Designing with intention
Identity|May 2021
Niyya’s portable prayer mats are designed to be a source of pride for the Muslim community
AIDAN IMANOVA
Designing with intention

‘Niyya’ (or ‘Niyyah’) is the Islamic concept of having intention in one’s heart. It is this very word that has driven Brooklyn-based digital product designer Myhra Mirza to create a Muslim lifestyle brand with the same name that caters to a younger, modern-day Muslim community. Niyya’s prayer rugs are portable and have what may be now described as a ‘millennial aesthetic’ – an array of bold and pastel hues and abstract shapes influenced by Arabic calligraphy. The colours are also symbolic of the Islamic faith, with green appearing across all the collections as the colour that’s representative of Islam. While modernising the designs was important, Mirza wanted to keep a sense of familiarity with traditional prayer rugs. For this reason, Niyya’s mats maintain the arch motif which traditionally indicates the direction of the Ka’bah in Mecca, towards which Muslims pray.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة May 2021 من Identity.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة May 2021 من Identity.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

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