One of the UAE’s most prominent young Emirati designers and founder of Designed by Hind, Sheikha Hind Bint Majed Al Qasimi, is unveiling her newest collection, NABATA, at Downtown Design, a key event of Dubai Design Week, from 13-16 November.

NABATA, Arabic for growth, is a collection of perfume bottles inspired by the majestic Emirati desert, created under the creative direction of Samer Yamani, and made with Europe’s best craftsmanship. Featuring three different hand-blown Italian Murano glass bottles by Vetro Artistico Murano, and adorned with handmade flowers created using limoges porcelain, this limited-edition collection has only 30 pieces – each as unique as the desert flower it represents.

“The expansive UAE desert adorned with golden dunes, mesmerising sceneries, resilient flora and fauna, and endless hidden beauty, sparked the idea for ‘NABATA’. This luxurious, limited-edition collection draws from three delicate desert flowers, the bright yellow blooms on the Al Ghaf tree, Al Ashkar’s waxy five-pronged purple petals, and the solitary green flower of Shersir.” said Sheikha Hind Al Qasimi.

“It is a great honour to be working with expert Murano glass masters who were able to capture the essence of the brand and the collection. As far as the element of luxury and exclusivity is concerned, NABATA is a limited-edition collection of 30 exquisite bottles.”

She added: “It is very exciting to be returning to Downtown Design at Dubai Design Week at D3 this year, and have the opportunity to once again launch my newest work in the Middle East’s largest creative festival along with some of the leading artists in the region and around the world. I welcome lovers of art, connoisseurs of luxury and other aesthetic pleasures to visit our Stand (E47) and get to learn more about the unique craftsmanship and creative direction, which have led to the creation of NABATA.”

The glass elements of NABATA are a crossbreed of advanced technologies and traditional craftmanship techniques of the Murano glass masters.

Each bottle has been blown, and shaped by hand, correcting any imperfections and creating the colour shades. Once the glass is cold, it is grinded and polished to remove any excess material. Then, the craftsperson makes two holes in it to allow the addition of a smaller glass bottle inside the blown one. After, each piece is sanded to mattify its surface. Finally, the Murano trademark is stamped on the bottle – a proof-of-origin provided by the Veneto Region that certifies the object has been made on the Murano island, and according to its glass-making tradition.

The Murano glass then travels to Barcelona, where handmade limoges porcelain flowers are added manually.

Last year, Sheikha Hind showcased her ‘Dots’ collection, influenced by Arabic script, at the Dubai Design Week. The Dots collection is inspired by the Deewani script, one of the most beautiful in Arabic calligraphy and one of the most difficult to master.