At Buro247 Middle East, we are committed to showcasing and celebrating the extraordinary talent in the Arab world. With our column, #BuroSpotlights, we bring you stories of pioneering artists, innovative designers, tech trailblazers, cinematic visionaries, sports stars, and more.
This week, #BuroSpotlights Bahraini designers Dalal and Fatema Alkhaja. The creative geniuses behind Touchless, the visionary sisters, are harnessing the power of 3D printing to design unique, environment-friendly handbags.
What sets Touchless apart is its dedication to sustainability in design and manufacturing. The brand utilizes 3D printing, a process that uses only one material from the beginning until the end, leaving no waste. To amplify its sustainability efforts, Touchless employs a durable, recyclable, and biodegradable plastic known as flexible TPU.
The roots of Touchless lie in the Alkhaja family’s passion for design. Introduced to 3D printing in 2012 by their father, the sisters incorporated it into their university projects and design experiments. The life-changing idea to merge 3D technology with day-to-day requirements surfaced during the COVID-19 lockdown, leading to the creation of face shields, masks, and other protective items, eventually leading to the birth of Touchless.
The debut design, the ‘Prism’ handbag, remains a bestseller, showcasing the brand’s commitment to elegance and functionality. As the sisters’ designs evolved, they ventured into experimenting with new machines, resulting in unique surface treatments like marbled and pleated.
Touchless’s sculptural designs are not merely handbags but a work of art. In its short existence, Touchless has also made it into London’s iconic Selfridges, where it showcased an exclusive collection in the experimental concept store, Supermarket. The brand’s innovative spirit also caught the attention of New York City-based Flying Solo, leading to an invitation to showcase their creations at Paris Fashion Week 2022 alongside 65 other designers.
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