FBMI (the Fatima Bint Mohamed Bin Zayed Initiative) is the vision of Her Highness Sheikha Fatima Bint Mohamed Bin Zayed, daughter of the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, in partnership with Tanweer Investments. Founded with the mission of empowering Afghan women, FBMI trains women in the traditional craft of carpet making, giving them skills, employment and financial independence to support their families and rebuild their communities.  

To bring these products to the world and ensure the long-term sustainability of the initiative, FBMI created Zuleya, its dedicated retail brand. Zuleya showcases and sells the handmade carpets and handicrafts produced in Afghanistan, with all profits reinvested back into FBMI. Every stage of production is 100% Afghan and 100% organic – from purchasing wool from nomads, spinning it into yarn, dyeing and designing, to hand-knotting carpets. In doing so, Zuleya preserves this centuries-old craft while offering fair wages, dignity, and empowerment to Afghan women. Today, Zuleya’s flagship showroom sits in the Dubai Design District (d3), bringing the products and their stories directly to customers.  

KKD were commissioned to unify FBMI and Zuleya under a single vision. We reimagined the brand at every level – from logo and identity to retail experience – grounding it in shared values of Empowered Dignity, Inspiration, Pursuit of Excellence, and Preservation. FBMI was established as a premium retail brand with a strong toolkit of communications: website look and feel, photography style, packaging, signage and in-store storytelling materials.  

The D3 showroom was designed not as a conventional store, but as an immersive brand showcase – a multifunctional space that is at once a shop, office, event venue and hospitality area. The concept, ‘from sheep to shop’, visually communicates the journey of raw wool into carpets, weaving together raw materiality and human craftsmanship. A central lounge invites customers to dwell in the brand story, a concrete bar doubles as a workspace and wrap desk, while the ‘workshop’ area educates visitors on tools, techniques and dyeing processes, instilling authenticity and appreciation.  

The result is a unification of FBMI’s social mission with Zuleya’s retail presence, brought to life through a cohesive premium brand identity. Customers are inspired to buy not from charity, but because the pieces themselves are beautiful, meaningful, and rooted in purpose.