Entrepreneur directs Traffic all the way to the UK

Dubai: The UAE will be represented by a young Emirati designer during the British Coucil's International Young Design Entrepreneur award in September.

In a competition showcasing entrepreneurship and ingenuity in the UAE, Dubai-based Rami Farook Rahimtulla won the UAE International Young Design Entrepreneur (IYDE) Award 2009, as part of the British Council's international award programme Young Creative Entrepreneur (YCE).

He will now join other international finalists from India, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Taiwan, Indonesia and Turkey for an all-expense-paid trip to the UK in mid-September to compete for the international title.

As with previous years, the 2009 programme will be developed with UK partners, and will take the finalists to London, Glasgow and Belfast to meet leaders of the UK design sector.

Rahimtulla is founder and director of Traffic, a design store, gallery and studio in Al Barsha, which is used as a venue to exhibit design in a unconventional way, as well as hosting lectures, workshops, and screenings.

Additionally, there is a reference library for designers, and a book shop café is currently being developed.

"It is an honour to represent the UAE on a global scale, and I look forward to networking and collaborating with the UK's design entrepreneurs, manufacturers, and educators," said Rahimtulla.

The British Council's International Young Design Entrepreneur is awarded in partnership with 100% Design, the world's most important contemporary interior design exhibition presenting the latest in furniture, lighting and accessories, and the UK's premier contemporary interiors event for the contract market.