RIYADH — aura, the modern home fashion brand, announced a countrywide furniture design competition in partnership with Saudi Design Week.



In a continued effort to support the growing local talent amongst the design community of Saudi Arabia, aura has committed to awarding one Saudi-based designer the chance to have their design manufactured and retailed exclusively at aura stores as part of a Limited Edition retail collection.



Participants are tasked to design a mid-market priced upholstered occasional chair suitable for use in a living room or bedroom and the concept should incorporate aura’s core goals of blending international design with Arabian trends — as well as taking into consideration aura’s three signature categories — modern classic, contemporary or trend.



The competition will be judged by a panel of industry experts including representatives from both aura and Saudi Design Week, Dr. Wafa Al Rushaid, CEO of Raffles Design Institute and Badeeh Abla, Creative Director at NoBrand Agency.



Commenting on this initiative, Dr Wafa said: “I believe one cannot create and innovate without being inspired and motivated to do more to bring out the best of his talent, which is why aura's design competition is unique, as it offers inspiration and support to local talent at a time when the design and art scene is growing in Saudi Arabia.”



The competition, which has acquired excellent response from industry professionals, has already received multiple entries of high design quality from across the country.



“As a Saudi-bred company, it delights us to see so many aspiring designers take an interest in joining our design competition. We look forward to seeing more of this country’s talent through these creative entries”, said an aura spokesperson.



The winning design will be unveiled during an awards ceremony at the aura store in Panorama Mall, Riyadh during Saudi Design Week 2015 – and the winner will also receive one piece of the final manufactured product from the Limited Edition collection.



For more information on the competition or to request an application form, email competition@auraliving.com. Closing date for all applications is May 15.



aura is an independent home fashion retailer based in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with retail stores in Panorama Mall, Riyadh, Dhahran Mall, Dhahran and a third location opening in Jeddah in June.



The company offers affordable aura-branded furniture and home accessories to individuals looking for a distinct style that blends the best of the West and the Middle East. In line with aura’s plans to expand its operations to the rest of the MENA region, the company will soon launch an ecommerce initiative to allow customers across the region online access to the collections. — SG