Qatari Designers Make Waves at Milan Design Week

Two sisters, one vision: to reimagine design through storytelling, emotion, and culture. Galiyah and Lolwa Al Mohannadi of G&L Studio took their distinctive design language from Doha to Milan, presenting their Saraab Collection at the ISOLA Design Festival during Milan Design Week (MDW) 2025. Their participation marked not only a personal milestone for the sisters but also a proud moment for Qatar’s growing design scene.

ISOLA, known for championing humanity-driven and experimental design, became the perfect platform for G&L Studio’s creative ethos — a dialogue between form, emotion, and cultural memory.

Galiyah and Lolwa may be sisters, but their paths to design were shaped by different fascinations.

“My interest in interior design started with a fascination in how design can enhance users’ lifestyle and shape their emotions,” says Galiyah, a VCUarts Qatar graduate, who was previously part of the ZWARA programme which was showcased at M7 —a Qatar-based platform promoting local design. ZWARA is an initiative by M7 that invited creatives to delve into exhibitions, archives, and collections before responding to a design brief.

Lolwa, with a background in graphic design and illustration, adds, “Design to me was a way to express thoughts, tell a story, and solve problems. I’ve always been drawn to how product design can influence mood and experience.”

This intersection of emotional storytelling and graphic clarity has become the signature of G&L Studio’s work.

The Power of Sisterhood

As siblings, their creative process is naturally collaborative yet distinct.

“We challenge each other constantly,” they say. “While our styles may differ, they always complement. We share different perspectives, which pushes the design further.”

This synergy was especially critical when preparing for MDW, where months of preparation culminated in a showcase viewed by thousands.

The Mirage of ‘Saraab’

Their featured work at ISOLA, titled the “Saraab Collection”, is a poetic continuation of their debut piece first exhibited with ZWARA.

“‘Saraab’ means mirage in Arabic, and that idea of illusion and transformation guided the collection,” explains Galiyah. From bookshelves and coffee tables to mirrors, rugs, and an armchair, each piece invites viewers on a journey of exploration—visually shifting depending on light, viewpoint, and interaction.

At the heart of the collection is storytelling through material and light. The duo used gradient-colored glass to cast ethereal shadows, inspired by the patterns of local architecture and the color transitions of sunrises and sunsets in the Qatari desert.

Rooted in Identity, Reimagined for the World

Representing Qatar on a global design stage like Milan was both thrilling and deeply meaningful for the sisters.

“Our design focuses on experiential and intangible qualities of our culture; which is in this collection is expressed through use of coloured glass and light inspired by local culture that cast shadows on the space around it,” explains Galiyah,

The design of their collection focuses on re-interpretation of local elements in a subtle way focusing on experiential qualities of gradient coloured glass interacting with light “For the rugs we reinterpret the same through interplay and layering of gradient colours.

The inspiration is from both the shadows of pattern in local architecture and the interplay of colors at sunset and sunrise,” says Lolwa, “Our aim is to reinterpret elements of our culture in subtle, contemporary ways,” she says. “We hope that by sharing the experiential and intangible aspects of Qatari identity, we can invite international audiences to engage with it more deeply.”

A Test of Resilience

Despite their excitement, their MDW journey wasn’t without hurdles. Just a day before their flight, they received news that five of their seven products were damaged in transit.

“At first, we thought the entire year’s effort was lost,” recalls Lolwa. “But we made the decision to go anyway. We salvaged what we could, fixed what was possible, and embraced imperfection.”

“We received an email stating that five products were broken out of the seven during shipment one day before heading to Milan. At the beginning it seemed like it is the end of our year-long effort but we decided to go ahead with our trip to Milan and decide there on what is the best way to go ahead or at worst case scenario enjoy the design vibes at Milan and turn it into learning experience,” shares Galiyah.

“Fortunately, we managed to salvage two products out of the broken five and the rug and wall mirrors were in good status. We lost three tables; yet we kept going and we rearranged the collection around the remaining four. We also added a friendly note on the broken items that we fixed “Please don’t touch me; l got injured during shipment” which attracted a lot of attention too.”