TALK : Beauty as necessity

Join us for a fascinating panel discussion coinciding with ISHKAR's 10 year anniversary collection launch at Ladbroke Hall ISHKAR is delighted to host an evening of conversation at Ladbroke Hall as part of its 10 year anniversary collection launch. Why does beauty matter — not as decoration, but as something people reach for even in the hardest circumstances? This conversation explores the power of beauty: why the impulse to make something beautiful persists even in hardship, how it can carry meaning and tell stories that go beyond the surface, why it holds value even in the most difficult or urgent environments, and how creativity and craftsmanship can bring people together. We are delighted to be joined by Ilse Crawford, Founder of StudioIlse, Meherunnisa Asad, Artistic Director of Studio Lél, and David Lloyd Webber, Managing Director of Emergency NGO UK, chaired by Sophie Grove, Editor of Konfekt Magazine. Attendees will be able to preview ISHKAR's 10 year anniversary collection, featuring an exclusive collection of 10 rugs by contemporary artists and designers, handmade by female weavers in Afghanistan. Exploring the theme of “Togetherness”, each rug is a celebration of connection—across borders, cultures, and creative practices, with participation from Louis Barthélemy, David/Nicolas, Zaha Hadid Architects, Meherunnisa Asad (Studio Lél), StudioIlse, Lulu Lytle (Soane Britain), and more. -- Ilse Crawford is a designer, teacher, creative director and founder of Studioilse. She also founded the department of Man and Wellbeing at the Design Academy Eindhoven, and was its head for two decades. By choosing to address true human needs, she has pioneered humanistic design in its real life application to environments, objects and experiences. Meherunnisa Asad is an artist working in stone. Using the logic of pietra dura - cutting, fitting and fracture -her work explores how histories are held rather than repaired. Working closely with artisans, she approaches inlay as a contemporary language. Recent presentations include The Overview Effect at The Foundry, Berlin Art Week; Homo Faber Biennale, Venice; Formed by Dialogue at the Egyptian Museum, Art D’Égypte, Cairo; NOMAD, Abu Dhabi and Wild Uplands, a public art commission for Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture. She is Artistic Director of Studio Lél, a second-generation atelier from Peshawar, Pakistan. David Lloyd Webber is the Managing Director (UK) & International Communications Manager at EMERGENCY, an international, independent NGO that provides free, high-quality care to people affected by conflict and poverty. Since 1994, EMERGENCY has worked in 21 countries around the world. Today, they provide free care in Afghanistan, Eritrea, Iraq, Italy, Palestine (Gaza), Sierra Leone, Sudan, Ukraine and Uganda, as well as the central Mediterranean. Edmund Le Brun is the co-founder of ISHKAR. Sophie Grove is the editor of Konfekt, an elegant and expansive quarterly magazine launched by the creators of Monocle. Its essays, interviews and deep reportage cover the worlds of fashion, food, craft, travel and design. Sophie has been a part of the Monocle team for 17 years, first as a reporter, then Istanbul bureau chief and Paris correspondent. -- DETAILS: 📅 Date: Saturday 7th of November ⏰ Time: 11am - 12:30pm, talk starting at 11:30am 🏢 Venue: Ladbroke Hall, 79 Barlby Road, Notting Hill, W10 6AZ 🎟️ Admission: £5, refreshments included -- This talk is hosted as part of ISHKAR's 10 year anniversary collection launch at Ladbroke Hall, featuring an exclusive collection of 10 rugs by contemporary artists and designers. The exhibition is open to the public on November 6th and 7th. More information can be found here.