Awesome Twosome: Oasis Magazine & Saudi Design Week

Left: Noura Bouzo Right: Basma Bouzo

Find out how these family units rock the business world A strong family relationship provides a building block for a home. Imagine what that can do in a business?

Relation: Sisters
Names: Basma & Noura Bouzo
Business: Oasis Magazine & Saudi Design Week

In 2007, the sisters’ mother Munira Al Ajlani came up with the idea of creating Oasis magazine, a publication that highlights the accomplishments of Saudi locals. “Her idea was not only to connect like-minded individuals, and celebrate their successes through this printed and online medium, but also to bridge the gap between the East and the West by distributing the magazine internationally,” the sisters indicated.

After Noura and Basma were drawn to the idea and finally launched their magazine, the sisters wanted to expand on the notion and turn the project into a full-on publishing house geared towards creatives and entrepreneurs. They also wanted to create a platform for events that highlight the work of creatives.

Noura explained the evolution of the business, where she shared, “Through Oasis Company, we started creating different events that supported artists and designers in all fields, and this led us to create and launch Saudi Design Week in 2014. Today, our business includes Oasis Publishing House, Saudi Design Week, and Bouqu, which is an events, branding, and corporate gifts company, as well as House of Misque, where we launch cultural products in partnership with artists and designers.”

Despite the unity of their work together, Noura and Basma come from a completely different educational background. Basma comes from a purely scientific background, whereas Noura comes from a Fine Arts and Art History education. So what might seem like a challenge is actually a plus-side, because working together, they process things differently and teach each other more than they know.

Basma elaborated further on their work, “Other than our company, we also create art installations in collaboration with one another. Our work The Water Machine represented Saudi Arabia at the inaugural London Design Biennale. When collaborating on artworks, Noura forms the sketch then I build on that by thinking of the technical aspect, then we bounce ideas off of each other until we have a strong art piece.” The key pillar to their success goes back to their constant appreciation for each other’s opinions and perspectives.

“Our goal is always to support local creatives and create a strong company that is about giving back to the community and creating a maker culture,” the sisters said.

Email: info@saudidesignweek.com
Web: houseofmisque.com
Instagram: oasismagazine
Instagram: saudidesignweek