Nostalgic throwbacks to youth are infinitely powerful. Reminders of sentimental memories and/or moments of ‘happier’ times in our past is like receiving a hug from your oldest friend, and is particularly comforting in times of upheaval and uncertainty.
With a global pandemic and the effervescent geopolitical situation in our region, the past 12 months certainly qualifies as ‘a time of upheaval and uncertainty’.
The Dār Collective is very much a product of this era. A stateless, culture-based design studio, built on the common value of connecting people and/or reconnecting people with their roots via nostalgia.
Officially launched in Dallas, Texas, by a graphic illustrator during the early months of the world-halting pandemic, the idea was to create a platform – or a Collective – for creative third-culture kids wanting to feel connected to their deeper cultural roots.
“We believe in the shared experience of culture and value the traditions,” says a statement on their website – which currently sells a range of heavily vintage-inspired unique prints and designs from a roster of amateur graphic designers spread around the world.
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The idea of a borderless online community is core to the existence of the Collective, which operates as a platform for creatives to reach out and contribute. “Our brand is guided by the need to express our cultural identities. We want to highlight truly exceptional creatives and innovators that occupy our community spaces,” the website reads.
Only just a year old, the designs from Dār Collective are now separated into three collections, the Palestine series, the Pakistan series, and the Travel series. The first two focus on clever and quirky designs drenched in a faux nostalgia from the countries’ past, while the Travel series is a reimagining of 1950s inspired travel posters for (mainly Arab) countries with large expat populations spread across the global diaspora.
Ultimately, the Dār Collective currently is hitting the mark when it comes to a need for nostalgia in people’s lives, however, it is its decision to focus on something that goes beyond the daily bad news cycle that makes it both a smart reminder of time gone by and a positive sign of things to come.
Buy here.
