81 Designs
81 Designs is a Lebanon- and Dubai-based social enterprise founded in 2017 that empowers refugee, displaced, and low-income women artisans in the MENA region by producing limited-edition art and design collaborations with international artists using traditional crafts such as Palestinian tatreez embroidery, ceramics, and textiles.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersEast Grand Forks, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What 81 Designs does
81 Designs is a Lebanon- and Dubai-based social enterprise founded in March 2017 by co-founders Nadine Y Maalouf and Nesrine El Tibi Maalouf that empowers refugee, displaced, and low-income women artisans through design and art collaborations. The enterprise operates a workshop in the Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp in Lebanon, where artisans produce handcrafted works using traditional techniques including Palestinian tatreez embroidery, pottery, carpentry, leatherwork, stonework, metalwork, painting, sculpture, and weaving. The commercial product is a series of limited-edition collaborative art collections, each pairing MENA-region artists such as eL Seed, Hassan Hajjaj, Nada Debs, Bokja, Naqsh Collective, Bouchra Boudoua, and Studio Lél with the artisan cohort, producing pieces that reinterpret contemporary art, textile, and design works through traditional craft.
The core product portfolio consists of named collections including the eL Seed Tatreez on Canvas series, the Standing Tall collaboration with Bokja, the Graffix from the Souk recreation with Hassan Hajjaj, the Palestinian Thobe Edition with Naqsh Collective, the On Belonging collection with Nada Debs (Crafted Pebble chairs and straw lamps), the Autumn Harvest ceramics series with Bouchra Boudoua, and the Studio Lél social-purpose collaboration. Distribution is concentrated through art fairs (Art Dubai, Abu Dhabi Art), gallery and museum placements (Brooklyn Museum, British Museum, Victoria & Albert Museum), and direct commission inquiries; no public pricing exists.
The revenue model is one-time sales of original artworks and limited-edition design objects, with revenue generated directly from collectors, galleries, and corporate partners. The enterprise is bootstrapped, founder-controlled, with no disclosed funding rounds, institutional investors, or financial scale data. Geographic reach spans the MENA region (Lebanon, UAE, Morocco, Tunisia, Jordan, Palestine) with no global expansion beyond art fair circuits. Marketing is limited to organic social (Instagram, Facebook), earned media coverage in The National, Gulf Today, Vogue Arabia, Canvas Daily, A&E, and Commercial Interior Design, and event-driven art fair participation.
81 Designs firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- 81 Designs
- Legal name
- 81 Designs
- Website
- https://www.81designsme.com
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- 81 Designs is a Lebanon- and Dubai-based social enterprise founded in 2017 that empowers refugee, displaced, and low-income women artisans in the MENA region by producing limited-edition art and design collaborations with international artists using traditional crafts such as Palestinian tatreez embroidery, ceramics, and textiles.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
81 Designs industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Artisan-Made Art and Heritage Crafts
- NAICS
- Industrial Design Services (541420)
- SIC
- Apparel & Other Finishd Prods Of Fabrics & Similar Matl (2300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Industrial/Product & Furniture Design (BPAHAKAM)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Crafts & Maker Arts (Ceramics, Textiles, Jewelry, Mixed Media) (EDAMAAAD)
Keywords
Where 81 Designs is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- East Grand Forks
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
81 Designs business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Art Sales and Collaborations: The company creates and sells art pieces through collaborations with international artists. Original artworks are sold to collectors, galleries, and art enthusiasts. Revenue is generated from the sale of handcrafted art pieces created by refugee and displaced women artisans.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
81 Designs product offering
Product offeringCore offering
81 Designs is a social enterprise that creates and sells handcrafted limited-edition art pieces through collaborations with international MENA region artists. Refugee and displaced women artisans, primarily from the Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp in Lebanon, execute the works using traditional Palestinian tatreez embroidery and other heritage crafts (pottery, weaving, leatherwork, metalwork). Proceeds support artisan employment, capacity building, and skills training.
