Love & Business: How This Couple Built The Handmayk Company Together
The Handmayk Company draws crowds as one of the main attractions at World Art Dubai 2025. Their booth buzzes with activity as visitors line up for free tufting workshops that have become the highlight of the exhibition.
A husband and wife team built this creative business together. Their story didn’t start in a corporate setting – it grew from their shared passion for art. What began as a romantic connection transformed into a successful business venture. The packed workshop sessions at World Art Dubai are evidence of what happens when love, creativity, and business sense come together perfectly.
How it all began: A love story rooted in creativity
The Handmayk Company started when two artists’ paths met through their shared love of textile arts. Asad and Roya, each deeply focused on their own art, found love in each other and shared a vision that would change the creative world of the UAE.
From shared hobbies to shared dreams
Before their company was born, Asad and Roya found that there was magic in how their artistic talents worked together. Asad mastered tufting and screen printing through countless hours of practice. These techniques became the core of their future workshops. Roya brought her natural talent for color and texture to life through yarn dyeing experiments.
“We realized our skills fit together like perfectly matched threads in a tapestry,” Roya says about their creative bond. Their casual craft sessions grew into something bigger as they saw what they could achieve by combining their artistic strengths.
The couple’s creativity bloomed in their home studio during evening sessions with different materials and techniques. Their shared creative hobbies turned into dreams of running a business together. When they thought about their future, they saw more than just their own art – they wanted to build a community for craft lovers in the UAE.
They aimed higher than just selling products. Their dream was to create a space where people could learn, create, and connect through textile arts. With their combined talents and drive, this ambitious goal seemed within reach.
The early days of crafting together
Their path from hobby artists to business partners took countless hours of testing and learning. Their apartment became a creative hub filled with yarn samples, tufting frames, and design sketches. Their neighbors got used to Asad’s tufting gun sounds and Roya’s natural dye scents filling the hallway.
Those first days brought both creative wins and tough choices. Limited resources meant they had to be clever with materials and improve their efficiency. They created a workflow that used their best skills – Asad handled the technical side of tufting and production, while Roya created unique colors and designs.
“Every creation taught us something new about our art and about each other,” Asad says. Working together made their craft stronger and their relationship deeper. They learned to communicate better and trust each other’s creative judgment.
Their first joint projects showed something unique. Roya’s hand-dyed yarns added rich colors to Asad’s precise tufting, creating pieces that stood out in both technique and style. After giving their handcrafted gifts to friends and family, they got encouragement to sell their work.
They kept careful records of their techniques, material sources, and customer feedback. These notes helped them grow their business later. During this testing phase, they stayed true to using quality materials and green practices, which became key parts of the Handmayk brand.
As their collection grew, so did their confidence to take the next step. Their creative dates and weekend projects evolved into a solid business idea. This business grew from their artistic passion and strong relationship. Their creative experience together built the foundation for what would become The Handmayk Company.
Turning passion into purpose: The birth of Handmayk
“We are born makers. We move what we’re learning from our heads to our hearts through our hands.” — Brené Brown, Research professor at the University of Houston, bestselling author, and expert on creativity and vulnerability
Asad and Roya’s shared love for art laid the foundation for something bigger. Their path from art enthusiasts to family business owners wasn’t planned—it evolved naturally through countless conversations and shared dreams.
Why they chose to start a business together
Several factors led them to start their business venture. They noticed a huge gap in UAE’s market for quality textile arts supplies and education. Their own creative work showed how hard it was to find the right materials.
“Finding quality yarn and tufting supplies locally was nearly impossible,” Asad says about their early struggles. This challenge turned into a golden opportunity.
Their skills complemented each other perfectly. Asad brought technical expertise in tufting, screen printing, and production. Roya added her artistic vision, deep knowledge of color theory, and ability to build communities. Together, they had everything needed to run a textile arts business.
Starting Handmayk gave them more than just a business—it became their platform for creative expression. Both had worked in places that limited their artistic freedom. Now they could shape their artistic vision exactly as they wanted.
The artistic couple took a systematic approach to their venture. They studied market needs, ran tests with small focus groups, and learned from feedback. Their combined talents let them handle different parts of the business without outside help. This kept their startup costs low.
One rule stayed constant: their relationship came first, before any business matter. This foundation helped them guide their personal and professional lives together.
Naming the brand and defining their mission
Finding the right name marked a key milestone. After trying many options, they picked “Handmayk”—spelling it uniquely to match their vision.
“The name reflects our belief that creation happens through human hands,” Roya explains. “The unique spelling symbolizes our commitment to putting a fresh twist on traditional crafts.”
