Member Spotlight

Born in Dublin, Sofia is half Swedish and half Irish and grew up in Dubai until she
moved to Los Angeles where she studied marketing at The Fashion Institute of
Design & Merchandising. In 2018 she moved to London where she worked at
luxury fashion brand, JOSEPH, in the ECOM studio as well as being Co-Chair of
the brand's Diversity & Inclusion Committee. In the wake of COVID, Sofia
decided to quit her job in order to pursue her true passion which is her brand
AQWAA.
AQWAA is a Dubai-based jewelry brand designed to help bring awareness to
mental health and end the stigma that is still attached to it. As founder of the
brand, Sofia has taken her vision for creating meaningful pieces and brought
them to life in the form of unique and iconic jewelry pieces bearing messages
and symbols synonymous with mental health.Borrowing its name from the Arabic
translation of 'Stronger', AQWAA is partnered with numerous charities in a
mission to enrich the lives of the brands customers through innovative pieces
that spark conversation around mental health and help to create awareness of it.
“The idea for AQWAA came to me when I was at the lowest point in my life.
Having battled with depression, anxiety and PTSD for months, I decided I no
longer wanted to go through it alone. It wasn’t until I began opening up to my
friends and family where I realized how many people are suffering in silence. I

wanted to create something that brought awareness to the fact that you are not
alone. My hope is that each piece of jewelry will serve as a reminder to the fact
that mental health is not something to be afraid to speak about.”