tanween partners with dubai design week & isola design group
For the first time in its eight editions, Tanween (Ithra) introduced creative partners as part of its program, marking a significant step in the platform’s evolution. In this edition, Isola Design Group and Dubai Design Week joined as creative partners, expanding the event’s reach across the Gulf region and beyond. Through exhibitions, dialogue, and shared expertise, both platforms amplified Tanween’s international outlook while reinforcing its community-driven foundation. In conversation with designboom, Isola Design Group’s Creative Director Elif Resitoglu and Dubai Design Week Director Natasha Carella reflect on how this collaboration signals a maturing regional design ecosystem built on cooperation rather than isolation.
Ithra partners with Isola Design Group and Dubai Design Week for Tanween’s 8th edition | all images courtesy of Ithra
the collaborations nurture the country’s creative landscape
For both partners, collaborating with Tanween means tapping into one of Saudi Arabia’s most influential cultural institutions, one that nurtures the country’s rapidly expanding creative landscape and serves as a gateway for regional dialogue. Elif Resitoglu describes the partnership as a meaningful continuation of work that began three years ago and has grown into a deeper cultural exchange, while Natasha Carella views it as recognition of a shared mission across Gulf design platforms: expanding representation and elevating nuanced design voices from the region.
‘Collaborating with Tanween means a lot for us. We first worked with Ithra three years ago in Milan with a small participation, and seeing it grow into something larger is very meaningful. Ithra is opening the door for a real exchange between international designers and the Gulf community, and this collaboration becomes a bridge where both sides learn from each other,’ says Elif Resitoglu, Isola Design Group’s Creative Director.
‘It’s a cornerstone cultural institution in Saudi Arabia, and being invited as Dubai Design Week as a creative partner is such meaningful recognition. We operate at the intersection of design, community, and public engagement, and this collaboration reflects a maturing Gulf ecosystem,’ mentions Dubai Design Week Director Natasha Carella.
expanding representation and elevating nuanced design voices from the region
two partnerships that explore underrepresented stories
Aligned with Tanween’s theme, Design the Unspoken, both partners explore hidden needs and underrepresented stories through their participation. Isola’s exhibition Shared Oasis highlights coexistence between humans, nature, and culture through works that reflect global concerns while rooting solutions in local contexts. Meanwhile, Dubai Design Week’s involvement centers on amplifying underrepresented design languages across the Arab world, ensuring that diverse voices are not flattened or generalized.
‘This year’s theme is interesting because it speaks about design that hasn’t been articulated yet. With Shared Oasis, we wanted to show our relationship with people and nature — pieces that relate to animals, surroundings, and everyday life. Design does not need to be showy; it should also improve quality of life and reflect how different cultures experience the world,‘ says Elif.
‘I love that the theme speaks about the unspoken because it aligns with our mission. Across the Arab world, design is often flattened into one narrative. These programs let the voices here speak for themselves. It’s essential for a platform like Tanween to exist, because it creates a key moment where makers, designers, and institutions come together to show what’s truly happening in the design scene,’ adds Natasha.
both partners explore hidden needs and underrepresented stories through their participation
Both collaborators emphasize that placing international and regional designers side-by-side at Ithra creates new learning conditions. For Isola, the exhibition allows global designers to discover Saudi culture firsthand, while giving Gulf designers access to diverse design perspectives they don’t often encounter locally. Dubai Design Week sees this exchange as crucial for representing the many nationalities shaping today creative identity.
‘Bringing designers from all over the world to the Gulf region gives local designers a chance to see what’s happening globally and adapt it to their own context. At the same time, international designers discover a culture they don’t yet know. They come here and find new perspectives, new behaviors, and new ways to approach design problems unique to this region,’ continues Elif.
‘Representing underrepresented voices is central to our work — not only local voices, but also the many nationalities that shape the fabric of Saudi Arabia and the UAE,’ mentions Natasha. ‘Tanween creates a moment where these communities come together to exchange, debate, and learn. I really respect the platform and the team because you can see the thought and passion behind everything they do.’
these partnerships allow global designers to discover Saudi culture firsthand
Isola’s curatorial approach emphasizes shared learning and cultural insight, offering a multilayered exhibition supported by a booklet encouraging visitors to exchange thoughts and spark future collaboration. Dubai Design Week contributes conversations and programming that highlight the collective strength of regional platforms working side-by-side. Both partners see the collaboration as the beginning of broader regional links, from shared exhibitions to traveling installations, knowledge exchange, joint residencies, and co-developed design programs. Their vision aligns with Ithra’s long-term strategy to develop Tanween’s platform into a regional anchor that fosters creativity, innovation, and cross-cultural understanding.
With Tanween evolving into Ithra Design Week in 2026, creative partnerships will become a central pillar of the platform’s growth, enabling shared exhibitions, knowledge exchange, capacity building, and cross-border programming. This evolution preserves Tanween’s core while expanding its scale and reach across the region and internationally.
‘These collaborations bring so much to the Gulf region while also bringing the Gulf outward. As Isola, we aim to introduce communities to one another and create collaborations between emerging, young, and established designers. Doing this at Tanween is exciting, and I believe it will grow into something even larger,’ expresses Elif.
‘This partnership is just the beginning. There is so much we can do together — from capacity building to joint exhibitions and shared knowledge. We want to ensure the region is represented internationally through strong, meaningful work. Tanween creates the platform for that, and I’m excited for what comes next,’ concludes Natasha.
both collaborators expressed that such partnerships signal a maturing design ecosystem where institutions increasingly work together rather than in isolation
aligned with Tanween’s theme, Design the Unspoken, both partners explore hidden needs and underrepresented stories
event info:
dates: 17-22 November, 2025
location: 8386 Ring Rd, Gharb Al Dhahran, Dhahran 34461
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