The name DARA translates globally into "star" in Khmer,
"leader" in Turkish, "compassion" in Hebrew and "beautiful one" in Swahili.
We believe in:
The Art of Craft.
The distinctive impression of the human hand.
Beautiful Design.
Original, evocative, inspiring, transformative.
Ancient Roots and Modern Soul.
Preserving heritage while fostering its progress.
Exploration and Discovery.
In designs and experiences that are transporting.
Storytelling.
In craft as a repository of personal and cultural narratives.
Rich material handed down for generations.
Empowerment.
Nurturing dignity, pride and humanity at every level.
Creating economic value in a way that also creates social value.
Unity.
Erasing borders to foster artisan collaborations.
Connecting individual artisans to individual shoppers.
Highlights from Dara and Dan's adventures of discovery. Top right, in Cambodia; bottom left, in India; third image from bottom left, in Aleppo with Adam (far left), a Syrian artisan.
Our Story
Media veterans Dan and Dara Brewster founded DARA Artisans
to share the work of incredible craftspeople worldwide. They believe that handmade designs
have the power to enrich our lives with beauty and meaning.
Connecting artisans with the global marketplace their work deserves, enables them
to make larger contributions to their own communities.
Dan and Dara have traveled extensively-
from central Cambodia to Cusco Peru, from Kerala, India to the Place Vendome in Paris.
They visited Syria at the height of the Arab Spring, on the eve of the hostilities
that would soon tear that country apart. They brought home a memory of walking across the
rooftops of the ancient souks in Aleppo with Adam, a Syrian artisan the war
would soon displace. It heightened their sense of the vulnerability and the importance
of preserving the ancestral traditions of master artisans.
While DARA Artisans reaches far and wide, from a
Los Angeles woodworker to weavers in Laos who create the silk scarves and shawls that
sustain their villages, our headquarters are in New York. We are a small team
of design, digital, media and marketing professionals, who learned their trades at places like
American Express, Time Inc., Martha Stewart Living, Travel + Leisure, West Elm and Ralph Lauren.
We present artisans' work at its best and share their stories.
Explore with Us
DARA Artisans invites you along on a journey of discovery as we scour
the globe for extraordinary handmade products. They reflect the personal stories of their makers
and the wider narratives of the cultures that inspire them. We encourage designers and
artisans to transcend borders and collaborate in a new way, creating a collection rich with the
influence of a thousand cultures. We seek out craft traditions imbued with generations
of knowledge yet relevant to an elevated modern aesthetic. Decorative or utilitarian,
every piece DARA collects or commissions is a treasure that endures.