About the Designer
Islam Khalil is a Cairo Based jewelry designer, who has worked with his father - a renowned jeweler in Cairo - amidst the most talented silver artisans since the age of 14.
Starting off as help for his father who ran errands for the workshop, to learning all the silver craft techniques, to working with clients, to eventually growing to become the manager of his father’s company, Islam gained priceless experience and knowledge.
Alongside working with his father, Islam studied art education at Helwan University. Post graduation in 2007, he began noticing a pattern in the jewelry designs being produced locally at the time, and wanted to offer jewelry buyers new and fresh designs.
From there, he began drawing jewelry designs from scratch - something he hadn’t done before. After hours and hours of sketching, he chose a few of the drawings, computerizing them and produced them. To his disappointment, he hated the final produced versions, and eventually threw them right back into the melting pot.
From that point on, he stuck to producing clients’ requests and it wasn’t until 5 years later, when he would take the step towards designing again. He made a collection of unrelated pieces, and sold them with his father’s work. Two years later, he plugged in his ear phones, listened to foreign Asian music he did not comprehend the words to, founded S Designs, and launched his first and best-selling collection, the Sun Collection.
Today, Islam has found the design aesthetic true to who he is, and aims at putting S Designs on the international market with a distinct identity, while managing his father’s company and clients.