Sara Hedayat started working with Baft Atelier of the University of Arts in 2006. Soon afterwards, she established a small workshop where she worked with the students of handicrafts and textile design. Later on, she launched her brand, “Div Baf”.
Conducting a field study on handicrafts from different parts of Iran and their existing weaving traditions, Sara could focus on one of the most valuable handicrafts in Iran, namely the Chador Shab (a kind of bedding) of Qasemabad village. Using high quality raw materials and defining new uses, she managed to attract new weavers to this village. At last, the collective work alongside other craft activists led to the registration of Qasem Abad Chador Shab in UNESCO World Heritage List.
Sara’s team held an exhibition of handmade fabrics in Masoudieh Mansion, Tehran, from 2012 to 2016 where they brought a weaving apparatus and showed visitors how fabrics were designed and woven. This warmly received live workshop opened new avenues for the team. The relevant experiences helped Sara to spend the following two years collaborating in the re-weaving of Kashan silk Chador Shab, which had significant results.
Throughout her career, in addition to focusing on the quality of both the raw materials and the products, Sara has done her best to reflect the spirit of Iranian art and ancient traditions of weaving in fabrics, and find new applications for traditional crafts. Some of her awards are:
“National Medal” and “Golden Cypress” from the Cultural Heritage and Handicrafts Organization
The “Stamp of Originality” from UNESCO
“Silver Cypress” at Fajr Handicrafts Festival
