Sisters Dania, Mariam, and Alla Sawedeg are the driving force behind Kamushki Studio, a luxury jewellery brand rooted in storytelling and cultural connection. Balancing their Libyan heritage, Swiss upbringing, and life in Dubai, the trio transforms traditional symbols into modern, wearable talismans.

In this interview, they unpack how their distinct roles and shared values allow them to blend business with family dynamics seamlessly, how their individual ventures enrich the brand and more.

Kamushki was built with the intention to represent Libyan culture and stories. How did your childhood memories together translate into a luxury jewellery brand? 

Dania – We were always inspired by different cultures. Growing up as Libyans abroad, we were open to understanding and coexisting with one another and to truly celebrating everyone's culture. While growing up in Zurich and travelling between different cities, we realised that no one really understood our culture or the country itself, which isn't always mentioned in the brightest light. So we wanted to integrate that into something more meaningful. 

We grew up going to the gold souk with our mum and admiring her love for it. Mariam found her own love for it soon after and took a real interest in jewellery, eventually studying jewellery design at GIA London — and that's really where it all started. We always knew we wanted to build something together as sisters, something that brought our culture into it, and we felt jewellery was the best way to translate that. 

Jewellery is a piece of value, something collectable, something that can be passed on. We wanted our pieces to hold that same value and meaning, especially when it came to showing the world our traditions. We wanted them to be carried on, not forgotten, and that's where I believe the choice of luxury jewellery came in. 

Your designs blend your Libyan heritage, Swiss upbringing, and life in Dubai. How do you balance these diverse cultural influences into a cohesive visual identity? 

We grew up surrounded by different cultures, even in Switzerland, which we still call home since our family still resides there. We were exposed to people from all over the world, not just Swiss culture, and while we were very much integrated, we stayed true to our roots — our parents always made sure we carried our culture gracefully. 

I'd say that really does play a big role in our visual identity. Our jewellery pieces are essentially talismans, but they always carry a modern twist. Take our fish, for example; it's ultimately inspired by Libyan heritage as a symbol that wards off the evil eye. But we wanted our modern, European upbringing to play a role in the design too, which is why we incorporated the bone into it, giving it a modern twist on the traditional Libyan fish. We later brought that into our Huwaita collection. 

There's always an edge to our designs, and I believe that's the influence of growing up between Switzerland, Dubai, and London.

Family business dynamics can be complex. How do you divide roles and responsibilities between creative design and business operations? 

Family business is definitely complex, but the three of us always believe in Kamushki. We may have differences in opinion at times, but ultimately we all share the same goal. In terms of structure, we've found something that works perfectly for us: Mariam is the creative foundation of the brand, overseeing jewellery design and sales; Dania leads PR and all things comms, from strategy to media relations; and Alla is the driving force behind our B2B sales, retail, and marketing. 

We all have different roles, but we're very hands-on with each other's work. We get involved, ask for opinions, and brainstorm together constantly. I think it's fair to say we've found the right balance, and everyone brings something different to the table. 

When you have opposing creative visions or business ideas, how do you resolve them and reach a middle ground? 

We like to sit together and brainstorm, and even when an opinion is opposing, we've always had that open space with each other to share ideas and any creative vision that comes along. But the decision always comes down to what's best for Kamushki and what's next for the brand. I'd say we don't really face many challenges on that front, because we're quite aligned when it comes to the business. 

How do you turn off "work mode" when spending quality time together as a family, or does Kamushki naturally leak into every conversation? 

Kamushki will always leak into the conversation. We love switching off and spending quality time together, but if an idea or a small discussion comes up, we won't shut it down just because we're technically "off". At the end of the day, it's our creation, and we don't believe it should be switched off — if you're feeling inspired about something work-related, that conversation should happen, whether you're on the beach or working out together. That's a motto we live by, and honestly, most of our best inspiration comes to us when we're not in work mode at all. 

What does a typical day look like for each of you when you aren't in design or meeting mode? 

Dania — I recently opened my own PR agency, and I work with several brands; Kamushki also sits under Neya Collective's umbrella. As for a typical day, I usually wake up, meditate, and set my intentions for the day, then head to my workout. It depends on the day, but it's usually a Synkro class founded by Mimi, our head designer, and her good friend Brittany. Either way, working out is non-negotiable in my daily routine. After that, it's usually straight back to work. In the evenings, I love to go for long walks, whether it's outdoors or on the treadmill, and when I am not feeling that, I would typically dedicate an hour to reading or doing an evening ritual of gratitude and hang out with my cat Kai.

Alla – A typical day for me when I’m not in work mode would be completely focused on myself. I try to disconnect from all the noise and go for a long jog in the forest near my house, immersing myself in nature. The rest of the day I would focus my energy on my second workspace, the kitchen. I love to use that time to create or try out new recipes, take content, and experiment with new ingredients. 

Mariam – A typical day for me starts around 6 am with breathwork and meditation, followed by a coffee, which I look forward to, and some quiet time before I start getting ready for the day. As the co-founder of SYNKRO, movement, mindfulness and embodiment are naturally woven into my everyday life. Our method is very much about getting out of the head and into the body, so I try to live by that philosophy too. Whether I’m teaching a SYNKRO class or taking a group class with friends, moving my body is something I prioritise every day, it keeps me grounded, present and connected to myself. I’m usually finished with work around 4 pm, then I’ll cook dinner at home and end my day with a gratitude walk, which is another little ritual that shifts me back into the present moment. 

With each of you having personal endeavours of your own, how does your work together influence you in those and vice versa? 

I believe we are hybrid beings; we all work in and love different fields. Dania has her own PR company, Mariam has her own wellness method, and Alla is very much invested in her cooking/supper club and her granola brand. We definitely need to have different interests, and we really love pushing each other to be independent, even though Kamushki is the three of us together. We believe inspiration comes to you when you're truly focused on yourself, and that definitely brings a distinctive flair to Kamushki. We're all very creative and love doing more than one thing at once. We love following our hearts and our dreams. 

Beyond jewellery, where do you turn for creative energy when you’re feeling burnt out? 

We love nature. Going back to Zurich for the summer and doing our daily forest walks, just connecting with nature, really brings us back to life. It's the best reset. While we're in Dubai, we turn to the sea — we love our morning dips, and just being by the water calms the nervous system and brings you back to yourself. Nature is one of our key sources of inspiration for creation. But we also love meeting new, inspiring people and understanding different cultures. 

If you could go back to the launch of Kamushki Studio, what advice would you give your younger selves as you were taking those first big steps? 

Our advice would be: don't be afraid to make mistakes. Not every mistake is a failure; it's more of a redirection, a chance to start rebuilding something for the better. 

As Kamushki Studio grows and evolves, what aspirations do you have for the brand? 

Our main aspiration is to continue staying authentic and true to our DNA, no matter what, and to keep bringing more joy to our followers and clients.