Jazeel Brings Folk-Inspired Stories to Your Diner Table

Some people pass down their precious tableware down generations, while some tableware carry their own history and culture within them. Jazeel is a tableware brand that uses the everyday objects to tell tales of Egyptian culture through colourful art, making for quite the conversation starter.

“I never did anything related to art, I was just shopping for tableware and couldn’t find anything that reflected my identity,” Founder Radwa Hamada tells #SceneHome of the moment that led to founding Jazeel in 2019. Following a career in business, Hamada thought of creating designs that she could relate to, so she researched the market and, in time, established her own workshop where she creates tableware out of pottery and porcelain. “Porcelain is more practical while pottery has an authentic texture and soul,” she adds.

Hamada started creating products that suited newlyweds until she found herself drawn towards folklore. “I used to enjoy spending time in Khan El Khalili when I was young. It’s full of craft and art, and I wanted to reflect that in our products.” Rather than adapting preexisting art, Hamada wanted to create her own authentic designs by reading stories and then illustrating onto plates.

“The motifs and drawings represent master scenes from each story,” Hamada says. Jazeel’s first collection told the story of Safira Aziza, a renowned tale that follows the daughter of a Sultan. The story is inspired by Aziza Shukri, the first Egyptian representative to the United Nations, and was adapted into a movie starring Souad Hosny and later a song by Mohammed Mounir. The Safira Aziza collection depicts houses, necklaces and boats from the tale. “I wanted the values in these stories to live on.”

The Nubia collection was challenging because Hamada had to present the culture’s distinct visuals in a new light, similar to the Tut collection which was approached in a modern, minimal manner. As for Galaxy, well, it offered calmness and room for pure imagination. Jazeel has upcoming plans to extend their scope to feature folklore from around the world, with plans to get in on glassware, pottery, fabrics and home accessories with equally rich stories.