Dubai: Take your shopping to a new level of originality this Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) by purchasing handmade items created on the spot for you.
Global Village in Dubai hosts a number of skilled craftsmen who make their products, usually cultural souvenirs, in front of customers.
Every year artisans from around the world visit DSF to demonstrate their skills and offer shoppers authentic wares from different countries.
Thanks to DSF, you don’t have to travel the world to collect souvenirs — you can have them custom-made right here in front of your eyes.
Gulf News recently visited Global Village, which has 32 country pavilions, to seek out some of the skilled purveyors and their products.
Palm power
Nestled in his small stall at the UAE pavilion, Mohammad Hakim can make just about anything from date palm leaves and fibre — food mats, ropes, incense stands, and more.
The 36-year-old Pakistani has perfected the Emirati tradition of weaving, knitting and working with the leaves to create useful items for home use. He said the tradition is still alive, with many Emiratis preferring the handmade items over modern versions of the same.
“It’s a way of staying in touch with culture. You can use the items for practical reasons and for decoration as well,” Hakim, who has been participating at Global Village for four years, added.
He said palm leaves have a pleasant smell and are natural insect repellents, making them ideal as food covers (Dh80-Dh100) and food mats (Dh40-Dh800). Hakim also offers incense stands for Dh70-Dh100, hand fans for Dh10 and coffee cups for Dh5.
Italian job
Italian sewing expert Silvia Cannas, 28, is kept busy by customers wanting to have their name stitched onto shirts, towels, bibs, and soft bedroom slippers.
Cannas — who can read, write and even sew in Arabic, Russian and Greek — said most orders are for names, but sometimes even for simple drawings, of a heart or football, for example.
It only takes her one or two minutes to embroider the name onto the products purchased at her stall. The sewing service itself is free.
On offer are towels (Dh125), baby bibs (Dh40), T-shirts, bedroom slippers and others.
“It takes two or three months to learn the basics, and another four months or so to improve your ‘handwriting’. There is a big demand from customers; everyone wants to see their own name as it personalises the product,” Cannas, who is visiting Dubai for the first time, said.
Her stall is at the Russia pavilion.
Strings attached
Indian puppeteer Bittu Bhaat, 22, makes puppets with some help from his workmates. While one person crafts the wood piece for the head, and another gives it a paint job, Bhaat dresses up the puppets and joins the strings.
Bhaat comes from India’s Rajasthan state. Legend has it that the erstwhile ruler of Rajasthan wanted to celebrate his homecoming following a war victory in a novel way.
“That’s how the art of puppeteering was born in Rajasthan. The people made a puppet show for the king for the first time to narrate his success story,” Bhaat said.
His Rajasthan-style puppets, available at the Indian pavilion, sell for Dh15-Dh30.
Bhaat even gives customers a crash course in handling the puppets, teaching them simple steps to control basic head and arm movements.
Clay play
Shiv Rattan, 31, offers a ‘Make & Take’ deal for Dh20 where customers get to make their own clay pottery under his guidance and supervision.
Seated at the India pavilion, Rattan said the experience is a stress-buster and makes people appreciate the art more.
Customers can also choose from a line of products already made by him — miniature vases, pen holders, souvenirs, etc. Prices range from Dh10 to Dh80. “There’s something special about working with clay. It soothes the soul. It’s a tradition that is passed on from generation to generation. A lot of people are picking it up as an amateur hobby now,” Rattan said.
