Samar Habayeb
Chief Executive Officer
Silsal Design House
Samar Habayeb is the Chief Executive Officer and Creative Director of Silsal Design House, a homeware and tableware company known for bringing art and design into homes around the world.
Samar received a BA in Architectural Design & Economics from Tufts University, and an MA in Ceramic Design from the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff. Her strong architectural and design sensibilities led her to launch Silsal in 2013. She has since grown it into the Middle East’s largest and most creative homeware brand – one that has been exhibited at the British Museum in London and sold at the prestigious Louvre in Paris.
The region’s first fine porcelain brand, Silsal has remained at the forefront of lifestyle design, marrying function and form to produce masterpieces for the modern home. From casual dinnerware to wedding gifts and decorative home accessories to stylish storage, the brand revives precious artistic moments from the Islamic world’s past, reinventing them onto tableware, to create the cherished memories of tomorrow.
After launching Silsal in Dubai, Samar brought a decidedly global viewpoint to the start-up. With a focus on exporting, she combined physical stockists with a thriving online retail store, delivering internationally. Today, Silsal is stocked in over 45 outlets across 6 countries. While nurturing Silsal’s geographic and online presence, Samar pursued a strategy of focused diversification. Evolving beyond a pure retail platform, Silsal has collaborated wit international partner organizations, such as Emirates Airlines. The company has also launched Silsal Rentals and Silsal Bespoke to give customers new ways to discover, engage with and ultimately fall in love with the brand.
In keeping with the Samar’s commitment to community engagement, Silsal works with non-profit organization, Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation (DIDI), to inspire and ignite the next generation of design and retail entrepreneurs.
Passionate about education, Samar is a mentor for INJAZ UAE, part of the Junior Achievement Worldwide (JAW) – one of the world’s largest non-profit business education organizations. She delivers experiential entrepreneurship courses at public schools, empowering young women with the knowledge and skills they need to plan their professional futures.