Product overview
81 Designs is a social enterprise platform that empowers refugee, displaced, and low-income female artisans through design and art collaborations. The company operates as a unified offering connecting MENA region artists with skilled artisans who produce handcrafted products using traditional techniques including tatreez embroidery, ceramics, pottery, textile work, leatherwork, stonework, metalwork, painting, sculpture, and weaving. The product portfolio centers on limited-edition art collaborations (such as the On Belonging Collection with Nada Debs, Standing Tall with Bokja, Autumn Harvest with Bouchra Boudoua, and the Naqsh Collective Palestinian Thobe Edition) and recreated artworks in the tatreez medium. All products are produced by women artisans in workshops, primarily within refugee camps in Lebanon, with proceeds supporting artisan employment and skill development.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- 81 Designs x eL Seed Tatreez on Canvas Handcrafted artworks that recreate eL Seed's original Arabic calligraphy paintings using traditional Palestinian tatreez embroidery on canvas. Sold as limited-edition collaborative pieces to collectors and galleries.
- On Belonging Collection A collection of seven Crafted Pebble chairs and straw lamps created with Lebanese designer Nada Debs. Represents the seven UAE emirates and fuses Lebanese furniture craft with Palestinian embroidery art.
- Standing Tall Collection A textile artwork tribute to women created with Bokja (Huda Baroudi and Maria Hibri). Features traditional Palestinian tatreez embroidery applied to repurposed textiles combining Bokja's textile expertise with 81 Designs' artisan embroidery.
- Autumn Harvest Collection A series of ceramics created by Moroccan artisans and embroidered by Palestinian refugee artisans in Lebanon. The collection intertwines Moroccan pottery with Palestinian tatreez to fuse craft traditions from different homelands.
- Palestinian Thobe Edition A collaborative edition with Naqsh Collective featuring hand and machine-finished artworks and sculptures that reimagine traditional Palestinian thobe designs in a contemporary minimalist frame.
- Graffix from the Souk Recreation Fourteen recreated works from Hassan Hajjaj's 'Graffix from the Souk' series, translated from their original medium into traditional tatreez embroidery on canvas.
Companies that use 81 Designs
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles4 records
81 Designs technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
81 Designs partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.
- Studio Lélcore81 Designs and Studio Lél joined in social purpose at Abu Dhabi Art October 2024.
- Bouchra BoudouacoreMoroccan artist Bouchra Boudoua collaborated on 'Autumn Harvest', a series of ceramics created by artisans in Morocco and embroidered by Palestinian refugee artisans in Lebanon. Fusion of craft intertwining homelands, history, heart and soul.
- Nada DebscoreLebanese designer Nada Debs collaborated with 81 Designs at Abu Dhabi Art 2021 on the 'On Belonging' collection, inspired by Nabil Anani's 'In Pursuit Of Happiness'. Features seven Crafted Pebble chairs and straw lamps representing the seven UAE emirates.
- Naqsh CollectivecoreFounded in 2009 in Amman, Jordan by sisters Nisreen and Nermeen Abudail. 'naqsh' means 'to engrave'. The collaboration produced a Palestinian Thobe Edition featuring hand and machine-finished artworks.
- BokjacoreBokja designers Huda Baroudi and Maria Hibri collaborated with 81 Designs on 'Standing Tall', a tribute to women for Abu Dhabi Art 2018 (Year of Zayed, 10th Edition). Bokja provides textile expertise while 81 Designs provides artisan embroidery.
- Hassan HajjajcoreMoroccan artist Hassan Hajjaj, known as the 'Andy Warhol of Marrakech', collaborated with 81 Designs to recreate 14 works from his 'Graffix from the Souk' series in tatreez on canvas at Art Dubai 2018.
- eL SeedflagshipFrench-Tunisian artist eL Seed collaborated with 81 Designs at the 11th edition of Art Dubai in March 2017. eL Seed blends Arabic calligraphy with graffiti to portray messages of beauty, poetry and peace. 81 Designs recreated 8 of eL Seed's original paintings in the medium of 'tatreez on canvas'. All reinterpreted artworks have been sold. The collaboration produced 'The Journey' documentary about Ain El-Hilweh refugee camp.
