I went on to launch my own sneaker brand, “The Nou Project”, following my thesis from Sotheby’s. I had finally found a way to merge my intertwined passions for fashion and art, which I translated through unique shoe pieces embellished with art. My vision was to enable artists to gain more recognition and transcend the notion of art beyond museums and gallery walls. During my creative journey, I collaborated with numerous international artists. I am inspired by the infinite possibilities of utilising art as a communication tool that cuts across cultural barriers. I consistently seek new ways to enrich everyday experiences through art in its various forms, while ensuring sustainability as a core objective and feature.

I launched the company at Level Shoes in Dubai in 2017 and had huge success moments, from having Pop ups both locally and globally from Riyadh, to Untitled Art Fair during Miami Art Basel in Miami, to Soho in New York and Eccleston Yards in London. I then decided to move the brand to the UK in late 2019 to gain more international recognition. Then Covid happened 6 months later.

A bit over one year ago today, just like most of the world, I was engulfed with sentiments of being lost, confused, worried and stressed about the uncertainty of the virus and what it meant. Ironically, while being in the comfort of my own home, the pandemic forced me to step out of my comfort zone as I found myself questioning my passions, perspectives and life’s purpose. I thought long and hard about how I had so many shoes to sell before I had to manufacture the new collection, and felt stressed and anxious about how I would sell the shoes during these impossible times. I also had many collaborations with artists lined up, and felt sad and disappointed that I had to put everything on hold due to the unforeseen circumstances of the world. I felt disheartened about my brand, and reflected a lot on consumerism and consumer culture. I then decided I no longer wanted to create a “want” but rather cater to a “need”.

I read “The Universe has your back” By Gabrielle Bernstein and asked God and the universe for signs on what my purpose is. I kept getting hints here and there but didn’t think much of it. Until one day I was walking in Hyde park in London, and suddenly I heard someone scream my name “Nour!” I turned around and saw a friend I hadn’t seen in a while mention how she was just talking about me to her friend, and that suddenly I appeared seconds later. She introduced me to her friend, a life coach. There it was - my sign. That same week I had received many messages from family and friends mentioning that I would be a great life coach. I exchanged numbers with her friend and researched life coaching programs, and when I saw the Jay Shetty School I knew this was the right program for me because his podcasts were what kept me going during the first part of the pandemic. When I began learning and going through the modules, I was transformed. I was able to see my life from a bird’s eye view and see exactly where I am at the moment in order to know and plan for where I wanted to be. And guess what? I am here now.