Dr. Reem El Mutwalli in conversation with Shila Desai, Owner & Founder of E.Y.H.O (Tours which specialise in travels centred around material cultures) discussing Shila’s extensive textile-based tours & travels, and Tie-dyed Head Coverings of Kutch: Identity, Utility, and Inter-religious Relations.

Dr Reem Tariq El Mutwalli, is a published author, lead curator and public speaker. With over 30 years of experience, she is an expert consultant in Islamic art and architecture, interior design, historic dress and UAE heritage.

She is also the founder of the Zay Initiative. A non-profit UK registered initiative advancing the preservation of cultural heritage, through the collection, documentation and digital archiving of Arab historical attire and their stories. Our goal is to empower and sustain global cross-cultural dialogue to inspire creative minds.

Shila Desai is owner and founder of E.Y.H.O. Tours which specialises in travels centred around material cultures – in particular handmade textiles – of the world’s traditional societies. Of Indian ancestry and born and brought up in Kenya, Shila has lived, worked, and studied on four continents. She detoured from professional accounting and running a multinational technical clothing business to writing creative non-fiction, voluntourism, and leading textile-based travels.