“I loved working in the office but I also knew that I wanted to do something different that would be my own,” Ali told Rudaw English.
Initially crafting new designs out of pieces of her own jewelry at home, Ali wanted to use traditional Kurdish objects to create modern accessories for women to wear day-to-day.
“I love Kurdish culture and what we have and I get so disappointed that people are touching our culture and don’t respect it,” she explained.
Ali started with the traditional “Sarpacham” as it is called in her hometown of Sulaimani, or “Changh” as it is known in Erbil – a very long necklace-type accessory that Kurdish women use to wrap around their headscarves and hats for decoration.
“I love that piece of jewelry. It is very Kurdish. I wanted to use that to make modern jewelry to wear with modern clothes,” she explained.
She also started designing women’s jewelry using Qazwan, the traditional prayer beads that only Kurdish men use.
“In the beginning it was hard to sell the Qazwan earrings, but when I started wearing them outside with my clothes, people noticed it and liked it,” Ali said. “Now the Qazwan earrings are the most ordered one.”
Ali’s designs marry together traditional Kurdish and modern styles. Photo: Dali Designs
Her jewelry designs quickly became popular with friends and family. Sensing they could have a wider appeal, Ali’s husband urged her to open social media accounts to showcase her products.
With support and encouragement, Ali officially launched her autumn/winter collection on Instagram in December 2017.
“The first month I had 15 orders,” she said. “From there I started making new pieces. Some pieces I made just in colors to match my logo, pink and red, and people would order, so I realized I had more to offer.”
Dali Designs now offers 35 different designs of earrings, bracelets and necklaces available to customers on Instagram and other social media platforms.
Bolstering the Kurdish identity of her brand, Ali packages her products attached to photographs. Two faces feature prominently in Dali Designs.
The first is that of Hapsa Khani Naqib, a woman who fought for Kurdish rights and women’s education in her hometown of Sulaimani between the 1920s and 1950s. She is also credited with opening the first school for women in Kurdistan.
“She encouraged women to work as teachers and have the same roles as men,” Ali explained. “I wanted the face of Dali Designs to not only have beauty, but also a character that inspires women like me after so many years.”
The second face is Ali’s grandmother, Gesya Banu, now in her 70s.
Ali loves looking at old photographs of her grandmother and other Kurdish women, admiring how they dressed and accessorized.
“My grandmother was helping us study in school, even though she didn’t finish school herself, and I find her to be one of the smartest ladies in my life,” Ali said.
Ali’s grandmother, Gesya Banu, now in her 70s, is a source of inspiration. Photo: A.C. Robinson / Rudaw
Ali also explained that there will soon be a third face behind the brand, Dashni Murad, a famous Kurdish musical artist and humanitarian.
“What I admire about her is that she is very encouraging to young ladies, for women to be entrepreneurs, to have their own businesses,” Ali said. “So that’s why I chose her as the third face for Dali Designs.”
Murad’s face will be behind the new collection, which will be launched at the end of May.
“It is still inspired by Kurdish culture but in a very modern way, especially for working women in the office, so they can have the Kurdish twist to accessorize,” Ali explained. The collection will feature more simple designs for daily wear.
Ali believes women should have their own job, but encourages them to also consider launching their own business.
“I always say there is someone else interested in what you are interested in,” Ali said. “I encourage women to be creative, to follow their dreams, to follow their passion and start working on it. Even if you don’t have support, you must believe in yourself.”
So what comes next?
“My plan is to have an online store first to have online selling,” she says.
Ali would someday like to open a workshop and recruit other women interested in design who may not have the means to open their own business.
Since Ali launched her business in December, she has sold approximately 200 pieces.
“I’d love to have a bigger market other than just Kurdistan or Iraq to sell this Kurdish culture to the outside world,” she added.
