From fashion designing to promoting Omani handicrafts, Arwa Moosa has come a long way in the creative sector, paving avenues for talented locals to fill the void in the largely untapped souvenir market. Her registered company ‘Arwa’ has taken on the initiative of creating and marketing affordable heritage elements souvenirs of Oman, catering to tourists and visitors who are awed by its rich customs and traditions and want to carry home a souvenir of their visit.
Founded by a group of creative young designers and event management specialists and photographers, Arwa is a fully-operational company with a showroom in Al-Ghubra. “Our primary objective is to promote Omani talents, especially in the trade of outfits and fine arts,” maintains Arwa, who has enlisted women from different parts of the city to create traditional articles that are marketed mainly in the hotels. This has not only helped augment family incomes of the women involved, but has also developed a market for traditional local art and handicrafts as souvenirs of Oman.
Presenting a backdrop to her ongoing initiative, she says, “The story began when the Crowne Plaza Hotel at Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre asked if we could do handmade authentic Omani souvenirs for an important event they were organising. It was for a gathering of Middle East marketing and communication managers of the Intercontinental Hotel Group. The organisers could not find anything in the market to give them as souvenirs, as they were looking for handmade items that were authentic to Oman. They approached me to check if I could muster something up and I took on the challenge and shared the idea with a few women who were involved in home-based handicrafts and tailoring. It was an exciting phase, as we worked with different sample ideas, moving back and forth, presenting the same to the management of the Hotel. We shortly managed to produce a good collection of handmade gifts, ranging from dates to bakhoor and luban.” The list of items has since grown to include candles, silver ware, coffee, even flip-flops, among a host of other craft items that are packed aesthetically to enhance the appeal of the gifts.
Positive feedback from the organisers and the guests, following the initial event, worked as a boost for Arwa and her team to spread their base and expand their repertoire of products. The proof of their successful initiation into the world of souvenirs was the permanent space devoted by the hotel in a corner of the lobby to showcase their products. “This was a big boost for all of us. It made us realise the immense potentials for marketing souvenirs. Soon we started presenting ideas to other hotels in the capital and outside, and the response has been great,” points out Arwa, whose fashion designing work continues unhindered alongside.
Her biggest challenge, however, has been managing the two different portfolios without letting one affect the other. As she puts it, “Working in fashion line as well as in the handicrafts industry, and making them both work successfully and smoothly has been a challenge; but I have managed to strike a right balance.”
Explaining further about the handmade souvenirs, she says, “These products are a part of the ‘Origin Oman’ campaign, which is an important domestic campaign to promote Oman-made products; it has the full support of the government, business and community organisations. The campaign’s principle objective is to engender national pride and encourage consumers and companies to chose locally made products. By endorsing our initiative, you will be supporting a local SME, like my company, to promote this specific product that was made with the least carbon emissions. Our products are available for both men and women, and in different sizes.”
Arwa and her team make conscious efforts to incorporate elements from nature while creating products for specific clients. As in the case of Alila Jabal Akhdar, which is known locally and regionally for its rosewater and honey products; they created candles made of rosewater as well as fragrances with honey and other local products. This means that the guest staying at the hotel is able to take a piece of what he/she experienced during the stay.
While the focus is on developing products that can act as souvenirs of Oman, it is not limited to visitors alone. Many of the products are conceptualised as gift items and giveaways for large corporate events. With earthy tones adding that touch of aesthetics to the products that come with little notes attached to explain the significance of the item, Arwa has made a distinct impact in the market with souvenirs that recreate the magic of Oman.