They had started as “Yarns Dubai” but changed to Handmayk to show their bigger vision beyond yarn supplies. The company became “an initiative by WENASI Yarns” to keep its roots alive.
Their mission focused on four key pillars:
- Accessibility – Making textile arts easy for everyone whatever their skill level
- Sustainability – Creating eco-friendly options like their EcoCycl line from recycled materials
- Education – Building a community through workshops
- Quality – Delivering premium materials that spark creativity and last long
These pillars shaped every business choice, from new products to workshop design.
Their brand identity drew from nature—earthy colors and organic textures filled their designs, showing Roya’s connection with the natural world. They kept their brand voice friendly and welcoming to make new crafters feel at home.
With clear goals and mission, Handmayk opened its doors—growing from a shared creative passion to a purposeful business. This strong start helped them expand into workshops, custom work, and later gain international recognition at events like World Art Dubai 2025.
Building a brand from the ground up
Asad and Roya turned their artistic passion into a thriving business, starting with just an idea. Their original days at Handmayk just needed extraordinary dedication as they stepped into unknown territory.
Learning the ropes of yarn, tufting, and textile art
The couple started by becoming skilled at their core crafts to meet professional standards. Asad spent countless hours to perfect his tufting techniques and worked with yarn weights and textures of all types to achieve precision. Roya simultaneously developed her first hand-dyed yarn collection. She tested natural dyes and color combinations that are the foundations of their signature Roya Merino DK Yarn line.
Their product range grew steadily as their skills improved. Each new offering showed the results of research and testing, from their sustainability-focused EcoCycl Cotton collection to specialized And_et DuraTuft Yarn made for tufting projects.
“Every product in our catalog tells a story of trial, error, and ended up mastery,” Asad explains. The couple really understood each item they sold before offering it to customers – first as crafters, then as merchants.
Balancing roles as partners and co-founders
They created clear areas of responsibility within their business partnership that played to their individual strengths while they made decisions together. Asad naturally took charge of technical aspects like tufting instruction, screen printing services, and workshop logistics. Roya used her artistic sense to handle product curation, color development, and community building.
Their social media presence shows this split clearly. Asad’s platforms show him as “Tufter | Yarn Dyer | Screen Printer,” while Roya’s showcase her as an “artist who loves nature.” Notwithstanding that, they made all major business decisions together.
Overcoming early challenges and setbacks
Inventory management became their biggest problem early on. “Stock Update: We are working tirelessly to add more quantities!” appeared often on their website as products kept selling out. This positive challenge confirmed their market fit but created pressure to fulfill orders quickly.
Their workshop capacity also proved hard to scale. Professional tufting workshops ranged from two-day courses (AED 996) to detailed masterclasses with professional kits (AED 6,489.99). These classes booked up fast, so they had to find the quickest way to teach without losing quality.
Their relationship helped them stay grounded through these growing pains. Business challenges made them return to what mattered most: quality, creativity, and real connections with their community of crafters.
Handmayk today: A creative force in the UAE
The Handmayk Company has become a buzzing center of textile artistry in the UAE. This business now offers many services beyond its original focus on yarn supply. A shared creative passion has grown into a business that changes how people connect with textile arts in the region.
Expanding into workshops and custom commissions
The life-blood of Handmayk’s business model lies in their complete workshop program. The company runs professional tufting workshops at different skill levels. These range from two-day beginner courses (AED 996) to in-depth masterclasses with professional kits (AED 6,489.99). Students fill these classes quickly, which shows both great teaching and rising interest in textile arts.
The company has grown into the corporate world with team-building tufting workshops (AED 1,596) that turn art creation into shared experiences. Their event services bring tufting activities to corporate events, festivals, and public gatherings. Prices range from AED 4,680 to AED 7,980, based on size.
This family business serves clients who want unique interior décor through their custom tufting commissions service. Their website states: “At Handmayk, we are excited to offer custom tufting commissions tailored to your vision and space! Whether you’re looking for a bespoke wall hanging or a unique rug, we create tufted pieces in various shapes and sizes.”
Creating a community of makers and learners
The couple’s dream goes beyond business success – they’ve built a real creative community. Roya launched the UAE’s first hand-dyed yarn brand in 2025 from her Dubai studio. Her carefully developed color combinations inspire knitters, crocheters, and textile artists across the region.
Their products now include innovative items like EcoCycl – yarn made from recycled materials. This shows their steadfast dedication to sustainability and makes them leaders in eco-friendly crafting.
Handmayk runs “a range of professional workshops, group workshops, and corporate workshops designed to spark creativity and skill-building.” They believe in making crafts accessible: “Whether you want to master a new craft, collaborate with a team, or enjoy a creative day with friends, our workshops provide the perfect environment.”
