About Mahliqa
Mahliqa specialises in hand knitted and hand crocheted jewellery using a mixed media of precious metals, wire, hand-dyed silks, gemstones and luxury crystals.
The designs are inspired by south-asian and islamic heritage. They draw on historical Mughal jewellery collections from the Indian sub-continent, recapturing the elegant and opulent designs worn by royalty at court.
The name 'Mahliqa' is persian and translates as 'moon's essence'. The luminous quality of the materials used, and delicate technique of stitching fine wires, creates pieces that have an ethereal beauty, much like the 'moon's essence' in it's name.
The company exhibited for the first time in 2010, at The Knitting and Stitching Show, Alexandra Palace, London, and has been a regular exhibitor on the UK craft and jewellery circuit.
Mahliqa has attended shows and markets at Hampton Court Palace, Kew Gardens, Spitalfields, Birmingham Jewellery Quarter, Camden Lock, Kingly Court, Farnham Maltings, Lauderdale House and many other venues.
About Suraya
Suraya Hossain is the designer and creator behind Mahliqa.
Formally a solicitor by profession, she took a career break to bring up her young family, and took up jewellery making as a hobby.
Her journey into textile jewellery began in 2005, when she discovered some wire in an art store in London. As a knitter, she decided to try and knit with it, and her obssession with knitted wire jewellery began. In 2008, she took the plunge and formally started her jewellery business.
As a London born British-Bangladeshi, Suraya draws on her cultural heritage of arts and handicrafts from the Indian sub-continent. She is inspired by lavish historical Mughal jewellery created in India and Persia in past centuries. Artisans of the time carried a rich tradition of producing intricate filigree work in gold, which she endeavours to re-create by knitting and crocheting in fine gold wires. This drawing from heritage is reflected in the names of Mahliqa's jewellery collections.
Her designs also explore the traditional art of stitch in jewellery, using wire to reflect the patterns of knit, stitch and crochet in her designs. She also incorporates hand-dyed textiles into her work, collaborating with other skilled makers.
Her love of nature and concern for the environment is also a huge influence in her design process, which is reflected by references to flowers, plants, natural elements and colourful landscapes. In her London exhibition "Where Wool Meets..." in 2017, later showcased in her 'Earth Collection' at Vogue Knitting Live 2020, New York, she produced a full length knitted wire skirt, depicting the fragility of the earth that we live on, with emerging crystals showing that there is hope for renewed growth. The piece took the form of a skirt as a reminder that we need to take care of what surrounds us.
Suraya has been featured in the We Make London publication “Inspired : London – A Guide to Handmade In London” published in 2012.
She has appeared on national TV on Kirstie Allsops Handmade Christmas Show in December 2019.
Her wire designs have also been featured in "The Knitter", "Knitting", "Inside Crochet" and "Simply Crochet" magazines.