Meet The Designer
Aya Meskawi
Trained as an architect, I translate spatial thinking into jewellery, with each piece envisioned as a wearable sculpture.
I founded AMRMA to embody bold elegance and quiet power, as a deliberate departure from the world’s pull toward uniformity.
Drawing on my expertise in architectural software and computational design, I shape forms with precision, innovation, and a sculptural sensibility that defies convention.
When I could not find the designs I envisioned, pieces that spoke in form rather than ornament, I began creating them myself.
Today, AMRMA continues that vision: merging the rigours of architecture with the intimacy of jewellery, crafted for those who see design as an extension of identity.
How It All Began
Where it all started
Before AMRMA existed, I was still figuring out who I wanted to become. I grew up in a community where most people leaned toward traditional Lebanese paths. For a while, I thought I would too. But my dad sensed my inclination towards architecture.
One day, as he worked at his computer, he called me over excitingly and showed me Zaha Hadid’s work praising her. "Don't you want to be like her?” he asked. That moment stayed with me.
I realized I’d always been drawn to design, art, and architecture because they gave form to experiences, turning imagination into presence. That belief still guides me today: the conviction that form can carry meaning, and that bold design can challenge the ordinary.
Eventually, I chose to study architecture. That was the beginning of a journey that would later become AMRMA.
The mindset shift
In February 2022, I was doing an apprenticeship at Bits to Atoms, a design research lab focused on product innovation within architecture. We were working on 3D-printed clay pieces, and I remember we hit a challenge, we needed a kiln big enough to fire the prototypes but couldn’t find one. I thought the project would stop there.
Instead, the founder looked at the team and I, and said, “We’ll build it.” That mindset of building what you can’t find stayed with me. It made me realize that I don’t need to wait until I have all the tools or experience. If there’s something I want to wear, use, or create, I can start now.
That’s when I began experimenting with jewellery design, started sketching, researching 3D printing and casting, and made the first sample of what would become my first piece: The First Touch.
The first prototype arrived just before I left for London to start my master’s at Bartlett. For the next year, AMRMA was on pause.
Coming back to it
In January 2024, after graduating from Bartlett, securing a full-time job at PLP Architecture and settling into a new chapter in London, I started working on AMRMA again. I refined The First Touch and began designing Hear Me Now. For me, it’s not just about aesthetics; each piece has a concept behind it. First Touch is a gesture of greeting, of making contact. Hear Me Now is about listening, giving space for voices that want to be heard.
This time, I wasn’t just designing for myself. I was designing to share. That shift made all the difference.
Building the brand from scratch
In April 2024, we registered the company and officially started building AMRMA as a brand.
That kicked off a full year of building from scratch and it was harder than I thought it would be. We were learning by doing, figuring things out step by step.
We spent months reaching out to manufacturers and suppliers. A lot of them turned us down as we weren’t established yet, and we couldn’t meet their minimum order requirements. It was frustrating, but eventually we found partners who truly understood what we were trying to do. They were also a small family owned business who believed in what we were building, and we connected with their journey and believed in the care and precision they brought to their work.
With our manufacturing partner, we went through multiple rounds of sampling to get the designs right, not just visually, but physically. These pieces are sculptural and unconventional, so it took a lot of testing to make sure they worked on the body that they moved well, fit comfortably, and felt like natural extensions.
At the same time, we were building everything else, the brand identity, the packaging, the website, the content. We remember sitting there for hours, figuring out how to create a website something we had no prior experience with. With limited resources, we had to learn everything from the ground up.
We booked a small studio, asked friends to model, and used the Canon EOS 650D camera that my mom gave me back in 2018 to shoot our first campaign. Every part of the process was hands-on. We brought our ideas, kept things simple, and figured it out together.
It was a full year of self-funding, saving, researching, and building as we went. A constant process of problem-solving. But with every challenge, we got closer to the vision.
The summer before launch
Over the summer, we focused on bringing everything together. We finalized the website, received our first round of packaging and inventory, and shot the full campaign, all of which took the entire summer to complete. We also started writing travel blogs inspired by cities like Istanbul and London, places that reflect the layered design, cultural richness, and storytelling. Alongside that, we planned our launch strategy and prepared hand-written notes to include with every shipment.
It was a slow, hands-on process. We were figuring things out as we went, learning through every step. But it felt meaningful to build it this way.
Launching AMRMA
August 2025 is the official launch of AMRMA. This is still just the beginning, and I really hope you connect with the pieces from the design to the ideas, and the stories behind them. It means a lot to finally share this with you.
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