MUDHI ALOBTHANI (ABU DHABI)
An idea that began with two small notebooks during UAE National Service has grown into Mushat, an Emirati creative brand combining writing, storytelling and stationery inspired by local identity.
Founded by Emirati writers Khamis Al Shehhi and Abdulrahman Al Humairi, Mushat was born from the pair’s experience serving together in the UAE National Service.
Al Shehhi said the idea began when the two friends, both writers, started using the small notebooks provided during their military training to record creative ideas that came to them during their breaks.
“During National Service, they used to give us these small notebooks to write down our lessons,” Al Shehhi said. “As writers, ideas would come to us in different situations — a line of poetry, an idea, a dialogue, a film story or random thoughts — so we would always write these ideas in the notebooks.”
The notebooks soon became filled with creative thoughts. “You would find the notebook full of ideas, more than the lessons we were supposed to write down,” he said.
After completing National Service, the two friends decided to develop the idea into a platform focused on written content and creative production.
“We said, why don’t we establish a platform that provides written content and creative production services?” Al Shehhi said. “We provide content creation for organisations and individuals across different fields, including scripts, media and advertising campaigns, national works and other creative projects.”
Mushat later expanded into stationery and creative products inspired by Emirati identity and heritage. “Some of the products don’t just reflect Emirati identity; they also reflect our own stories,” Al Shehhi said.
The brand is participating in the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair for the third time, having first taken part in 2023. This year, Mushat is placing greater emphasis on its stationery, gifts and creative products.
Its collection includes notebooks inspired by Abu Dhabi and pens named after elements of Emirati culture and nature, and a range of other creative products.
For this year’s participation, Mushat designed its booth around the concept of a station where visitors can stop during their journey through the book fair, explore the products and take part in interactive activities.