THE STORY BEHIND SABA
'A NEW DAWN'
Saba is the fictional story of two friends set in an expanse of time and space, over lifetimes and geographies. This is the story of J and M. J is an Italian merchant living on the Ligurian coastline. M is an artist specializing in block-print textile art amid the deserts of Rajasthan. The distance between them only strengthens their unlikely friendship. A story of hope and resilience unfolds through their correspondence.
We tell their story through the timeless art of block printing. Block printing is an ancient, skilled craft that requires the dexterous negotiation of contrast. It is the art of patience. A carved wooden block is used to tell complex, fluid stories on textile. Through the relationship between a wooden block and the rhythmic, graceful stories that come alive from its touch, intimacy and connection are born and distances and boundaries are unmade. In honour of this transformative ability of block-print art, we named our collection Saba, the Persian word referring to both a gentle 'spring breeze' and a new dawn.
Each piece in this collection is a handcrafted masterpiece depicting in striking minute detail, timeless exchanges of love, longing and triumph. They guide you through vineyards and desert musical fairs, ocean-faring ways and pandemic-restricted days. In the end, the stories always triumph. We hope these pieces live with you as enduring symbols of faith that a new dawn is coming. It is an invitation to you to dare to dream your future world to life. Remember, all we need is each other, a scarf and a mask or two!