- Seha Healthcareminor81 Designs partnered with Seha Healthcare for a Facebook community activation at Dubai Design Week 2020.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
81 Designs competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Soko: Soko is a social enterprise connecting artisan makers in Kenya to a global consumer market through contemporary jewelry design, mirroring 81 Designs' model of pairing skilled artisans in developing regions with named designer collaborations and online/international retail distribution.
- Article 22: Article 22 is a social-enterprise design brand that transforms Vietnam War ordnance into contemporary jewelry, working directly with artisan makers in Laos. Comparable to 81 Designs in combining conflict-impact storytelling, artisan production, and modern design collaborations sold through international channels.
- Studio 189: Studio 189 is a social-enterprise fashion brand producing handcrafted apparel and accessories with artisan communities in West Africa, including partnerships with named international designers. Highly comparable mission-driven artisan model with a similar named-collaboration go-to-market approach.
- The Folklore: The Folklore is a curated e-commerce platform for African and diaspora designers and artisan brands, combining contemporary design with traditional craft. Comparable to 81 Designs in bridging artisan production and contemporary luxury/design buyer segments.
- Bokja: Bokja is a Beirut-based design studio that upcycles traditional Middle Eastern textiles into contemporary furniture and objects, and is a direct 81 Designs collaborator ('Standing Tall' for Abu Dhabi Art 2018). Operates in the same Beirut/Lebanon design ecosystem with overlapping artisan-supply relationships.
- Nada Debs Studio: Nada Debs is a Lebanese designer producing contemporary furniture and objects blending Middle Eastern craft traditions with modern industrial design. She is both a direct 81 Designs collaborator ('On Belonging' 2021) and a peer operating in the same Beirut/Beirut-to-Gulf design-and-craft intersection.
Broad incumbents
- Maiyet: Maiyet was a luxury fashion brand that built collections with artisan communities across multiple developing regions. Although now dormant, it is widely cited as the pioneering comparable for combining named designer leadership, global luxury distribution, and embedded artisan partnerships – the same structural model 81 Designs operates at a smaller scale.
- Patagonia: Patagonia is a much larger incumbent apparel brand whose entire commercial model is built on social/environmental mission and verifiable supply-chain impact. Relevant as a scaling benchmark for what a well-capitalized mission-driven consumer brand can achieve – a long-term aspirational comparable for 81 Designs' impact narrative.
Others
- Nest: Nest is a US-based nonprofit supporting artisan enterprises globally through training, market access, and storytelling. Comparable as an ecosystem enabler for the same artisan-producer category that 81 Designs operates within, rather than as a direct competitor.
Emerging players
- Bibi Russell: Bibi Russell is a Bangladeshi fashion designer known for collections built on traditional handloom and artisan craft. Comparable to 81 Designs in using a single designer's profile to commercialize regional artisan heritage in the global contemporary fashion/design market.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
81 Designs social profiles
Digital presence81 Designs financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
81 Designs leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
81 Designs funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
81 Designs M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about 81 Designs
What does 81 Designs do?
81 Designs is a social enterprise that creates and sells handcrafted limited-edition art pieces through collaborations with international MENA region artists. Refugee and displaced women artisans, primarily from the Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp in Lebanon, execute the works using traditional Palestinian tatreez embroidery and other heritage crafts (pottery, weaving, leatherwork, metalwork). Proceeds support artisan employment, capacity building, and skills training.
Is 81 Designs a public or private company?
81 Designs is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was 81 Designs founded?
81 Designs was founded in -1. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is 81 Designs based?
81 Designs is headquartered in East Grand Forks, United States, in the North America region.
How does 81 Designs make money?
One revenue line is on record: art Sales and Collaborations.
Who are 81 Designs's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Soko, Article 22, Studio 189, The Folklore, Bokja and Nada Debs Studio. Broad incumbents are Maiyet and Patagonia. Nest is listed as an others. Bibi Russell is listed as an emerging player.
Does 81 Designs have an API?
No public API is recorded for 81 Designs.
What industry is 81 Designs in?
81 Designs's product category is Artisan-Made Art and Heritage Crafts. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAKAM, Industrial/Product & Furniture Design, with a secondary code of EDAMAAAD, Crafts & Maker Arts (Ceramics, Textiles, Jewelry, Mixed Media). Its NAICS code is 541420 and its SIC code is 2300.