle East back home with them.
“I hope this is also changing the world’s perception of the Middle East as a whole,” says Sidd thoughtfully. “It’s coming at a time when there is so much negative publicity, and war. I can’t do anything about the war, but I can spread a little happiness! Loboand is all about happiness, fun, vibrancy and putting a positive spin on the Middle East as a whole. I want to change perceptions through colour and good vibes.”
We agree happiness and positivity by design is a good thing!
janice@ khaleejtimes. com