I have been fascinated with nuun concept space for a few years now – with a sense of discretion and dedication, mother and son duo Zainab and Shaheed are always up to something; and their practice has offered our design landscape with a sensibility that is rooted deeply in their dedication to their heritage. In their releases over the last years, nuun has evolved as an exploration of garment construction and textile research, and both of these profound sentiments that encourage a truly conscious approach to clothing; distilling the true essence, I believe, of what design is – as our inquiry into the human experience on the earth.
Beyond the constructs of minimalism, nuun instead feels as though it is space for essentiality; founded as a dialogue between family, and inspired by their Islamic heritage – with a contemporary yet timeless emphasis on sustainability. Amassing a following on TikTok, nuun is pioneering a homemade bioplastic for packaging that is available for purchase on their website; I encourage you to view these incredible videos here.
This spirit of community is inherent to nuun; the notion that there are no trade secrets or exclusivity where ecological and social preservation are concerned. I chatted to Shaheed and Zainab to learn more about their story and vision;
How did nuun concept space arise, as a mother-son duo but also as a creative expression + vision?
It had always been part of our lifestyle as a family to explore textiles and designs but nuun was started when my mother (Zainab) who would design abayas (the cloak worn by women who practice Islam) for herself which gained interest from close family and friend. Soon thereafter a collection was produced and sold in stores in Saudi Arabia.
At the time the other half of nuun (Shaheed) was working in architecture and would offer design advice. The conversation led to ideas explored and this is how the space organically formed to what it is today.
A lot of your work explores construction and methodology underpinned by fabrication, can you talk about your design process?
Ideas are developed through necessity, a need of our own. A thought of how life would be better if this idea were to exist. we do not force a narrative, the idea has to fulfil a function. After brainstorming solutions of what this product could ultimately be, we explore sustainable and/or locally sourced materials and textiles that would best suit the idea. our intention is to create so that life is better after the idea manifests.
Your work, since I’ve known it, has been a solutions-based response to the lack of environmental + social integrity in the fashion industry. What are the values you both hold as designers and creators in this regard?
The objective at nuun is to offer solutions that are sensitive to the environment without compromising design aesthetics.
I love the perfect marriage between form and function that I’ve come to associate with nuun concept space. What concepts do you find yourself referencing and exploring as you develop the label’s design language?
The work we do is a celebration of our heritage and culture. The age-old silhouettes of Islamic attire and the techniques used to construct garments are a constant reference point for us. We build on these concepts to pay homage to our people while developing our own unique perspective thereof.
How did biodegradable packaging first occur?
We had just developed a t-shirt made from recycled plastic bottles (collected on the beaches of cape town) blended with organic cotton and wanted to present it as the classic t-shirt in transparent sleeve but after months of searching we found it near impossible to find this product anywhere. The material existed but wasn’t used in this context and when we found something similar it was not made available to africa. We became determined to produce this product ourselves and decided to partner with a company who produces the base material. The material was reworked to suit our specific design needs and this is how we became the first in Africa to produce water-soluble packaging.
Since this product was the first of its kind in Africa, we made the decision to forgo any explicit branding so that it allows others to use this in their own brand spaces, which would have an exponential positive impact on the climate versus if we kept this product to ourselves.
What do you want to see in this world, and how does nuun concept space reflect that?
The ultimate goal is to create a more conscious society in every aspect. Sustainability, to many, remains a difficult subject to face as there’s so much information out there that makes people feel overwhelmed. Our intention is to create simple solutions that feel approachable so that people gravitate toward our work without the guilt. We have stated before that sustainability is a process and not a race and our intention is to share what we know with those who are interested in incorporating sustainable practices into their own design spaces.
What are you working on at the moment, and what lies ahead for the rest of 2022?
We are currently working on multiple projects all of which will be released when the time comes. one project we have slowly been sharing on our socials is our homemade eco-plastic experiments that are produced using natural ingredients. The process is exciting as the outcome is unpredictable. We plan to use these eco-plastics in one of the upcoming projects so stay tuned on our socials for more.
Follow @nuun_concept_space on Instagram and @nuunconceptspace on TikTok to keep with their latest processes and offerings
