After spending over a decade crafting luxury hotels across Africa and the Middle East, Duha Bukadi’s pivot to footwear might seem unexpected on the outside, but for her, it was an inevitable journey of creative expression. Her design studio in Dubai pulsates with an unequivocal energy that justifies her professional redirection. 

“My design philosophy is a paradox,” she declares, leaning forward with an intensity that immediately captures attention. “It merges two seemingly opposing principles – deconstructivism and ‘less is more’.” The adjunction of these two contradictory elements is where the magic happens for DUHA, her eponymous shoe label. 

Born out of Bukadi’s transformative pandemic pause, the brand was raised on the merit of her decade’s worth of architectural prowess. “From deconstructivism, I take the idea of breaking traditional forms and reconstructing them in unexpected ways,” she explains. Her eyes light up as she describes challenging symmetry, embracing asymmetry, and creating tension between design elements. 

“You see this in DUHA’s sculptural heels – the play on volumes, and the way shapes seem to shift depending on the angle,” she elaborates. “I love when a design feels a little bit unpredictable – when a shoe looks classic at first glance, but then surprises you with a detail that disrupts expectations.” 

Bukadi, a finalist for the 2022 Fashion Trust Arabia (FTA) prize in the accessories category, is unapologetically direct about her creative journey. “The pandemic forced me to reflect on what I truly wanted to create,” she recalls. “I realised I didn’t just want to design – I wanted to craft experiences, tell stories, and build a brand that felt like an extension of my own world.” 

Her Tunisian background and global perspective are evident in her designs. “My heritage is deeply rooted in my design language – it’s in the craftsmanship, the storytelling. It comes to me naturally,” she says. “But my global perspective brings a modern, unconventional edge to it. You see this balance in the choice of materials, the way a silhouette flows, or how a detail – a bow, a sculptural heel – transforms into something unexpected.” 

For Bukadi, choosing Dubai as her creative headquarters was practically a no-brainer. “Dubai is a place of contrasts – tradition and innovation, minimalism and extravagance, cultures from all over the world intersecting in one place,” she shares. “That energy aligns perfectly with DUHA’s philosophy of celebrating dualities.”

As an architect, her commitment to craft goes beyond the surface – an in-house prototyping studio helps her visualise and refine her one-of-a-kind designs. “It allows for experimentation, enhances designs in real-time, and ensures that no detail is overlooked,” she notes. Bukadi may find creative stimulation in challenging the status quo of conventional designs, but comfort and practicality are still non-negotiables for her. “A shoe should feel as good as it looks,” she insists. “We spend a lot of time perfecting the fit, using high-quality materials that mould to the foot, and ensuring that even the highest heel is balanced and wearable.” 

A quick peek into DUHA’s future and you can already envision a brand beyond shoes. With the technical knowledge she possesses, coupled with an unfettered imagination, this is only the beginning. “I see DUHA as a universe, not just a shoe brand,” she says. “Whether it’s a bag, a piece of jewellery, or ready-to-wear, it will carry the same attention to detail, the same duality of boldness and elegance.” 

In Duha Bukadi’s world, embracing contradiction is a part of the process – that is where she defines the delicate balance between chaos and order, tradition and innovation. 

“I learned to trust my intuition and let my approach be more fluid,” she shares. “I realised that fashion, like architecture, is about the experience – how something makes you feel when you wear it, how it fits into your world.” A true reflection of a designer who sees the world not just as it is, but as it could be.