Young Collective Artists (Yoc’a) was initiated by Ahsan Najmi, Zayd Bilgrami and Sarah Najmi Bilgrami in 2006 out of pure passion. Located in Defense, Karachi, Yoc’a promises to be the complete solution from architectural to interior to furniture designs. The Express Tribune talks to the trio about its new venture.
What was the need to introduce the brand Yoc’a?
All three of us grew up surrounded by art and design. We went on to pursue our career and further our knowledge in the world of art and architecture at the Rhode Island School of Design. Our journey has led us into heading a 30-year-old architectural practice. We delved into the practical world of architecture and interiors; and to take a step further into nurturing our creative instincts, designing furniture came next.
While practicing, we used to look for furniture pieces to design interiors, but found a dearth of furniture in the market that would appeal to our sensibilities. We started by designing a few pieces, which tailored to our projects. This made us realise that we enjoyed playing with varying scales of design. Our pieces gained appreciation and demand, and fuelled our innate passion for designing just about anything. That, mixed with particular designs needed for interiors seemed like the most natural progression to vertically integrate our practice into a complete design house.
Our objective is that a client can come to us and get a complete solution; the architecture of their house, its interior and furniture, right down to a customised napkin ring. It works well because we can absolutely exercise our aesthetic.
How does Yoc’a embody the synergies between artisans and designers, and bring them on a creative platform?
Yoc’a extends beyond just Sarah, Ahsan and Zayd. We are fortunate at Yoc’a to be immersed in a think-tank of people who eat, breathe and live design; whose varying ideologies manifest in the wonders as diverse as furniture, fabric and tid-bits we produce. It’s so inspiring, we like to think of it as our own little treasure box.
We also have an exciting series of collaborations planned between 2013 and 2014 with some of Pakistan’s leading talents.
How relevant are modern styles and aesthetics to Yoc’a?
Be it modern or traditional, the style needs to be relevant to its surroundings. We are not averse
to any style as long as it is executed with sincerity.
Do you believe that the vintage look in furniture and interiors has gone out of style?
Yoc’a believes in mixing up traditional and modern for a layered look. Our goal is to make vintage or traditional items look good while still keeping its authentic charm. We use traditional furniture with some modern pieces to contrast and add warmth in an otherwise modern room.
What’s next for Yoc’a?
Expansion — Yoc’a furniture will be available in Dubai at The Designers store. We will also stock online in the near future, and have some shows for 2013 and 2014. Watch out for more that is to be unraveled on that front.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 5th, 2013.
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