Their social media channels and broadcast lists have built a following that’s happy to see their “new arrivals, restocks, daily updates, and exciting announcements.” This direct connection shows how this husband-wife team has turned their artistic passion into a thriving business that builds real connections with fellow creators.
A standout moment: World Art Dubai 2025
World Art Dubai 2025 became the perfect stage for Asad and Roya to showcase their family’s entrepreneurial spirit. The Handmayk Company emerged as an unexpected sensation among 400+ exhibitors and over 10,000 art pieces from 65+ countries at the region’s largest contemporary retail art fair.
How their booth became the event’s highlight
The Handmayk booth stood out in a sea of traditional art displays through active participation rather than passive observation. Their space invited attendees to experience the creative process firsthand, unlike galleries that displayed finished pieces. Curious onlookers from all corners of the exhibition hall found themselves drawn to the rhythmic sound of tufting guns and colorful displays of hand-dyed yarns.
“We wanted to create an approachable atmosphere,” Asad explains. “Art should be inclusive, not intimidating.”
The booth’s design mirrored their brand’s identity with warm earth tones, organic textures, and sustainable materials. Their display fixtures incorporated upcycled elements, which quietly showed their dedication to eco-friendly crafting.
The space stayed consistently crowded throughout the event as attendees queued for their turn to participate. Event organizers noted that the Handmayk booth drew the largest gatherings, creating an energy that spread throughout the exhibition hall.
The impact of their complimentary tufting workshops
The complimentary tufting workshops set Handmayk apart from other exhibitors. These hands-on sessions turned attendees into creators at an event where most interactions involved viewing or purchasing art.
Quick 15-minute sessions introduced complete beginners to simple tufting techniques. Participants walked away with small handmade creations and newfound confidence in their creative abilities.
“The joy on people’s faces when they completed their first tuft was priceless,” Roya recalls. “Many participants told us they’d never considered themselves artistic before.”
This generous approach created remarkable goodwill. Attendees brought their friends back, which generated organic publicity throughout the event. Their workshop method showed how textile arts could unite people from different backgrounds through shared creative experiences.
Asad and Roya’s story shows the power of mixing passion with purpose. Their experience of turning from creative enthusiasts into successful business owners proves how shared dreams become reality through mutual support.
The Handmayk Company shined at World Art Dubai 2025, marking a key milestone in their business experience. Packed workshops and excited participants showed that their goal of making textile arts available deeply appeals to the community.
Their core values remain unchanged despite their success. This couple keeps their steadfast dedication to quality craftsmanship and environmentally responsible methods. They still involve the community meaningfully. Their free workshops draw big crowds, and their hand-dyed yarns and professional tufting services have created loyal customers across the UAE.
This couple’s story teaches new entrepreneurs how business success and personal relationships can grow together. They blend professional excellence with real connections to create a brand that mirrors their artistic vision and love story.
Bright opportunities await this creative duo as they add more workshops and create innovative products. Their success shows that dedication, skill, and genuine passion can turn a shared hobby into a thriving business that spreads joy to many others.
FAQs
Q1. How did Asad and Roya start The Handmayk Company? Asad and Roya began their journey as creative enthusiasts who shared a passion for textile arts. They combined their complementary skills in tufting, yarn dyeing, and design to create unique handcrafted pieces. Recognizing a gap in the UAE market for quality textile arts supplies and education, they decided to turn their shared hobby into a business venture.
Q2. What services does The Handmayk Company offer? The Handmayk Company offers a range of services including professional tufting workshops, team-building activities, custom tufting commissions, and event activation services. They also sell hand-dyed yarns and eco-friendly crafting supplies.
Q3. How do Asad and Roya balance their roles as partners and business co-founders? The couple has established clear domains within their business partnership based on their individual strengths. Asad focuses on technical aspects like tufting instruction and workshop logistics, while Roya concentrates on product curation, color development, and community engagement. However, they maintain collaborative decision-making for major business matters.
Q4. What makes The Handmayk Company’s workshops unique? The Handmayk Company’s workshops are designed to be accessible to everyone, regardless of experience level. They offer various expertise levels, from introductory courses to comprehensive masterclasses. The workshops emphasize hands-on learning, allowing participants to create their own textile art pieces and build confidence in their creative abilities.
Q5. How has The Handmayk Company contributed to the UAE’s creative community? The Handmayk Company has fostered a vibrant community of makers and learners in the UAE. They launched the country’s first hand-dyed yarn brand, introduced eco-friendly crafting options, and consistently offer sold-out workshops. Their presence at events like World Art Dubai has helped make textile arts more accessible and appealing to a wider audience in the region.
