Name: Hana Debs Akkari, founder and product developer, Senteurs d'Orient
Location: Beirut
Product: Soaps-on-a-Rope and Hammam Gift Set

Senteurs d’Orient celebrates the ancient Middle Eastern ritual of the bath. With its richly scented soaps and delightful gift sets—the silver bowl in the gift set we’re offering was inspired by a one used in bathhouses in the 1920s—it brings some of the luxury and sensuality of a time-honored ritual to even the quickest shower. The Beirut-based company, which was founded by Hana Debs Akkari, donates proceeds from sales of each of its products toward educating women in Lebanon.

What inspired you to create these soaps and the gift set?
We wanted to be able to contribute toward social business and particularly to women’s education in Lebanon. So we created Senteurs d’Orient with the objective that part of the profits would go to this dedicated cause. But having made no profits since our inception (10 years ago now!), we decided that we should simply allocate proceeds from sales of each of our products towards educating women in Lebanon starting this year (fiscal 2010). We are currently drafting an agreement with the United Nations Development Programme’s Women’s Empowerment department to make this our standing annual contribution.  

How were these soaps and the gift set made? 
The hammam bowl is a replica of a circa 1920s bowl that was used in public baths in the Orient by mothers to occupy their children (with the twirling fish) while they scrubbed them down. With the soap-on-a-rope, we wanted a product that would hang in the shower and not get mushy in a dish. We gave it an Oriental touch with the filigree motif embossed on the soap. 

What was the big aha! you had while creating the soaps?
The big aha! was when The Financial Times’ How To Spend It wrote about our company.

Can you describe your creative process?
Ideas and yet more ideas that we try to apply practically!

What do you love about what you do?
The creative part of being able to produce a product and make it happen—and then getting it out and seeing what reactions I get from users. When the feedback is good and people like what you’ve done, it’s so rewarding!

How would you sum up your aesthetic/design philosophy?
East meets East meets West.

What are you working on next?
A hotel line.

What would you like to do other than your current occupation?
Product development is my dream job.