Ahsan Amin,Exposed at an early age to a plethora of handicrafts made and assembled across all of the provinces of Pakistan by his family’s business, Ahsan understood that design, unfortunately, was led by the international market. However the issue also lay on the supply side, where artisans with skills developed over centuries were either unable to cope with increasing demand, or expectations.
Carpets are produced across the globe. But the techniques, design and rich heritage of designs made on both sides of the Durand Line are unique to this geography. Herein lay the opportunity.
After completing his undergraduate studies in Canada, most of which was spent in testing the foreign market for Pakistani handicrafts and developing of contacts, Ahsan returned to his homeland of Karachi with a mission. He was going to take his father’s business model of exporting to foreign clients, and completely revamp the production process by collaborating across the seven seas.
Today, EWC Interiors stands as a pioneer of numerous designs in both furniture, carpets and décor. Recently, some of EWC’s designs have made their way into mass retail as well, in collaboration with Ralph Lauren Homes and ABC Homes amongst others. This list continues to grow as Ahsan works with each native resident to develop a unique design that blends international trends with local expertise.
making inroads in terms of manufacturing and design, EWC has also managed to improve the lives of hundreds of skilled artisans, not only monetarily, but by breathing new life into age old techniques. When asked how his work has impacted these overlooked craftsmen, he replied “We’ve actually covered every province of the country in an effort to find and revive dying arts. For example, with the recent shift towards pop art/truck art, we realized there was a bigger market for Swati hand-painted furniture pieces, as long as their designs were updated to meet modern demand. Today, one of our most popular furniture collections, Swati hand-painted furniture is in great demand due to the starkly superior and finer work possible using natural stains and paints. The end result means no two pieces are alike, and each has its own story to tell”. He proudly adds that over dyed rugs (or reloaded, as they are referred to internationally), are in great demand in the West today, yet the over-dying process has been a part of the cultural heritage of both Iran and Pakistan for centuries.
He regularly exhibits his pieces in Pakistan to promote the fine work that is being produced in our own backyard and explain the techniques and processes that go in to it. “It pains me to know that there are nomads in Balochistan that collect their own wool from the sheep they rear, painstakingly dye the same with natural colors from barks and leaves, and produce a single carpet over three months of migration and no one highlights this”, he adds, showing one of his carpets that he says takes around 3-6 months to make and is sold almost exclusively abroad.
Recently Ahsan has collaborated with another famous personality- Tariq Luni, an internationally, recognized award winning sculptor, to display their works under the exhibition “Woven Stories” which is on display at the recently inaugurated Slingshot Studios between 3rd-5th February. Together, they are planning to show some of their most exclusive art pieces. When asked what we can expect to see at the show,
Ahsan has only one response – “Let’s just say that none of the pieces on display have ever been showcased by us before. One of the rugs on display took nearly two years for the artisans to complete”.
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