‘VCUarts Qatar gave me edge to convert my hobby into business’

Maryam Fahad al-Majid, a Qatari entrepreneur, who has utilised the skills she acquired at Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar (VCUarts Qatar), to turn her childhood passion into a business reality, graduated yesterday. She joined fellow graduates in passing through the ‘Door to the Future’ at QF’s Convocation ceremony in Education City.VCUarts Qatar, the first international university to establish a branch campus in Education City, recently marked the 20th anniversary of its partnership with Qatar Foundation (QF).Since its inauguration in 1998, hundreds of students have graduated from VCUarts Qatar with degrees in various specialisations including fashion design, graphic design, interior design, painting and printmaking, and art history. “The exposure I received across different platforms with the help of Qatar Foundation gave me the edge and the courage to convert my hobby into a business. With the skills I learned at VCUarts Qatar during my freshman year I was able to plan and strategise my ideas,” said al-Majid, who is graduating from VCUarts Qatar with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Fashion Design. Al-Majid, whose main priority so far has been to complete her studies and obtain her degree, believes hard work, dedication, and passion are three components that form the basis of any successful business, and that the time has now come to expand her business internationally.  “My immediate plan following graduation is to take my business, ‘Wrapping Station,’ to a global level. I want to showcase to the world that wrapping is an art and not just covering gifts with paper or fabric. With the enthusiasm and passion I put into my work, I hope for my business to continue flourishing; it’s part of my bigger dream,” said al-Majid.“When I started my wrapping business, there were hardly any proper wrapping shops in Qatar, but now even flower shops have started to wrap gifts. Competition is what makes people innovative and I look forward to taking my skills and creativity further to show customers that they don’t have to settle for anything less,” she said. Al-Majid’s passion for gift-wrapping, along with her love for fashion design, set the stage for her when it came to choosing the right materials for fabric wrapping. It was on a trip to Japan when she came across ‘Furoshiki,’ an eco-friendly cloth used by the Japanese to wrap gifts. Furoshiki wrappings were widely popular before the surge of plastic and paper wrappings in Japan, and it is considered an elegant and sophisticated way of wrapping gifts. When al-Majid launched her business, she applied the Furoshiki method and other techniques she learnt in university. “All that I’ve learned in these four years has translated into the work I produce today, both as a fashion designer and businesswoman. With a single touch, I’m now able to tell whether or not a piece of fabric is stiff enough to hold a bow in place. Even when it comes to choosing specific colours, for example, those that are peaceful or those that make you feel a certain way, take gift wrapping or arrangements to another level,” added al-Majid.