The Maker
After completing a Bachelor's degree in Product Design at ALBA (Beirut) and a Master's degree in Industrial Design at SPD (Milan-Italy), I returned home in 2019 to face a collapsing Lebanon.
Due to the lack of career openings, i took the initiative to learn new skills in between freelance jobs and therefore decided to make myself a leather tobacco pouch. The the next few pouches i offered to friends, and soon enough random people were interested.
I had designed a product, and was certain that with the skills i have, i could optimize it and go further by creating a brand, a page, a website, get sales and let grooverhide be my full time job.
So far, i am loving this journey because there is always room to learn and improve since leather crafting is not what i initially studied. This Craft has a rich history that makes me eager to better understand all of it's aspects.
I have been tackling this craft with a product design approach, going through all the steps: Research and analyze, brainstorm and ideate, design, prototype, test and repeat to finally come up with simple and elegant products that are functional and capable of carrying the story of the person holding it.