Hadeel Osman’s profile has continued to flourish both in Africa and worldwide. She is the creative director of Davu Studio - a multidisciplinary studio which began operating from Sudan three years ago. The innovative company works with brands, publications and production houses to develop and enhance the visual storytelling element of projects. Creative direction plays an important role in shaping a brand. When liaising with clients during the initial stages, Osman’s thought-process is nuanced. She considers how the final product will “reach my people, or how would I sell this product or provide the service to them. So then that's the creative direction.”

Last year, Forbes Africa 30 under 30 included Osman on their list. “It's honestly the highest honour ever,” she says, during our video call as I asked her about the recent accolade. She is still incredulous and remembers screaming when she saw the email. She begins to reminisce: “Ever since I was a child, I remember seeing a fashion magazine that says 30 under 30 biggest design or something like that. So, you know, I was a kid. So I thought by the time I reached 30, which felt so far away, that I would like to be on the list.” Osman’s achievements are commendable and her skill set is vast. Proud of her Sudanese background and filled with gratitude and humility, she says that “being named with amazing fellow Africans is my goal and my dream.”

Image Courtesy Of Hadeel Osman

The creative studio started as a personal endeavour which evolved into a successful and diverse business. “Honestly, in the beginning, I wanted to do things that are basically visual, and it was going to be like a platform for me to showcase my work as a freelancer,” she says. “ But then, as the idea started to evolve in my brain, I was like, ‘No, I want this to be a fully-fledged business.’ It's an idea that hasn't really been done here before like that. You know, people are usually specialised and I'm very much against that. So I just wanted to provide broad services.”

The studio follows a simple ideology: authenticity and emotive resonance. There is no distortion of the truth and each project connects with its audience on a deep, natural level, sparking curiosity. “I want to sell you the truth”, states Osman, candidly. “And maybe it's a little bit ugly, or it's not as pretty as you're used to or, you know, as scripted as you're used to. But this is what gets people more interested. It’s important for Davu Studio to touch into the human element and try to be a bit different.”

Osman doesn’t want her remote studio to be corporate (she came from a corporate background and wanted to escape that) or play it safe. “And, really, I always like to push the borders as much as I can, while still being respectful to the audience that I'm trying to reach out to,” she says. 

By coming from a visual communication and marketing background, Osman had the knowledge to explore a variety of creative mediums and provide a holistic experience. Consequently, and to her benefit, Davu Studio offers a broad range of services. “I think when you offer a variety of services like this, not only are we able to appeal to a lot of clients but offer everything that they might need.”

The ability to offer a flexible “one-stop-shop” for all things visual gives the company a unique quality. “What makes us stand out is that the services we provide are very different from what you usually see. That's the first thing. Another thing is we combine the full picture as one, like, when you come to us, you'll get the full package. Another thing is also that we're very flexible. I'd have clients wanting something very specific, for example, they just want something like a logo or something, but then we provide them with other things that they might not see,” says Osman.

African creatives have played a vital role in further exporting Africa’s nuanced identity. Whether within the continent or the diaspora, Africans are reclaiming their heritage which has been fractured, misunderstood, and often unrepresented throughout history. Osman is fully aware of this shift in fashion. She says: “So the changes I've seen in the African fashion industry has been that a lot of people are looking into their culture and into their roots, and creating clothes and creating things that give a homage to our past, but still embracing the present…” She sees an inextricable link between the act of reclamation and sustainability in Africa. “You're seeing now that people are really tapping into the root of who we are and the reason I am very much an advocate for sustainable fashion is because sustainability is part of our lifestyle,” she says. 

Image Courtesy Of Hadeel Osman

She has noticed a greater tendency to use traditional methods which are helping to alter western perspectives about Africanness. “A lot of designers are putting a lot of effort into working with traditional techniques such as using current machines, reusing extra clothing, or using pre-consumer and post-consumer textiles that are just being thrown into landfills. And I really, really like that because it's showing the world we're not just what you see in mainstream media, we're a lot more, we're very colourful, (and we’re) very beautiful.”

During our video call, we share a mutual agreement that African households are intrinsically eco-friendly because, as Osman says, “it’s really a part of who we are.” She notes that the community is interdependent when it comes to resources; there is a tendency to lend, borrow and reuse items. “In every African household, you see, our habits are much about using what we have, and just enjoying that process and involving other people. So whether it's family, whether it's friends, you know, we swap things, we DIY, so it's just how it's always been. Even if you come from a very high-income bracket, you're still also being very resourceful.”

Osman incorporates this outlook into her creative process. It consists of early mornings ( or sometimes later depending on the scheduled power cuts), mood boards made with scrap paper, a healthy dose of sunlight, and —to my surprise and her amusement —deep house music. “And sometimes I'll make a mood board out of scrap paper, magazine cutouts…” 

Osman’s passion for sustainability transcends mere speech. “I'm actually more for reusing and upcycling than I am for using natural materials because they use a lot of energy,” she reveals. She supports Slow Fashion Season and hosted Fashion Revolution Week in Sudan last April. It is a global fashion event that aims to eliminate unethical methods in the fashion industry and encourage a culture where people reuse their fashion items.

She explains the advantages of consciously using raw materials. “When you use sustainable materials, especially natural materials, or materials that are already present, you're reducing waste. And we in Africa are very vulnerable from an environmental perspective. So to think about how to create something from waste, you're actually revolutionising how things are made. And I think it's essential, really. We don't want to deal with more waste being a part of who we are and what we live in.”

Osman’s inspiration has evolved over time. She is an observer who finds inspiration everywhere and still maintains originality.

he's one of the greatest. I'm very much interested in how he combines different elements.” Even her bedroom was once decorated with Warhol’s artwork. When Osman initially relocated to Sudan, she struggled to find creative inspiration. “When I first moved to Sudan, it was hard for me to find inspiration because life was quite hard. It still is. And everything is brown and dusty.” 

This harsh reality set Osman on a journey to create a utopia through aesthetic storytelling, and the name for Davu Studio (it is an acronym for “Designing a Visual Utopia”) was born. “People were going through a very hard time, especially with the previous regime. So I wanted to design that amazing planet,” she explains.

I ask Osman about the best piece of advice she has ever received. She recalls two nuggets of wisdom received from a university professor. “It was, ‘don't settle for what you're doing right now.’ And ‘you can, you should explore your horizons.’”During Davu Studio’s timeline, Osman has worked with clients from countries such as Kenya, Zimbabwe, Uganda, and Rwanda. She would love to widen the company’s footprint. “We’re hoping to expand a bit more. I want to go to Ghana. And I mean, even to just check it out. It's my dream. But I know if I go there, I'm not coming back,” she admits, with a smile.

Despite the current pandemic, Davu Studio has had a busy year and their future looks exciting. “January has been the longest month of our life. We were working on so many productions and doing a lot of things all at once. So, February, we're trying to slow down a little bit. But this year we're going to come up with a lot of productions, like hopefully working with bigger clients as well,” Osman tells me. She’s going to tap into a skill that she hasn’t used before. “ I’m going to be directing a lot of projects as well, which is something I recently discovered that I enjoy. So we're going to be involved more heavily in the projects that we're in. We're also working with a couple of the bigger production houses in Sudan which is really nice. It's a different side for us.”Osman’s vision to create authentic narratives that combine the complex facets of storytelling has come to fruition. Her imagination and passion for change are tangible throughout our conversation. I have no doubt that Davu Studio is led by a forward-thinking, tenacious individual. 

Visit davustudio.com for more information.